Port Washington Public Library installing solar panels

It might not be so quiet around the Port Washington Public Library for the next few months.

The library is getting a new roof on its original building, complete with a flat solar-panel overlay that will save the library about $10,000 a year in energy costs, said library director Nancy Curtin.

The physical removal of the roof began on Monday and construction of the new 16,000-square-foot roof is scheduled to take about three months, Curtin said.

The new roof will cover the original portion of the building, which was finished in 1970.

Rather than the traditional angled panels, the installation will feature solar film flat panels that lay on the roof, she said.

The library will feature a display in its lobby showing how much energy the panels are generating when the project is completed, Curtin said.

Curtin said the roughly $579,000 project was paid for out of capital funds the library put aside in its budget every year, along with grants it received.

Library functions should not be affected by the construction, she said, although there will be more noise at times.

Above: Port Washington Public Library