The Newton County Library System got some mixed news this week.

It won’t have to spend $26,500 for the architecture firm it hired to do a flow test of the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), but that’s because the HVAC system is in such bad condition that testing is rendered pointless, said library Director Lace Keaton.

"(The architects said) it would just be a waste of money and time to test a system that has not been working," Keaton said.

The library Board of Trustees had a called meeting Tuesday and voted not to do the test based on the recommendation of The Architecture Group, the firm that is reviewing the Covington Branch Library’s HVAC system, which needs to have many parts replaced. Additionally, the roof needs to be replaced. The firm is tasked with giving recommendations on how to proceed with repairs on a limited budget.

The boiler, for certain, needs to be replaced. The other proposed repairs are still being evaluated. The system’s parts have been replaced so frequently the library is left with a hodgepodge of components, many of which don’t work. In addition to the non-working boiler, one air-conditioning unit is inoperable. The architects recommend a redesign of the system.

Next week, the firm is expected to evaluate the roof, which is leaking and should be replaced, officials said previously.