MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OLD BRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY
May 14, 2003
Present: Steven Goldman, President
Mary Gannon, Treasurer
Joseph Nuzzo, Secretary
Scott Glaser, Trustee
Barbara Cannon, Mayor
Arthur Freihon, Superintendent of School's Alternate
Louisa Colon, Mayor's Alternate
Margery Cyr, Director
Maria Nowak, Executive Assistant
Absent: Mary Chamberlain, Vice President
Rita Peterson, Trustee
Roman Sohor, Trustee
The President called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. and announced that the meeting had been advertised and would be conducted in accordance with the Sunshine Law. The Secretary called the roll.
Mrs. Cyr introduced attending staff members Diane Meyer and Tim Niland.
Minutes
Motion: made by Arthur Freihon, seconded by Joseph Nuzzo, to approve the March 12, 2003 Board minutes as presented. Unanimously approved.
Motion: made by Arthur Freihon, seconded by Joseph Nuzzo, to approve the April 9, 2003 Board minutes as presented. Unanimously approved.
Finance
Motion: made by Mary Gannon, seconded by Arthur Freihon, to approve the bill listing in the amount of $136,640.65 as presented. Unanimously approved.
Budget FY 2003/2004
Mrs. Cyr reported her meeting with the budget committee went fairly well.
Mr. Shah asked Mrs. Cyr to increase fines and fees income to $120,000. It was requested the library make cuts in the following areas: Books $15,000, Periodicals $1,500, Supplies $2,000. With the $20,000 increase in income and the $18,500 in cuts in the line items, the Library allocation was reduced by $38,500. No cuts were made to the personnel line item, but Mrs. Cyr was asked to provide Mr. Shah with a complete breakdown on the cost of the Library's personnel. Mrs. Cyr said in the beginning of the summer she will meet with Mr. Shah and Mayor Cannon and at that time have a clearer idea of what the Mayor is recommending.
PERSONNEL
Resignation
Motion: made by Arthur Freihon, seconded by Mary Gannon, to accept the resignation from Library Assistant I, Donna Caldaro effective May 23, 2003. Unanimously approved.
Motion: made by Mary Gannon, seconded by Arthur Freihon, to accept the resignation of Theresa Wordelmann from her full-time position of Librarian I effective June 2, 2003.
New Appointment
Motion: made by Arthur Freihon, seconded by Louisa Colon, to approve the hiring of Theresa Wordelmann to part-time Librarian I effective June 2, 2003 at an hourly rate of $20.64. Unanimously approved.
Promotion
Motion: made by Mary Gannon, seconded by Louisa Colon, to approve the promotion of Debbie Stoppello to Librarian II, Head of Electronic Resources, effective May 11, 2003 at an annual salary of $44,340.85. Unanimously approved.
Substitute Appointment
Motion: made by Mary Gannon, seconded by Joseph Nuzzo, to approve the hiring of temporary substitute, LAI Passport Clerk, effective April 24, 2003 at an hourly rate of $11.27. Unanimously approved.
Statistics
The Board reviewed March and April statistics both showing a slight decline. Mrs. Cyr said statistics are disappointing but believes that weather and the economy are taking a toll. Statistics were placed on file.
LIBRARY BUILDING
Lighting
The Board met with Mario Barone and Bob Heims, Project Manager, at a workshop session at 7:00 p.m. prior to the Board meeting. Mr. Barone presented an estimate of the project's new costs which include the adjusted cost of the fixtures. He now estimates that the lighting project will now cost $325,000.00 The Board, Mr. Heims and Mr. Barone discussed the difficulty of finding the additional money to fund the project. The Board expressed their serious disappointment in the status of the project. Mr. Barone apologized for the error in the estimated cost of the fixtures. The project should not be put out to rebid until the additional funding has been secured. Mrs. Cyr will reach out to one or two Council members for advice on how to proceed. A report will be forthcoming at the next Board meeting.
Roof Repair
Mrs. Cyr reported the original roof repair project has been completed. The Library now has three new serious leaks/cracks. Mrs. Cyr said this new repair work will be coordinated between Mike's Roofing and Trademark Plumbing.
