Scottsbluff Public Library
Board
Regular Meeting –8:30 a.m.
Library Meeting Room
June 5, 2009
Minutes
President Teresa Clark called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. in the library meeting room. Library Board members present were Teresa Clark, Eric Vath, Carol Holyoke, Kristin Wiebe and Marg Dredla. Foundation Board members John Massey and Dave Duey were present. Library Director Bev Russell and Children’s Librarian Deb Carlson, who took notes, attended as well.
A notice of the meeting had been published on May 29, 2009, in the Star Herald, a newspaper published and of general circulation in the city. The notice stated the date, hour and place of the meeting, that the meeting would be open to the public. Anyone with a disability desiring reasonable accommodation to attend the library board meeting should contact the Library Director’s office. An agenda of the meeting, kept continuously current, was available for public inspection at the office of the Library Director. The Library Board could modify the agenda at the meeting if it is determined that an emergency so required. A similar notice, together with a copy of the agenda, also had been delivered to each Library Board member.
Teresa announced that a copy of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act was posted by the doors in the meeting room.
There were none.
Teresa suggested that agenda item 9, Library Fundraising Update, be moved before 8, Library building project, so that Foundation Board members could leave earlier.
There were none.
Eric moved that the minutes of the April 29, 2009 meeting be approved. Kristin seconded.
Yes – Vath, Wiebe, Clark, Holyoke No – None
The minutes were approved as distributed.
Teresa welcomed Marg Dredla as our newest member of the Library Board. All present introduced themselves.
Library statistics were not yet available for May because of the earlier date for the meeting. The May and June statistics will be provided at the July meeting.
The Library Board letter, regarding essential and desirable services at the library, was submitted to Council at their second meeting in May. Council appreciated the Library Board’s prompt reply and willingness to work with Council to address budget concerns.
Teresa asked if Bev has received a reply from the StarHerald to our letter suggesting that the paper pay for the microfilming of their paper. Bev said she had not received any reply from the StarHerald.
Bev reported that she is be doing a presentation to Council at the second meeting in June. This will be informational only. They would like a short overview of the department.
Library Board members need to have a combined total of 20 hours to get the Board accredited. The Board is still 7.5 hours short. June is the deadline for getting this done. The Library Commission has approved the visit to Cheyenne for C.E. credits. Additionally, there are several webinars done by the Library Commission that can be accessed at home. Bev will send the information on them again after this meeting. If needed, Bev will request an extension of the deadline.
Foundation Board President John Massey distributed a handout (appended to the minutes) which was given to City Council, requesting an additional $500,000 for the library building project. He felt the Mayor had done an excellent job of preparing Council for the request. They voted unanimously to award another $500,000 as a matching grant. John said that although there are possible areas to cut in the project, the overall goal of the campaign will be to raise $634,000.
Bev reported that the World Herald, U. S. Bank, and Kitty M. Perkins grant requests had been denied. The proposal to the Lied Foundation Trust is still pending.
John said that we must move forward with our campaign, assuming that the Lied request will not be awarded. Bev will contact the Kiewit Foundation and the Ethel S. Abbot Charitable Foundation, updating them on the increase in the City’s contribution.
Leadership for the campaign has been recruited. In addition to John, Kristin Wiebe, Steve Olsen, and Eric Vath have agreed to serve in a leadership capacity. The leadership team will set training dates.
John showed a copy of the campaign booklet and said it will be sent to the printer this week. This is the final opportunity to make changes to this document.
Bev reported that a young man had called and suggested a community-wide garage sale as a fundraiser. He said people who couldn’t afford to give money could donate items for the garage sale.
Bev reported that the meetings with the Leo Daly team on May 20-21 were productive. The schedule is tight, but the team is encouraged by our progress and believes we can keep to the schedule because of how much has been accomplished during these meetings.
A true cost estimate will be available by the end of June. The budget for furnishings is less than it should be. The Board discussed highlighting areas for special donations. The Leo Daly team will develop a list of possible donor areas, but purchases will be made from the vendors we suggest to the specification we need.
One area of concern is shelving. Our shelves are forty years old and needs to be replaced. This is not an area that attracts donors.
Carol said that we need a building that looks like it has been remodeled. We must get the building first and furnish the inside later. If necessary, the Foundation can go out and raise money for this after the building is built.
The Leo Daly team will be here June 23, 24 and 25. A public meeting is planned at 7:00 p.m. on June 23. Their next scheduled visit is July 14-16. This will be a meeting with engineers primarily. By this time the basic design of the building will be pretty firm. The final visit will be August 18-20. They will have construction documents then and be ready for Council to open bids at their first meeting in September. There will be a final presentation to the public at 7:00 p.m. on August 19th.
Kristin suggested that the volunteers who will be soliciting for donations meet with the Leo Daly group in July.
Bev reported on some alterations to the building design. The meeting room will be enlarged by 1/3. The computer lab has been eliminated with the possibility of writing a grant for a portable lab in the future. The drive-up service window has been eliminated because of cost and staffing requirements. A smaller story time room off the children’s library was added. This will double as a meeting area for teens. The café area has been enlarged by bring the doors our further to the south.
The goal is to ground break by November 1, 2009 so that footings can be sunk before the ground freezes. The plan is to keep the library on site during construction. The addition will be built first, and the collection will be moved to the addition while the current building is remodeled.