Old Bridge Township, New Jersey

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OLD BRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY

September 12 , 2002

Present: Steven Goldman, President
Mary Chamberlain, Vice President
Mary Gannon, Treasurer
Joseph Nuzzo, Trustee
Roman Sohor, Trustee
Rita Peterson, Secretary
Barbara Cannon, Mayor
Louisa Colon, Mayor's Alternate
Nicole Okun, Superintendent of Schools
Margery Cyr, Director

Absent: Dr. Robert Lipp, Trustee
Arthur Freihon, Superintendent of School's Alternate Mayor
Maria Nowak, Executive Assistant

Guests: Mario Barone, MJ Barone and Associates
Robert Heims, Township of Old Bridge
Scott Smith, Esq. Library's Attorney

The President called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm and announced that the meeting had been advertised and would be conducted in accordance with the Sunshine Law. The roll was called by Rita Peterson, Secretary. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Mr. Goldman welcomed Dr. Nicole Okun to the Board and expressed appreciation for her presence at the meeting. Dr. Okun announced that bus stops at the Library will be implemented after school dismisses. This was a request that had been made by the Young Adult Team. Dr. Okun credits the school district staff with making these stops available for the students. She will inform Mrs. Cyr of the bus stop schedule when it has been finalized.

Mr. Goldman announced that an Executive Session would be called as soon as Mayor Cannon arrived.

Rita Peterson requested that the discussion of the proposed Bylaws and Circulation Policy be tabled until the next meeting. She believes that significant discussion needs to take place and the agenda for tonight's meeting is lengthy. Mr. Goldman requested that Mrs. Peterson meet with the Policy Committee or share her notes with the Committee for consideration. Rita Peterson moved and Roman Sohor seconded to table the discussion of the proposed policies until the next meeting. All in favor.

Motion: made by Mary Chamberlain, seconded by Roman Sohor, to approve the July 10, 2002 Board minutes as presented. Dr. Okun abstains. Minutes approved.

It was noted that Dr. Okun did not receive the Board packet. Mrs. Cyr will ensure that one is mailed to her; and she will verify with her office that one is received prior to each Board meeting.

The Board reviewed the Statistics for June and July and recognized that the attendance statistics and circulation has risen. The increase is a very good sign of health in the Library and changes that are occurring. It was noted that the amount of discards has increased due to weeding that has begun on a regular basis. The collection appears "aged" and weeding is essential to maintain the condition of the collections. The age of a book, accuracy of its content, physical condition and its circulation history are taken into account in the decision to weed an item. Replacement books and additional copies of books are purchased as necessary. Books are now being interloaned between the Central and the Harbor branches to reduce the amount of time customers are waiting for books on the reserve lists.

Motion: made by Mary Gannon, seconded by Roman Sohor, to approve the bill listing in the amount of $217,021.17 as presented. Unanimously approved.

Audit for FY 01/02

The annual audit will be performed by the Armour Hulsart Company in October.

The Finance Committee met to discuss the $85,000 cut made to the proposed Operating Budget for FY 2002/2003. The Committee recommends cutting certain individual line items and increasing revenue line items to take into account the increase in Passport Fees and other anticipated increases in revenue. The Committee recommends that all staff positions be filled. There will be a shortfall of $33,500. The Library will go before the Council to request this additional funding. It is a risky budget and Mrs. Cyr cannot guarantee that the budget will be in the black at the end of the fiscal year; but she believes that should the additional $33,500 be given, all positions can be filled and services can be maintained. A letter has been written to Mr. Butler requesting a hearing with the Council. Mr. Butler has assured Mrs. Cyr that the Council's Library Committee will meet with the Library about this issue within two weeks.

The timing for this meeting is good because the Lighting Project is also ready to go to the Library Committee for review.

Motion to move $3,648.60 from Commitments Payable SUI to Commitments Payable Advertising and Publicity to fund a proposed community-wide Summer Reading Program for adults, teens and children next summer was made by Mary Gannon and seconded by Joe Nuzzo. Unanimously approved.

The meeting was adjourned to an Executive Session at 7:55 pm to discuss a Board personnel issue and pending litigation. Scott Smith, Esq. was asked to participate in the Executive Session.

A Letter of Resignation addressed to Mayor Cannon from Dr. Robert Lipp was read by Mr. Goldman. Mary Chamberlain, Chair of the Personnel Committee, moves to accept Dr. Lipp's resignation from the Board effective August 23, 2002. Roman Sohor seconds. It is noted that Mrs. Peterson has departed from the meeting because she is not feeling well. Mrs. Colon will not vote because the Mayor is present.

Steve Goldman: yes, very regretfully
Mary Gannon: yes, with regrets and much appreciation for all the years of service
Roman Sohor: yes; he will miss Dr. Lipp's experience, insight and humor
Mary Chamberlain: yes with thanks for years of dedication and service and deep regret
Mayor Cannon: yes, with thanks for his commitment, support of the Library, time and talent
Joe Nuzzo: yes, regrettably; he was an anchor in this room
Dr. Okun: yes, with deep appreciation for his years of service to the Library

The Board agreed to suspend the 10% differential paid to Marcy Kagan for out-of-title work until evaluation of the duties required by the Periodicals/InterLibrary Loan department is completed and consideration given to the needs of that department and the Reference Department.

A motion was made to accept the resignation of Matthew Bilinski effective August 14, 2002 by Mary Chamberlain and seconded by Mary Gannon. All in favor.

A motion was made to approve a three month medical leave of absence for Laurene Brolewicz effective August 21, 2002 through November 21, 2002 with medical coverage to stay in effect until December 1, 2002 by Mary Gannon and seconded by Roman Sohor. It is required by the contract. It will be an unpaid leave of absence. All in favor.