Lobby Mat
Mrs. Cyr reported to the Board that Milliken Carpets has visited the Library to take measurements and make recommendations but that their proposal has not been received to date. Mrs. Cyr said she would follow-up and have a report for the Board in June.
Large Meeting Room Shades
Mrs. Nowak reported to the Board she spoke with Gary Reinhardt at CMI, Inc. in regard to replacing the entire motorized shade system. Mr. Reinhardt informed Mrs. Nowak he felt this would not be necessary at the present time since some of the motors on the shades are still in good working order.
Mr. Reinhardt suggested the Library purchase a maintenance agreement to ensure that the shades and their motorized equipment remain in good working order. This maintenance agreement, in combination with the repair of the broken shades, should ensure that the system is functional for several years.
The Board reviewed the proposed maintenance agreement from CMI, Inc. Scott Glaser and Joseph Nuzzo felt the cost of the maintenance agreement and repairs was too high. Mr. Glaser and Mr. Nuzzo volunteered to make contact with CMI to negotiate a lower price on the repair and the maintenance. After discussion on the shades, the Board decided to table the matter until Mr. Glaser and Mr. Nuzzo have a chance to speak with CMI, Inc.
LIBRARY SERVICES
Café Cart
The Board discussed the Coffee Café and feels management of the Café has made no effort in promoting the cart since placing it in the library a year and half ago, nor improving the quality of food and service there.
Mr. Goldman informed the Board of a recent incident where the Director was meeting with both parties involved in the cart on how the Library could help improve things. In the middle of the meeting one of the parties walked out of the meeting.
Mr. Goldman said the Director recommends terminating the Café contract. Mrs. Cyr said she will have Attorney Scott Smith draft a letter. Mrs. Cyr said she would begin looking for another vendor.
Motion: made by Mary Gannon, seconded by Joseph Nuzzo, to terminate the Coffee Café's contract effective July 1, 2003. Unanimously approved.
Emergency Procedures
Mrs. Cyr said both she and the department heads have made good progress on drafting the emergency procedures. The committee is currently working on bomb threats, abduction and building collapse. The next portion to be worked on is environmental hazards and hazardous materials.
Summer Reading
Tim Niland reported to the Board his committee will hold a kick-off party on June 29 with the oldies band, 45 RPM, as the featured entertainment. The theme of the summer reading program is "Making Memories at your Library." The other featured programs will be scrapbooking and antiques. There will be a weekly film series of books that have been made into movies. The staff involved in the summer reading committee will create flyers, bibliographies and bookmarks to promote reading and raise circulation.
Diane Meyer reported the Young Adults will also have a summer reading program with events to be announced.
Joint Project and Raritan Bay Hospital
Mrs. Cyr reported the library is working with Raritan Bay Medical Hospital on a project to develop a special medical collection and area in the library. The library met last winter with Executive Director of the Old Bridge Hospital and Executive Director of the Raritan Bay Foundation. They would like to see equipment and books placed in the library and the possibility of finding enough grant money to staff this area of the library.
Mrs. Cyr said a survey will be sent out to the community to get feed-back as to what type of medical information residents would like the library to have.
Trustee Training
Ms. Cyr informed the Board trustee training is scheduled for October 3 and 4, 2003. Further information will follow.
Miscellaneous
Former Trustee
Mrs. Cyr reported to the Board Dr. Lipp would attend the June's Board meeting.
Director's Vacation
Mrs. Cyr reported she will be on vacation from Friday May 16 to Thursday May 22, 2003.
Department Reports
The Board reviewed and accepted all department reports.
The Board asked Mrs. Cyr's recommendation on an additional Internet computer for the Laurence Harbor Branch. Mrs. Cyr said that an additional Internet terminal would require not only a computer but also an additional port and annual maintenance charges to support that. She recommends that with the library's budget very uncertain for the next fiscal year and the lack of space in the Harbor's building, another Internet connection there should be tabled for the moment.
The Board asked for a report on this matter from Mrs. Cyr at the June's Board meeting.
Adjournment
Motion: made by Mary Gannon, seconded by Arthur Freihon, to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 p.m. Unanimously approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph Nuzzo, Secretary
Library Board of Trustees
Date Approved: June 11, 2003
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