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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting June 18, 2026J-"j_-xy- x==- 'r";"x7 -=-"-"----S- Minutes' _,;__}_;21-=-- -- y.J==- ="y, : -- - - Z- " A- :QL .- ;f - L'l !'--- 'l -! IS -' -Z-" :. ?b ---- -- _r -l - "l 'P_-: I- j 1-a-- "-I -" " - T " - -= ' 7 ,-,-,- ---j'tgleS jj;l jp ii C?Itic- ugrary poar_a:o7-4 rust,eqs=,=" :-{ F:lirqS1 &€ Dale H. Ross Board Room 515 Douglas Ave, Ames IA 50010 June 18, 2026 The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Dale H. Ross Board Room with Daiker, Genise, Gibson, Johnson, and Marsau in attendance. Arora, Dennis, Gordillo, and Myers were excused. Assistant City Manager Goldbeck, Director Schofer, and Adult Services Manager Klein-Hewett were also in attendance. Call to Order: President Johnson called the meeting to order at 7: 01 p.m. Consent Agenda: Moved by Daiker, seconded by Gibson to approve the consent agenda as follows: 1. Motion approving minutes of the regular meeting May 21, 2026 2. Motion approving payment of claims 5/1/26 - 5/31/26 Vote on Motion: 5-0 (Arora, Dennis, Gordillo, and Myers were excused). Approved unanimously. Public Forum: No public comments. Activity Reports: A. City Manager Office: Assistant City Manager Goldbeck gave a report to the Board. 1. Curbside recycling begins on July 4, 2026. 2. The City had purchased fifty acres of property, located on Ontario St in the fall of 2023. There is a survey open for citizens to provide feedback on how this community park should be developed. To take the survey visit https://www.cityofames.org/Resident-Services/Whats-Happening-in- Ames/Major-Projects/Ontario-Community-Park There will be continued outreach opportunities including another open house. 3. The Steven L. Schainker Plaza spray pad is open. 4. City Council will consider solar panel installation at the Fitch Family Aquatic Center. 5. There are several grant opportunities including a neighborhood improvement grant, climate action grants, and owner-occupied rehabilitation program funds as well as the application for outside funding requests. Interested persons should visit the City of Ames website for more information. 6. Neighborhood Connections Road Trip Stops have been taking place. Two more events remain. Each stop provides residents with the opportunity to connect with City staff, explore vehicles, look at equipment and displays, enjoy activities, learn from displays, meet elected officials, and connect with neighbors. 7. Public Works is seeking community input on the Duff Avenue corridor. The survey is posted online at www.duffavenuestudy.com and will close on June 26, 2026. The Duff Avenue corridor study includes evaluating traffic operations, safety, walkability, connectivity, railroad crossing impacts, overall corridor function, as well as identifying long-term improvement concepts that support the needs of residents, businesses, and corridor users. Public feedback will be used to help refine the recommended improvement concepts. 8. Rummage RAMPage 2026 will run from July 25 to August 1. Drop-off will begin on Friday, July 24. More information is available on the City ofAmes Sustainability page. 9. City staff recently received a letter from Lightedge expressing interest in developing a data center on approximately 10.86 acres along Aviation Way, directly west of property occupied by Sigler Companies. The proposed facility would be constructed in phases based on customer demand over an estimated 1 0-year period. The review process includes these dates: June 23 City Council Meeting: Staff will provide a general overview of the request. The City Council will not make any decisions and will not take public comments during this meeting. June 30 - Special City Council "Listening Session": Residents will have an opportunity to provide input and share comments regarding the proposal. July 14 - City Council Meeting: The City Council will revisit the proposal and consider feedback received during the public listening session. The site is identified in the Airport Master Plan as suitable for non-aeronautical uses. City officials emphasize that the proposal is in the early stages of review and that no decisions have been made. B. Administrative Staff Report: Schofer gave a report to the Board. 1. Goldbeck and Schofer attended a joint school board meeting. They discussed goals and long-range projections on retaining families. 2. Rogers is doing fabulous. Schofer is glad he had overflow time with Duckett for training. He is a natural communicator and jumps right in. 3. The design for the study room addition is being finessed. It should be finalized at the end of July and ready to be placed out for bid. 4. The landscaping work should start next week. They anticipate the work to take three days. 5. The accessible door project is waiting for some final details to be worked out. 6. There has been a lot of back and forth on the bird cling installation. This project should be scheduled soon after details about renting a lift, and other small details are worked out. The cost should be $1500 plus the cost of lift rental. The materials and most of the labor for the installation are being donated. Other groups are interested in covering the cost. 7. The Project Smyles anniversary party went well; it was well attended. 