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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-15-15 BPL Board of Trustees Minutes FinalBozeman Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Bozeman Public Library—Staff/Board Room Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 Minutes Attendance Present: Board Chair Ron Farmer; Trustees Judy Mathre, John Gallagher, Jennifer Pawlak; Bozeman Public Library (BPL) Director Susan Gregory; BPL Department Heads MaryJo Stanislao and Terri Dood; Library Foundation Director Paula Beswick; Friends of the Library President Sharyn Anhalt; City Superintendent of Facilities James Goehrung. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Board Chair Ron Farmer at 4:01pm. Approval of the Minutes Friends of the Library President Sharyn Anhalt added a clarification to the section of the March 18th, 2015 minutes addressing the new Lindley Perk coffee shop lease. Trustee Gallagher moved that the minutes as amended be approved. Trustee Mathre seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes. Traffic Study Update The Board was presented with a list of proposed pedestrian safety improvements and their accompanying costs. Friends President Sharyn Anhalt spoke about removable speed bumps that were purchased by the City for the Sourdough neighborhood, but have since been removed. She said that these can be transferred to the Library for only the costs of transportation and installation. Anhalt suggested using them in combination with painted crosswalks. Chairman Ron Farmer asked if speed has been determined by the traffic study to be a definite issue. Board and staff members noted that they have often observed high speeds in the parking lot, along with cars and delivery trucks using the lot as a short cut across the city. Trustee Pawlak asked if the study results have addressed the insufficient number of disabled parking spaces. Trustee Gallagher said that he would like to see more evidence from WTI that supports the implementation of these improvements before the Library commits to them. BPL Director Susan Gregory said that she would request a final report from WTI that would address the issues that Trustees Pawlak and Gallagher raised. Gregory and Library Foundation Director Paula Beswick brought up the possibility of using tax increment financing (TIF) funds to help with these improvements. Beswick said that once the specifics of the project are defined, they can put a proposal before the TIF board. The Board discussed where additional disabled parking spots could be created, and City Superintendent of Facilities James Goehrung noted that there is potential for more regular parking spots on the far south end of the lot if need be. Transient and Mental Health Issues Update BPL Director Susan Gregory reported that the number of incidents in the Library involving intoxicated, abusive, and/or mentally ill patrons has increased in the last few months. These incidents are putting a strain on staff resources. The Library department heads, along with administrative assistant Lauranna Cossins and Foundation Director Paula Beswick, have been researching other libraries’ behavior policies in an effort to refine and improve BPL’s. Gregory said that her group will work on a draft policy to present before the Board. Trustee Mathre asked if police officers still make regular rounds through the Library. Staff replied that they do not come around as frequently as they once did. The Board discussed how to increase police presence at the Library, with ideas such as turning the recording studio in the Community Room into a police substation, having the Friends provide free coffee for officers at Lindley Perk, or simply requesting more frequent walkthroughs. The Board also discussed the feasibility of hiring private security, as the Billings Library does. Correspondence BPL Director Susan Gregory shared correspondence from the community. She announced that BPL is one of five agencies being honored by the Community Mediation Center. The Center will hold a 5K fundraiser walk and a workshop about civil discourse at the Library in May. A patron was unhappy about the early closure of the Library on April 8th for the Montana Library Association (MLA) reception. The Board discussed the possibility of purchasing a permanent sign that would display messages to the public about Library closures to prevent patrons from having to park and walk up to the front entrance to find out it is closed. Another patron wrote to protest the use of BPL meeting rooms by church groups. The Board noted that this has been discussed in the past – and agreed that it is in line with the Library’s policies to allow religious groups to use meeting rooms free of charge for meetings (as long as they are not using them for religious services). Gregory shared a resignation letter from a staff member who is leaving due to the lack of full time professional job opportunities at BPL. The Board discussed this problem, and Gregory explained that at this time, the Library cannot create more jobs that provide benefits. The Board discussed the possibility of service desk closures during open hours, as well as cutting back on open hours for the Library as a whole. Gregory read a Facebook message from a librarian who attended the MLA reception and wanted to thank the Library, its Friends and Foundation for hosting the event. Director’s Report BPL Director Susan Gregory reported on the Montana Library Association (MLA) Conference, where Foundation staff Paula Beswick and Sarah DeOpsomer presented a workshop on Library foundations, and staff members Kathleen McPherson-Glynn, Cindy Christin and Jason Greenwald also presented workshops. Staff members from every department at BPL were able to attend the conference. Anton Bekkerman and Greg Gilpin presented their findings on BPL geostatistics, and would like to present to the Board at a future date. They have used census data and checkout data to analyze Bozeman neighborhoods, and map out potential bookmobile routes. The Joint Board Retreat on March 27th for the BPL Board, Friends board, Foundation board and BPL department heads was a good time for new board members to meet everyone and for all to become informed about the latest happenings at the Library. The Bozeman Public Library received the Excellent Library Service Award (ELSA) for 2015 from the Montana State Library. The City of Bozeman’s 2015 Arbor Day celebration will take place at the Library this year on May 1st. Activities will include tree stories for children, and tree plantings on the Library grounds. The number of Library visits in March was 33,393. Facilities Report City Superintendent of Facilities James Goehrung reported that the waterless urinals in the Library have been problematic, so they are being replaced with low water volume urinals. The new public address system is being installed and should be finished by the end of the month. His team is replacing the batteries in the Library’s emergency light sensors, and getting lawn care contracts updated for this season. Despite requests from neighbors, the grass triangle on the south end of the Library property cannot be cut too short, otherwise it will dry out, as it is not irrigated. The Library’s flag was temporarily taken down, and will be replaced with a new flag. An electrical box will be installed in front of the bike racks by the front entrance in order to supply more power for outdoor concerts. Friends Report Friends of the Library President Sharyn Anhalt reported on the March book sale, which brought in approximately $12,000 in sales and memberships. The next sale will be in July. The Friends approved two items for funding at their last meeting: the volunteer brunch in May, and the annual renewal for the Library mobile app, totaling $4,600. Foundation Report Foundation Director Paula Beswick reported that the Foundation received $1,000 from Bozeman Area Community Foundation to go towards the Library’s outdoor improvement project. Volunteers are working on creating pathways on the front lawn out of sand and flagstone, which should be completed by April 24th. On May 5th, the Bozeman Area Community Foundation is putting on an event called Give Big Gallatin Valley, in which BPL is one of 100 non-profits signed up to benefit from a 24-hour fundraising period, which will involve promotions and events at local businesses. Beswick reported that she completed a grant for $5,000 from Bozeman Sunrise Rotary for the bookmobile. The organization is requesting a matching grant from the district. The Cornerstone celebration is April 18th, and will feature Italian food and wine tastings, music, and readings. Early ticket sales have been lower than usual this year, possibly due to saturation of similar events in the area this time of year. The Foundation may look into hosting the event at a different time of year in the future, and/or booking an author as the main attraction. The Foundation added a new board member this month: Meg Konkel, who is a Montana State University professor and interior designer. Adjournment There being no further business, Board Chair Ron Farmer adjourned the meeting at 5:52pm.