Building Flaws Cause Thermostat Quarrel in Washington Twp. Government

Disagreements over thermostat settings in the Washington Township Municipal Complex may be the result of problems with the building itself, officials said.

During their meeting this week, Councilman Joe D'Urso and Council Vice President Fred Goetz said municipal employees had come to them about the temperature being set uncomfortably low in the township's government offices.

"This building is too cold," D'Urso said.

The employees said they felt as though they could not take their concerns to Mayor Janet Sobkowicz, according to the councilmen.

Sobkowicz said she had previously found some thermostats in the building had been set to as high as 87 degrees, so she had ordered all of them to be set at 65 or 68 degrees. Sobkowicz allowed the thermostats to be raised slightly higher recently because of the recent coldsnap.

The problem is that some of the thermostats were installed right above radiators, so the temperature in the room is often lower than is intended, Sobkowicz said. 

Township Administrator Catherine Navarro-Steinel said that some other design flaws in the building may be contributing to uncomfortable temperatures. Some windows need repair and the roof — which has already been patched several times since construction was last done — apparently has a large section in which the shingles are nailed directly into the wood with no tar paper in between.

A project to repair the roof could cost $100,000 or more because much of the wood will likely also need to be replaced, according to Navarro-Steinel.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.