8. Summer meals and summer programing are in full swing. They are averaging about ninety-five kids a day for meals. There was a site visit with USDA. There were a couple little tweaks made but we are compliant, and it is running smoothly. 9. Terrific Tuesdays are happening. Most days have a teen or off-site program as well as the main program. 10. The bookmobile is doing a lot of outreach events including attending the farmers' markets, touch-a-truck, Juneteenth, etc. 11. The Echoes of Resilience series takes place through the end of July. This is a film and discussion series to celebrate the resilience of LGBTQ+ Americans putting interpersonal, intergenerational, and LGBTQ+ experiences in historical context. 12.Staff performance reviews are being completed. Managers are meeting with staff and setting sustainability goals. Salaried employees receive a merit increase. Hourly employees will receive at least a 5o/o increase. 13.The next book sale will be held July 9-12. 14. A twist on the Repair Cafe called Repair Skills will be held July 4 8. This is planned in hopes of teaching more people how to do repairs. 15. Staff will table at the Story County Fair along with other Story County libraries July 15-19. 16. Managers will give a presentation about the advocacy group held last Tall at the United for Libraries conference. The Ad Hoc Advocacy Committee and managers will meet to start planning the next session. C. Ames Public Library Friends Foundation (APLFF) Report: Schofer gave a report to the Board. 1. APLFF approved their FY27 budget including APL's request for funding. 2. APLFF will be hosting a donor appreciation reception on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. The invitation list includes about 120 people. 3. APLFF is considering hiring a social media intern. Board Education: Klein-Hewett lead a Strengths Finder activity. Trustees had taken the assessment and after the May meeting. Tonight's activity took a deeper look at their top five strengths and how it adds to them being a good board member. Policy Review: A. Director Performance Evaluation Policy: This policy was brought to the Board last month for discussion and reviewed by staff. Recommended changes include changing the word 'aof' to "with the Director on" in the first sentence under "September." The Board discussed the policy. Moved by Genise, seconded by Daiker, to approve the changes to the Director Performance Evaluation Policy as presented. Vote on Motion: 5-0 (Arora, Dennis, Gordillo, and Myers were excused). Approved unanimously. Resolution 2026-LO18 adopted. B. Exam Proctoring Policy: Schofer introduced the policy. The Board discussed the policy. This policy will be reviewed by staff and brought back next month for action. Possible changes include moving the third bullet to the second to the last sentence in the paragraph above. New Business: A. Enrich lowa Agreement: The Enrich lowa program offers public libraries state funding through the Direct State Aid, Open Access, and Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Reimbursement programs. Funding for Enrich lowa is appropriated by the lowa Legislature and approved by the Governor. In FY26 APL received $55,937.60 in revenue from the State. APL received $57,475.82 in FY25 and $59,002.41 in FY24 from these funds. To participate in FY27, the signed agreement must be received at the lowa Library Services Des Moines office by June 20, 2026. APL's Financial Limits Authority Policy requires Board approval before the Director may sign agreements for services delivered by the Library that result in revenues of $25,000 or more. Moved by Gibson, seconded by Marsau, to authorize the Director to execute the Enrich lowa Agreement including Direct State Aid, Open Access, and Interlibrary Loan Reimbursement for July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Vote on Motion: 5-0 (Arora, Dennis, Gordillo, and Myers were excused). Approved unanimously. Resolution 2026-LO19 adopted. C. Committee Appointments: President Johnson appointed the following trustees to the Ad Hoc Advocacy Committee: Arora, Daiker, Gibson, and Marsau. Trustee Comments: A. Daiker - really loved the Strengths Finder activity so thank you to Klein-Hewett B. Genise - also thinks the Strengths Fineder activity was great. The more she learns, the more she loves the library. C. Marsau - loves taking things like the Strengths Finder assessment. She took it the day after the fast Board Meeting but held her results to not seem so eager. D. Gibson - loves being retired but misses being at work for things like Strengths Finder. She enjoys continuing to learn about herself. E. Johnson - thank you to Klein-Hewett for being here again, and all the staff for all the events, programs, and services provided to the community. He thought he knew about one-fourth of what the library did before becoming a Trustee, but after being here realizes he knew very little. Adiournment: Moved by Genise, seconded by Marsau, to adjourn at 8:25 p.m. Vote on Motion: 5-0 (Arora, Dennis, Gordillo, and Myers were excused). Approved unanimously. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Dale H. Ross Board Room. Melissa Johannes, Library Secretary Deb Gibson, Board Secretary