Board of Trustees

 Rutland Free Library Association Inc.

April 21, 2010 at 5:15 PM            

AGENDA

5:15                        Call to order:  Anderson presiding

                              Public comments

5:30                        Acceptance of Minutes / March 2010

                              Acceptance of Financials / March 2010

                                                      Communications, oral & written

Director’s Report

5:50                        Board Role #2 > FINANCIAL RESOURCES

·      Finance Committee

·      Development Committee

6:00                        Board Role #1 > POLICY & PLANNING

·      Policy and Planning Committee

6:15                        Board Role #3 > ADVOCACY

                              Old Business

                              New Business

·      Grant Application to USDA for equipment

                              Library and Board Infrastructure

·      Building Committee

·      Governance

·      Personnel Committee

                              Adjournment

Board of Trustees

Rutland Free Library Association Inc.

February 17, 2010 at 5:15 PM

AGENDA, REVISED 2/17/2010

5:15 Call to order: VP White presiding

Public comments

5:30 Acceptance of Minutes / Dec 2009 & Jan 2010

Acceptance of Financials / January 2010

Communications, oral & written

Webpage Preview

Director’s Report

5:50 Board Role #2 > FINANCIAL RESOURCES

·      Finance Committee

·      Development Committee

6:00 Board Role #1 > POLICY & PLANNING

·      Policy and Planning Committee

q       Meeting Room Policy

q       Library Card Privileges Policy

6:15 Old Business

New Business

Library and Board Infrastructure

·      Building Committee

·      Governance

·      Personnel Committee in Executive Session

Adjournment

Board of Trustees

Rutland Free Library Association, Inc.

November 18, 2009

Present:  Paula Baker, Dan Amesberry, Tina Rotella, Wendy Pallotta, Tricia Hubener, Kathy Harm, Maureen White, Ruth Drachman, Russ North, Paul Gallo, Larry Courcelle, Chris Siliski, Bill P. Anderson, and Nancy Crandall.

Bill P. Anderson, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 5: 15.

An opportunity for public comments followed.  Members of the staff and interested citizens requested information on the Berwick figures, the status of the gutters being cleaned by the Fire department, as well as the status of repairs to be done by the city. Paula Baker explained that these topics would be covered in the upcoming reports.

Chairman Anderson announced the resignation of board member Karen McGurl due to family reasons.  He also requested that if a board member must resign, the resignation should be in the form of a letter.

The minutes of September and October were inadvertently left out of the Board packet. Paula Baker will send them to members for the next meeting.

Russ North, chair of the Finance committee, commented on the first quarter Financials (July through October). He explained that Rutland Town had sent its $25,000 payment since the printing of the reports so the revenues are now in line with the budget.  Expenses are over the budget due to the basement repairs.  Earlier in the month, board members had supported Paul Gallo’s request that he go ahead and finish the work in the staff workroom and lunchroom so the staff could return to that space.  Reimbursement from the city on the repairs is expected to alleviate that bill.  Investments lost $20,000 during this period.  A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to approve the financial reports.

Under communications, Paula Baker announced she had received a letter from Susan

Beard and that she would type up the recent comments left in the Comment Box and send them with the minutes.

Continuing with Financial Resources, Paul Baker reported that the Library hosted the annual budget meeting on March 12.  Attending were representatives of the Board of Aldermen, a representative from each member town and at least one trustee from the city and each member town.  Mayor Louras had set a 2% increase on the Library budget with no input from Paula Baker.  Unlike past precedents, he did not meet with her to discuss the needs of the Library; he simply set the rate.  The other towns agreed to follow what he chose to set. However, that presently leaves an $82,000 deficit in the project budget.  Paula is hopeful that after town meetings, there will be discussions on the idea of regional support for the Rutland Free Library and the present problem of sustainability. Paula also reported that she and Russ North and Kathy Harm had met with Bank of America regarding the Nella Grimm Fox trust.  The purpose of the meeting was for Bank of America to provide information regarding the trust to the three yearly recipients of interest payments: the Library, Rutland Regional Medical Center, and Grace Church.

 Tricia Hubener, co-chair of the Tables of Content Fundraiser, reported that three additional authors had signed up to participate in the event being held on April 24, 2010.

