HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 11/20/2014Ames Public Library Board of Trustees
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
November 20, 2014
The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday,
November 20, 2014, in the Dale H. Ross Board Room, 515 Douglas Avenue, with Acker,
Bradley, Briese, Budd, Linch, Manus, Meier, and Stow in attendance. Campbell was excused.
Library Director Lynne Carey was also present.
Call to Order: Board President Stow called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. He welcomed new
trustee John Linch and stated that he would be a member of the Budget and Finance Committee.
Consent Agenda:
Moved by Manus, seconded by Budd, to adopt a resolution approving the following
items on the consent agenda:
1) Donations
a) In memory of Katie Finn Milleman from Vikki Morain .................................. $20.00
b) In memory of Martha Ryan from Yvonne Hartung ........................................ $50.00
c) From Alan Maximuk for books ....................................................................... $40.00
d) From Nancy Nelson for Project Smyles ........................................................ $20.00
e) From Julia Wilson for Project Smyles ........................................................... $15.99
2) Minutes of the regular meeting of October 16, 2014
3) Payment of Claims 10/1/2014 – 10/31/2014
Vote on Motion: 7-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
Public Forum: None.
City of Ames Budget Process
Moved by Meier, seconded by Acker, to adopt a resolution authorizing staff to submit
budget adjustments for fiscal year 2014/15 (FY15) as presented/amended.
Carey said that staff was asking for approval to proceed with budget adjustments in preparation
for her budget review meeting with the City in December. She explained that some increases
were projected in revenue, based on the most recent information. Changes appear in the
personnel lines because of the reorganization and they will be adjusted again after the three
now-vacant positions are filled. Carey also noted that some of last year’s unspent collections
money was allowed to be carried forward so items could be purchased for Opening Day. She
also stated that some regular maintenance expenses will not be incurred this year because
equipment in the building is new.
Carey asked if the Board would agree to apply the income from the FY15 Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the APL Friends Foundation (APLFF) toward Project Smyles again
this year. She said expenses would be down because Project Smyles visits were suspended for
a while. The library obtained grant funding from United Way, so the Project Smyles classes are
using Cy-Ride to visit the new library this month. Staff is starting to consider other ways to
change the program and the discussion will be wrapped into strategic planning. For this year,
Carey said it is her recommendation to spend the MOU on Project Smyles. Stow asked if a
separate motion were needed for designating the MOU funds. Carey stated that a motion could
be made or it could be considered along with approving the budget proposals overall.
Vote on Motion as presented: 7-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
Agenda Item 2
Moved by Meier, seconded by Budd, to adopt a resolution authorizing staff to submit
budget requests for fiscal year 2015/16 (FY16) as presented/amended.
Carey stated that the FY16 budget request represents a 4.07% increase over the one adopted
for FY15. She again noted that the personnel lines will be changed once the actual salaries and
cost of benefits of new employees are known. Maintenance expenses that will come up next year
are included, as well as a healthy continuing education budget.
Vote on Motion as presented: 7-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution adopted.
APLFF Report: Stow stated that the APLFF now has its own web page featuring a prominent
donate button. The Teen Advisory Group constructed a tree to display in the Festival of Trees at
the Octagon, participated in the book sale, and created a video about the Teen Space and how
it’s used. The Sales Committee will be holding a holiday book sale and bake sale on December
6. In October over $10,000 was earned through the big book sale, Literary Grounds sales, and
on-line sales. Stow said the focus is on quality books now and traffic has greatly increased in
Literary Grounds. The Directors are looking at bringing a one-act play about Winston Churchill
into the City Auditorium as a fundraiser in April. They are also starting to consider what APLFF
currently supports and what they think it should support going forward, so they will be positioned
to engage in the strategic planning process.
Staff Report: Carey distributed the APLFF’s holiday mailing request, noting that the holiday
mailing will be the biggest one of the year from now on and a smaller, follow-up mailing will take
place in the spring. She also reported that:
• Roger Kluesner was honored at the Story County Alliance for Philanthropy banquet on
November 13 and Smyles was a surprise guest.
• Interviews have been conducted for the new Youth Services Librarian and phone
interviews are scheduled for the half-time Library Assistants in Adult Services.
• Members of staff have been trained to conduct tours of the building and they are having
fun showing it off.
• A few programs have started, but efforts are still concentrated on serving people who
walk through the doors. Staffing is lean with two floors and the increased building size.
More programming will return in January. Carey said staff is anxious for the strategic
planning process to take place, as it will help determine how much programming the
community wants and how much APL can support.
Carey said she had attended several meetings in the last month, including:
• a retreat of City departmental leaders, at which civic engagement and how information is
provided to the City Council were the main topics,
• the Iowa Library Association conference, where she learned that a new trustee
handbook is now available online. Carey said she will start to incorporate some trustee
training into each monthly meeting.
