October 20, 2011
Teton County Library Board Meeting Minutes
Thursday, October 20, 2011(Approved on 11/17/2011)
Treasurer Clark Heindl called the meeting to order at 3:12 PM.
Attending were Board members Bill Wotkyns and Clark Heindl, Patricia Moeller by phone. Also attending were Teton County Commission liaison Andy Schwartz, Foundation Director Missy Falcey and TCL staff Deb Adams, Dail Barbour and Sally McCullough.
Correspondence from the Public: None.
Approval of Minutes: Bill moved to approve the September 22, 2011 minutes as presented, Patricia seconded, all voted in favor.
Section 215 Report: None.
Friends Report:
Bill is the current board liaison for the Friends. They had their book sale at the Virginian and it went very well. The extra space was great. They were able to set up earlier and received a lot of donations the first part of the week.
Foundation Report:
Missy reported they had done really well with Old Bill’s donations. They received 30 more gifts than last year but less in actual dollars. Their biggest donor cut their gift in half, with the money going to a private school instead. They had an approximate shortfall of eight or nine thousand dollars. They do prefer having more individual donors and a little less money than the other way around.
In regard to the enhancements campaign, they are currently contacting people. They’ve met with some foundations. They just received their first donation of $75,000 for the Western reading room which will cover all identified enhancements except the architectural element. They have another large donor they will meet with next week. Overall it is a great start to the campaign. Discussion followed on collection funding.
Page to the Podium is tonight. The benefit is Dec. 2nd. Missy encouraged the board to buy their tickets early.
Financials:
Monthly Report-Question & Answers-
Deb reported that Donna Baurs’ SPET receipt projections are now ahead of schedule by $39,000.00. The library just had its first big construction billing from GE Johnson.
Action Item-Approve Vouchers- the Board could not approve the vouchers due to not having a quorum physically present to review vouchers. They will approve them at the next board meeting but checks will be mailed in the interim.
Librarian’s Report:
Annual Planning for 2012 – 3 Strategic Directions – With everything going on this year, Deb recommends that the library keep the same three strategic directions, which are: Every child ready for school, Every adult ready for work and Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. This is the perfect year to do research and be listening to and building relationships with the community. Clark asked if we could research why stats are down (outside of the closure). Some discussion followed on comparing statistics. It was noted that once the parking lot is done, numbers should go up, but the trend was that they were dropping before the closure and construction. Clark would like to find out if it correlates to the shortening of hours. Dail reported that in the RR&R strategic direction, the library’s efforts with recycling during the construction have been outstanding. Nothing went into the landfill from the parking lot. Almost all materials from inside have been salvaged. The windows that couldn’t be salvaged will be used as base in the sidewalk construction.
Action Items-Confirm 3 Strategic Directions for 2012 - Bill moved to approve to, Patricia seconded, all voted in favor.
Staff Bonuses - They have been approved by the County Commissioners. Andy also confirmed that the bonuses are not subject to WY Retirement.
Facilities Planning:
Timeline Update for Library Addition/Renovation – The parking lot is now being paved. GE Johnson did have to refill parts that softened due to the rain, but should finish up tomorrow morning. They are finishing up pouring the concrete foundation walls. Steel should be onsite by the end of October or beginning of November. Deb asked the board to approve a closure on November 10. (TCL will be closed on November 11 for Veterans Day.) The library needs to close when the electricians move the electrical transformer, which will require a complete power shutdown and take two days. Demolition is on schedule. Missy asked what the general timeline is for inhabiting the new family wing. Dail said that the new wing will be used for phasing, until the renovation is complete, only staff will move into it until the entire project is completed in January 2013. Discussion followed on the phasing timeline. Missy would like to meet with Dail to review updated timelines.
Review design option for Cedar Ship Lap Siding v. Hardi-Panel - The siding is to be used mainly on the eastern wall on the lower 18 inches and around the wing and auditorium. The Town of Jackson’s Design Review Committee asked the library to look at this option as it is a design element. The difference in cost is $11,500.00 more to do the Cedar Ship Lap Siding but the savings in maintenance will be much larger than this over time.
Action Items:
Approve Cedar Ship Lap Siding Option - Bill moved to approve use of this option, Patricia seconded, all voted in favor.
Approve November 10 closure - Bill moved to approve the November 10 closure, Patricia seconded, all voted in favor.
Donor Recognition-Preliminary Discussion – Missy said they have discussed this at the Foundation board level but wanted an opportunity to get more clarity on the issue from the Library board. A few months ago the Foundation sent letters to all donors who have signage in the existing building, notifying them of the upcoming changes. Currently a conventional plaque is what has been used, which is not what they want to do with new recognitions. Whatever they decide on, it needs to be in a place of some prominence & significance, but can be creative. As far as spaces approved for enhancements, she asks that the Foundation be allowed some flexibility and if anyone has a philosophical objection, now would be a good time to bring it up. The name on the auditorium is the one area most likely to remain donor designated. Discussion followed on current trends in donor gift acknowledgements. She will make donors aware of the opportunity to give to the State Endowment Challenge match, as a way to permanently give to the library. Bill would like a recap of this information for the other board members. Missy said she would be happy to come to the November meeting to present this again to the missing board members. It was agreed that they will also be able to read the minutes.
New Business:
They will begin interviewing applicants for the Public Art Coordinator position on Monday morning. The Facilities Committee will do the interviews at 9:00 and 10:00 AM in Deb’s office. Bill confirmed that he will attend, Clark will not be available. After the position is filled the board will appoint a Public Art Committee. Missy expressed some concern in their role with the donors and asked for some assurance that they will keep her in the loop on the entire process. The Public Art Coordinator will not be the donor contact.
Meeting adjourned 3:58 PM.