Tina Rotella, Development chair, reported that the library has received $20,480.00 in the Annual appeal and that is $12,480.00 more than the appeal had raised at this time last year. There will be a second mailing in January.  Tina also is hoping that board members can generate new ideas for a fundraiser on the “off year” of Tables of Content.

Paul Gallo, chair of the Building committee, thanked board members for their support in allowing him to pursue the repairs in the basement and the second floor bathroom while waiting for insurance reimbursement from the city of Rutland.

Paul further reported that he had called the Rutland Fire Chief and requested that the firemen clean out the interior drains which cause so much trouble with the leaks in the roofs.  The chief said that the men did not have the time to do that job.  Paula Baker then called the mayor who said he would not tell the chief to complete the job.  Paul asked Paula to send a letter to the members of the Finance Committee explaining these events.  That committee was the one who originally agreed that the task was something the city could get done.

The discussion continued on the building with Paula Baker reporting on a meeting she had with Elizabeth Kulas of the Land Trust that morning.  Ms. Kulas reported that she had a first draft done of the budget for the first floor of the proposed building but there were some holes in it.  There are no set operational costs yet.  Ms. Kulas is backing away from a Letter of Intent at this point and also mentioned that we may consider renting or owning.  She is still planning to include the costs of the build-out in the library figures. She also asked Paula to provide the amount of square footage that would be required by various areas such as the Children’s room, a computer lab, and book collections.

Board members held a discussion of the uncomfortable position we are in presently as well as the costs of renovating an older building vs. the costs of moving to a new building with yet unknown costs. Paula concluded by stating that whether we stay in this building or go to a new location, there is a need to identify square footage needs and she and Dan have started that project.  She believes a small Ad Hoc committee from the board would be helpful in getting this project completed.  Then the committees of the board would be able to move forward on their regular work.

Nancy Crandall reported on the Policy and Planning committee.  She reported that the administrators and members of this committee had met with Sharon Davis’s Economic and Community Development Committee at the end of last month. 

Ms. Davis offered two options to the library committee.  The city would put on the ballot either 1.  $300,000 the amount to make the most necessary repairs or 2. $1.2 million dollars to fix the building according to the NBF report.  The requests would be for permission to apply for a USDA grant and/or Stimulus money.

The Policy and Planning committee met the following week because it was felt these options needed to be discussed.  Questions were raised by members.  Does selecting $300,000 mean that $1.2 million is forever gone?  Is there a hinge?  What does our decision hinge on?  The committee discussed the options without a solid answer because it was determined that we did not have enough information.  Committee members asked David Cooper if he would draft a letter to the City explaining that we believe that the city should fix this historic building because the city is the owner and we have the right to reserve our commitment to a permanent site until we gain more information.  The Policy and Planning Committee had hoped to meet with Elizabeth Kulas prior to the November board meeting but that meeting did not materialize.

Nancy Crandall also reported that she and Kathy Harm and Paula, Dan, and Debbie had recently visited the renovated libraries in Glens Falls and Saratoga and were able to gather information on contemporary features such as Self-Checkouts, computer labs, unique children’s and teens’ areas, a café/, and signage.

Under the Board’s role of Advocacy, David Cooper requested that the Library ask to be placed on the agenda of the next Economic and Community Development Committee meeting.  David read the letter he had prepared for this committee in regard to the options they presented to the Library at their last October meeting.  The letter stressed that it is the city’s responsibility to fix the roof as the city is the owner of the building.  He stressed that due to the historic nature of the building, it would be highly desirable that all needed repairs be included, not just the $300,000 for immediate needs.  The important fact of the situation is that the Berwick or another location may not materialize for years and whether we stay or leave then, the truth is that this building needs to work better now for staff members as well as the public who use it regularly. A motion was made, seconded  and passed that the letter be sent to Sharon Davis, Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee. 

A motion was made at seconded that the meeting be adjourned at 7:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy P. Crandall, Secretary

Board of Trustees

Rutland Free Library Association, Inc.

