Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway has ordered that emergency measures be taken to make repairs to the air conditioning system at the Biloxi Public Library, where a malfunctioning blower damaged the system’s cooling tower Sunday night.
The library and adjoining Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art will be closed until the air conditioner is repaired. The city’s Public Works Department on Monday morning ordered a new blower fan, which is being shipped overnight from a Baltimore supplier
By declaring the repairs an emergency, Holloway enables the city to bypass state bidding regulations in making any necessary repairs.
“It seems as if this air conditioner has trouble each year at the peak of the summer,” Holloway said. “We’re going to make the necessary repairs – as soon as physically possible – and we’re also going to determine if a new unit is needed for the long term. We’ve gotten conflicting advice on that in the past, but it’s going to be dealt with once and for all.
“We also apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused patrons of the library and the Ohr-O’Keefe museum.”
On Sunday about 8:30 p.m., the Biloxi Fire Department responded to a report of a smell of smoke at the air conditioner’s cooling tower, which is on Ohr Street, at the rear of the library.
A blower fan damaged sections of the cooling tower.
