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Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s budget plan announced Thursday includes $33 million over six years to replace old heating and air conditioning systems in libraries.
If approved by City Council, this funding could allow the Free Library to potentially double the rate it replaces HVAC systems in branches.
“Our libraries are one of our greatest assets. Libraries serve as a lifeline — after-school care for many of our children and their parents,” Parker said during her budget address to Council on Thursday. “Nothing more frustrating trying to be hot and read and then learning at the same time.”
Aging HVAC systems have become a major impediment to Philadelphia libraries’ ability to serve their communities.
A WHYY News analysis of Free Library data found that over half of Philadelphia’s library branches temporarily closed last summer due to air conditioning issues. In 2024, more than half of the city’s libraries shuttered during the winter due to broken heating.
The unreliable HVAC systems undermine a key part of Philadelphia’s plan to keep residents safe during weather emergencies such as heat waves and cold snaps, as some libraries are meant to serve as warming or cooling centers.
When library branches close, residents also lose access to literacy programming, computers, printers, job search assistance, free Wi-Fi, after-school homework help and public restrooms.
Free Library officials have pointed to budget restrictions as a challenge to replacing and repairing HVAC systems.
Parker’s budget proposal recommends a total of $39 million in new, city tax-supported funding for the Free Library over the next six fiscal years. That amounts to $6.5 million per fiscal year, a nearly 69% bump over the library’s capital budget this year of $3.9 million in new, city tax-supported funds for physical improvements to libraries, including HVAC renovations, roof replacements and security camera installation.
The mayor is calling for $5.5 million of the Free Library’s capital budget next fiscal year to go to library HVAC replacements. This would allow the Free Library to replace HVAC systems in 10 branches per year, according to the city’s Office of the Finance Director. Mark Graham, spokesperson for the Free Library, said in August that the department aims to replace HVAC systems in at least five libraries per year.
The Office of the Finance Director’s estimate of 10 systems per year may be optimistic, as Graham said last year the typical HVAC system replacement in a library costs between $500,000 and $1 million.