December 16, 2009

Present:  Dan Amesberry, Tina Rotella, Wendy Pallotta, Tricia Hubener, Kathy Harm, Maureen White, Paul Gallo, Larry Courcelle, Chris Siliski, Bill P. Anderson, and Dave Cooper

Absent:  Paula Baker, Nancy Crandall, Ruth Drachman

Bill P. Anderson, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 5: 20

An opportunity for public comments followed.  William A. Anderson asked why the public is asked to be patient with the current building issues.  Kathy Harm explained that it is the board’s responsibility to give due diligence to the issues we are facing right now.  We need to look at the costs to repair the current building, determine whether the current building can be retrofitted, or whether we can better serve our patrons in new space.  There are a multitude of issues surrounding whether we stay or go and it isn’t going to be a quick decision.  Staff asked if they can have copies of the agenda and minutes prior to the meetings.  Minutes and agenda will be available to the staff prior to the meeting but they need to keep in mind that minutes need to be formally approved at the following month’s meeting before being posted.

Chairman Anderson introduced Pat Hunter as a candidate for the board.  Paul Gallo made a motion to approve Pat as a board member.  Tricia Huebner seconded.  Approved.

It was noted that the minutes from September, October and November all will need to be approved at our next meeting. 

Finance Committee:  We are pretty much on track this year for both revenue and expenses.  There was a question about $2,000 (July to Nov) for “Events other”.  Kathy will look into and report back.  2011 budget proposed currently has a deficit of 76,000 - $80,000.  We are looking into ways to reduce that. 

Personnel Committee:  Two motions were presented by Kathy Harm. 

Motion 1:  The Personnel Committee recommends, and I move that the 2010 calendar year salary for the Library Director be set at the level of the 2009 salary.  The Committee stresses that the reason that it did not recommend an increase is that both the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 budgets are stressed and that there has not been an increase in the Consumer Price Index.  The recommendation is in no way a reflection of the director’s performance, and the Committee reserves the right to review the financial situation in mid-year and make a further salary increase recommendation at that time.  Motion seconded by Dave.  Approved.

Motion 2:  In the light of the need to reduce the projected budget deficit for the 2011 library budget, I move that the union be notified that the library wishes to reopen negotiations on the current contract.  I further move that the library director be directed to secure information from at least three attorneys experienced in Vermont labor law and provide a recommendation to the Board of Trustees for obtaining legal services for contract negotiations.  Motion seconded by Maureen.  Approved

Kathy will forward an electronic copy of the union contract to board members.

Kathy reported that the bookkeeper position is now able to be filled for 15 hours/week.

Policy and Planning:   The city has asked us to commit to reducing the proposed budget in the salary and benefits line items including health insurance and reduced hours.  . Motion by Kathy to commit to reducing the current draft budget by $25,000, with a goal of reaching an overall $50,000 reduction of the draft budget for FY’11.   Motion seconded by Dave.  Approved. 

Development:  The Annual appeal is $1,000 less than last year at this time.  Board members are reminded to give – we need 100% board participation.  We will be sending out a second round of letters.  Bill Anderson and Dave Cooper will sponsor Table of Contents on some level.  The newest author added is Archer Mayor. 

Facilities:  Paul reported that the downstairs staff room and upstairs bathroom projects have been completed. 

No Old Business. 

New Business:  We will soon be receiving the final piece of the Kinney sisters’ gift.  There was discussion around how to acknowledge and how to allocate.  Those issues were delegated to the Development Committee.  Committee will report back in January. 

Chris Siliski asked that board committees have input into some webpage content (i.e. development, corporate sponsors, etc.)  Dan will pursue having Small Planet give a presentation to the board. 

A motion was made and seconded that the meeting be adjourned at 7:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Tricia Huebner

Board of Trustees

Rutland Free Library Association, Inc.

January 20, 2010

Present: Paula Baker, Dan Amesberry, Bill Anderson, Tina Rotella, Tricia Huebner, Nancy Crandall, Paul Gallo, Wendy Pallota, Maureen White, David Cooper, Pat Hunter

Absent:  Kathy Harm, Ruth Drachman, Chris Siliski, and Larry Courcelle.  

Bill P. Anderson called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m.

An opportunity for public comments followed.  Ruth Ellen Westin made a few suggestions of how the budget could be reduced in the areas of administrative salaries, waste management, and mileage reimbursement.

The next order of business was to approve the minutes of earlier meetings.   A motion was made by Maureen White and seconded by Tricia Huebner to accept the September minutes. The motion passed unanimously.  A motion was made by Maureen White and seconded by Tricia Huebner to accept the October minutes.  The motion passed unanimously.  A third motion was made by Maureen White and seconded by Tricia Huebner to accept the November minutes as amended.  The motion passed unanimously.