• an Iowa Urban Public Library Association (IUPLA) meeting with directors of the other
largest cities’ libraries. The group held discussions on service vs. therapy animals,
requests from sex offenders and how to serve them without endangering anyone, and
budget concerns.
• the Second Annual Civil Rights Symposium. She said a great deal of information that will
be helpful for policy development was presented. She would like to send three people to
this symposium every year, if possible, to have someone attending each track.
Agenda Item 2
Carey announced that the library’s new bookmobile will be delivered on December 4. It will be
unveiled on December 20 with a party in front of the building and in the auditorium. The illustrator
will be on hand to speak and sell books. She stated that the garage at 809 East Lincoln Way will
be rented one more month so there will be a place to store both vehicles. The new bookmobile
will be put into operation the first Monday in January.
Building Project Cost Summary and Construction Update: Carey stated that 98.2% of the
construction contract is complete, and there is still a healthy balance in the change order
allowance and contingency funds. The exact cost of moving back to the permanent facility hasn’t
been determined or updated on the report, but the parking expenses are accurate.
Carey said that part of the surface of the parking lot that was used as a staging area was
damaged by the Samuels Group. The firm agreed to pay for resurfacing the north third and the
City asked the library to replace the rest of it. The Finance Director approved the use of bond
funds and the City Manager supported the idea, so APL will pay for repaving the south two-thirds
of the lot. Carey said that she hopes to advertise that lot heavily to library users.
Carey reported that the punch list was greatly reduced during the previous day’s progress
meeting. A few requests for prices and information have been made and another change order
for The Samuels Group is in the works. New proposals are also expected from MSR and Integrity
Construction for revisions to their contracts, because some of the work that needs to be done to
finish the project cannot be done until spring. Carey went on to say that there are major problems
with the custom millwork and the City’s Purchasing and Legal Departments are assisting in the
effort to get them resolved.
Trustee Acker wondered if the library would be able to retain any of the leftover building project
funds for future expenses. Carey said that whatever is left in the donations and bequest funds
can be directed by the Board, as long as donor intent is honored, and any remaining bond funds
will go back to the City. The installation of art, an interactive play wall, and more technology are
still to be done.
Renovation Project Financial Report: It was noted that the explanation as to why the
renovation project "available balance" was greater on the September 30, 2014 report
($1,526,412.41) than on the FY14 year-end report ($931,833.48) is that the City is required to
show retainage as an expense in the year in which the work was performed. In August, the City's
accountants accrued $612,370.75 back to FY14 for the year-end report and then added it back
into the FY15 report. The retainage is currently shown to be encumbered but unspent.
Strategic Planning Process: Trustee Acker stated that the committee (Al Campbell, Mary
Logsdon, Mary Morton, Lynne Carey, and herself) had met the previous day to discuss strategic
planning. She said that staff seems to be looking forward to having a framework that help them
determine which opportunities to accept or decline. The committee hopes to evaluate current
services and programs, consider trends in library services, and determine how to orient APL in
the future. During the process, they intend to obtain extensive input from the community and the
Board; reach out to underserved community groups; and develop a priority structure, a mission
statement and a timeline. Acker said they may want to use different facilitators for different
phases of the process. Above all, they want the endeavor to be efficient and realistic and useful.
During the process, Acker said the committee may have a board/staff retreat, and that it may be
possible to dive in to the process on President’s Day in February, when the library is closed.
Agenda Item 2
There was discussion about the intent of the process and how it would be accomplished. It was
also noted that the State Library has determined that APL meets the requirements for this aspect
of accreditation—a brief plan was filed last year and the staff understands that this is a time of
transition.
Placement of the John Blair Portrait: Carey said that Ames Historical Society (AHS) received
a $7,500 grant to restore the paint and frame of the large John Blair portrait that used to hang in
the library’s gallery. After restoration, it was displayed at the Octagon for a short time, but
needed to be moved last month. AHS would have liked to move it back to the library, but APL
was not prepared to receive it. Arrangements were made to hang it at the Ames Chamber of
Commerce for the next two years, but AHS would like the Board to consider having it back in a
community center where it would be seen by more people. No response is needed immediately.
Carey explained that the piece had been on permanent loan to APL from the Wesley Foundation
for many years. It hung at the top of the stairs in the 1984 addition and outside of Administration
before the renovation. Stow suggested that the request be referred to the Art Committee.
Trustee Comments:
Briese thanked Carey for all of her exhaustive work.
Meier, Manus, and Bradley all welcomed new trustee Linch.
Acker said that the Samuels Group’s work was very apparent at the Iowa Association of School
Boards meeting she attended. She learned that Samuels will be filming some promotional work
at APL. Carey mentioned that The Samuels Group will be holding its annual party here. Acker
also wondered if the Library Board would be interested in providing something for the staff retreat
on Presidents’ Day to express thanks and make the day more festive. The proposal was well
received.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 7:49 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, December 18, 2014, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dale H.
Ross Board Room, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue.
Agenda Item 2