A motion was made to accept the resignation of Theresa Wordelmann from her Library Intern position effective August 4, 2002 by Mary Gannon and seconded by Mary Chamberlain. All in favor.

A motion was made to appoint Theresa Wordelmann to the full-time Librarian I, Young Adult services position effective August 5, 2002 at an annual salary of $37,574.74 by Mary Gannon and seconded by Mary Chamberlain. All in favor.

Barbara Elieff, Electronic Resources Department Head, has returned to work from Maternity Leave.

The vacant Electronic Resources/Reference Librarian position has been offered to Deborah Stoppello from the St. Charles County Library System in Missouri. Mrs. Stoppello has accepted the offer and anticipates that she will arrive for work on October 16, 2002.

The job description for a proposed position of Library Assistant 2: Library Computer Technician was provided to the members of the Board for their consideration. This will fill the critical need in the Library for assistance with computer maintenance and automation coordination. This position does not require experience; training will be provided and will be on-going. The salary for this position will be according the Union Contract for LA 2 positions. The Board requested that the position be advertised according to the Union contract and that the position be filled as soon as possible; it is a very important position for the Library. Joe Nuzzo moved and Mayor Cannon seconded that the position and job description for LA2: Library Computer Technician be approved. All in favor.

Mr. Goldman will appoint another Board member to replace Dr. Lipp on the Personnel Committee. The Committee will meet on September 24 or 25th to begin the Director's evaluation; Mrs. Chamberlain will contact Committee members when the date has been confirmed.

Mr. Barone and Mr. Heims were present to provide an overview of the final plans for the lighting project. The lighting output has been maximized but the type of fixtures which will be used has been minimized. Three fixtures will be used throughout the Library. All lights in the high bays will be removed; the lights in the stack areas and the back office areas will remain. The structure will be cleaned; all photo cells will be removed. Each room will have a light switch. The main library will be controlled by a time clock. The building will be divided into ten project areas. The goal is to impact library services as little as possible: one bay at a time will be shut down for work. Thought should be given now about the movement of people and services during the construction project. The project should not impact the computers in the building; no receptacles should be impacted. There are no as-builts for the Library's lighting in existence. The project specifications have been completed. Mr. Heims will take the specifications to Bill Ruggierio for review and any changes necessary for the project will go out for bid. The plans presented this evening are the same as presented previously; with the addition of spot lights which have been added in some areas. A new ceiling will be placed in the small area of the large meeting room so that it can be used as an additional meeting room. The light fixtures will be placed low enough so that the room will be adequately lit. Additional lights will be added to the garden. A copy of the project specifications will be provided to Mrs. Cyr and Mr. Nuzzo. Painting will be required as part of the project. It is unknown how much the painting will cost. It is a requirement of the project that a calendar for the project be included so that the Library can anticipate which parts of the building will need to be closed. It may take six months to complete the entire project. Exiting capacity of all areas at all times will need to be ensured during the project. A penalty clause will be included. In the specifications, there is a limitation to how much of the project can be subcontracted. The only alternate that has been included is the painting. Mr. Heims will serve as the go-between for the payment requests and will serve as the liaison with the Township for the project.

Three bids were received for the roof project. All three bids came in far higher than the anticipated cost of the project. The lowest was $32,000 and the highest was $72,000. The estimated cost of the project was about $20,000. Mr. Vitale recommends that the project be re-bid and the specifications should not be changed. The bids have been rejected by the Council. The Board requested that the project be re-bid. If the cost of the project exceeds what the Council approved from the Roof Escrow account, the Council will need to approve the additional funding. Mr. Vitale has sent a proposal for an additional $750 to fund another pre-bid meeting and bid opening. Joe Nuzzo moves that the proposal for $750 for the Cummins Company for the re-bidding process be approved. Dr. Okun seconds. All in favor. The additional $750 cost will be added to the amount that will need to be sought from Council when the bids are received and a contractor selected.

The Garden Club has weeded and cleaned the garden. Donations of plants, supplies and decorative objects were made to the Library by Old Bridge merchants and club members. The garden looks wonderful. The Board ask that a letter of thanks be sent to the Garden Club.

The Board discussed the possibility (suggested by the staff) of instituting a volunteer reception to recognize the many volunteers who have given time and energy to the Library. The Board agreed that such a reception was an excellent idea. The committee will need to talk about all the details involved in such a project, including funding for it. Mr. Goldman and Mrs. Gannon offered to serve with staff members on this committee.

A Day of Silence was held in both the Central and the Harbor buildings. The buildings were decorated with red, white and blue ribbons. It was a dignified day in the Library.

Literacy Volunteers of Middlesex will observe International Literacy Day on September 22, 2002. The library will participate with a Reading Rally that begins at opening and ends at the Library's closing. Mary Chamberlain volunteered to serve as a reader.

Mrs. Cyr requested that the Board consider closing for a morning so that the staff can begin the evaluation of the roles and goals that were established last October. The budget will not allow for a full visioning process with community members and a consultant this fiscal year. Mary Chamberlain moved and Mayor Cannon seconded to open the Library at 1:00 PM on Friday, October 25, 2002 for the purpose of a staff workshop on the Roles & Goals of the Library. All in favor.

The Mayor complemented the Library on the many activities such as the Game Club. These activities are being noticed in the community and in the press. The Friends of the Library will purchase and donate board games to the Library. Almost all the funds used for programming in the Library are donated by the Friends.

Motion: made by Mrs. Gannon, seconded by Roman Sohor, to adjourn the meeting at 9:40 p.m. Unanimously approved.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Chamberlain, Vice President
Library Board of Trustees
Date Approved: October 9, 2002