Finance Committee:  Chairman Russ North commented on the tracking of the budget which ends on June 30, 2010.  It appears that we could be over the budget by $50,000, due to the NBF report and the basement repairs.  He hopes that we will be at least partially reimbursed.  Russ made a motion to accept the financials as presented; Larry Courcelle seconded the motion.  The motion was approved. Paula Baker noted that the deficit we are facing now was projected a few years ago.  The Finance Committee will prepare some recommendations for next month’s meeting.

There were no communications from Paula Baker.  A representative of the staff presented Chairman Bill Anderson with a set of future floor plans that the staff had created.  She said that they had a copy for each board member.

Director’s Report:  Paula thanked Bill P. Anderson, Maureen White, David Cooper, Pat Hunter, Paul Gallo, Larry Courcelle and Wendy Pallotta for attending the final budget meeting of the Board of Alderman.  The aldermen did increase our budget back to the original budget and the budget passed intact by a vote of 7 to 3.  The alderman also passed an article for the March election that asks the voters to grant permission to apply for a loan of 500,000 at 4% interest for ten years from the U. S. Department of Agriculture and also to apply for a grant of $100,000 from the same USDA agency.

Development Committee: Co-chair Tina Rotella requested names for Sponsors of Tables of Content.  Eleven out of fourteen needed authors have agreed to come.  The format of a wine and cheese reception with a book signing followed by a dinner in the Fox Room will be continued.  The price is $120.00 per person.  Posters are available for trustees to hang up around the city

Co-chair Maureen White reported that while the average donation is up on contributions to the Annual Campaign, the overall amount of $12,800 is down compared to last year’s total of $17,000 at this same time.

In other areas, Chris Siliski is preparing a statement of recommendations for the committee regarding the generous monetary gift of the Kinney sisters. There are no restrictions on the gift and the committee is exploring prudent ways to use the gift.

The committee is also looking at a variety of tools for fund raising, such as a Web Site, Interactive Face book, and Twitter.  They would like to use the tools of the 21st Century to encourage people to donate and establish estate gifts. 

Building Committee: Chair Paul Gallo knows we may face some emergency repairs if we get much snow and rain.  He wants bids to be ready to go out if the ballot article passes on March 2.  Board members discussed the importance of a Clerk of the Works to help supervise the work from the library’s point of view.  A short discussion on gutter types was held.

Planning and Policy:  Chair Nancy Crandall reported that the committee is working on the updating of several policies which will be presented to the board in the next couple of months. 

Paula Baker said that Advocacy for this building was an important theme to stress to the public as we prepare for the election.  She will set up a couple of meetings and invite the board trustees and members of the Friends of the Library to come and brainstorm ideas to encourage voters to vote for the library article.

Tricia Huebner also asked trustees to sign up at the Share the Enthusiasm Project sponsored by the Berkshire Bank.

Paul Gallo encouraged members to attend their town meetings.

A motion was made by Maureen White and seconded by David Cooper that the meeting be adjourned at 6:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Crandall, Secretary

Board of Trustees Meeting

Rutland Free Library Association, Inc.

February 17, 2010

Present:  Paula Baker, Dan Amesberry, Chris Siliski, Maureen White, Kathy Harm, Tricia Huebner, Wendy Pallotta, Nancy Crandall, Tina Rotella, Pat Hunter, David Cooper, and Larry Courcelle

Absent:  Ruth Drachman, William P. Anderson, Russ North, and Paul Gallo

Vice-President Maureen White called the meeting to order at 5:20 p.m.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

William Anderson suggested that the Rutland Free Library hold an information meeting for voters to ask questions about the Library budget and need for repairs.

Martha Rideout requested an explanation as to the USDA loan and grant.

There were no communications.

PRESENTATION BY DAVID TOWNSEND OF SMALL PLANET

Paula Baker then introduced David Townsend of Small Planet to present the Webpage as it has been developed so far.  David explained that one goal was to greatly improve the number of hits on the Rutland Free Library web page.  With this interactive page, people search for information and then are drawn to the webpage by their searching rather than starting at a RFL webpage to search.  He also stressed that the location on the screen is important to visitors.  Topics include News Items, Supporting the Library, Teen Space, Kid Space, What’s New and Online Library.

Eventually the staff will be able to update the webpage and the secretary will upload the current minutes to the webpage.  David answered questions before completing his presentation. A round of applause signaled approval from the board and guests.

FINANCIAL COMMITTEE: Kathy Harm presenting for Russ North

The trustees had received the financials prior to the meeting, and Kathy asked if there were any questions. David Cooper asked about the figures in the accounts payable, #2000.  Kathy answered that the account fluctuates greatly depending on the time of year.  Paula Baker added that the buying of Adult books is about $5,000 behind and that EPSCO purchases are made once a year.  Kathy Harm moved that the financials be accepted; Pat Hunter seconded the motion.  Motion passed.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: Co-chairs Tina Rotella and Maureen White

Tina Rotella asked for a report on the spring fundraiser Tables of Content. Tricia Huebner reported that so far eleven authors have agreed to come.  In addition, Silver Lake had been added as a sponsor and Moore’s and Cabot as a contributor. The sponsors are listed in the ad in the paper and thanked personally.  Tricia explained that she would send an e-mail to trustees with the names of previous and present donors to see if the trustees can obtain additional sponsors or contributors. Sponsors who donate $2,000 receive two free tickets; those who donate $1,000 receive one free ticket.  Tina Rotella requested that Tricia Huebner research the price of the flowers from last year so she can make the same arrangement with Price Chopper.

Tina Rotella also stated that the Development Committee would probably pursue a Corporate Appeal as their next project.  Co-chair Maureen White explained that follow-up letters were going out to past donors who had not yet given this year. The fund is almost up to last year’s total and even though there are not as many contributors yet, the average donation was larger.

PLANNING AND POLICY COMMITTEE: Nancy Crandall, Chairperson

Nancy Crandall reported that the committee had two revised policies to be reviewed by the board.  The first policy was the Meeting Room Policy which had one minor change; No alcohol is to be served in the Fox Room unless it is being used for a library purpose.  In that case, the caterer of the event holds a liquor license.  Nancy Crandall moved that the Meeting Room policy be adopted; Maureen White seconded the motion.  Motion passed.

Next Nancy Crandall presented the Library Card Privilege Policy.  This policy is now set up as a chart for better understanding of the levels of use.  Paula Baker noted that there are specific conditions to obtain a library card depending on residency.  In the case of schools and nonprofit agencies in Rutland who wish to take out books, an administrator of the organization must sign off for the school or agency. Nancy Crandall moved that the Library Card policy pass; Tricia Huebner seconded the motion; the motion passed.

Interest was expressed in the idea that a program could possibly developed where discarded books from the sales could be delivered to nonprofit organizations such as The Mission, Dismas House, and Herstory House. These books would not have to be returned and residents could keep them. 

ADVOCACY

Paula Baker thanked all committees, staff members and The Friends of the Library for the work that is being done to GET OUT THE VOTE and SAVE THE LIBRARY. Quickprint has been an outstanding donor in this process.

Staff members have made buttons and are registering voters in the library. They will create a display with the Library model and distribute bookmarks.

Paula thanked Maureen White and Paul Gallo for their work on the yard signs.

Paula also thanked Trish Lawrence and Quickprint for the outstanding work and contributions to the creation of the large banners, yard signs, insert in the paper, bookmarks, and the postcards.

Peg TV will show programs featuring Larry Courcelle and Paula Baker as well as Jim Davidson interviewing Jake Sherman on the Library building.

People are needed to stand at the polling places with signs.

UPCOMING LIBRARY PROGRAMS

Maureen White, Vice-chairperson, encouraged everyone to continue this effort for the March 2 election.  She also reminded the trustees of the upcoming First Wednesday speakers who are both well known Vermont Writers:  Howard Mosher for March and Chris Bohalian for April.

PERSONNEL COMMITTEE: Kathy Harm, Chairperson

At 6:00 p.m. Kathy Harm made a motion to go into an Executive Session regarding contract issues; Tricia Huebner seconded the motion.  The motion passed.

At 7:05, David Cooper made a motion to come out of executive session; Larry Courcelle seconded it.  Motion passed.

Tricia Huebner made a motion to adjourn the meeting; David Cooper seconded it; motion passed.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Crandall, Secretary