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Bozeman Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting
Library Director’s Office
Bozeman Public Library
April 18, 2005
4:00 P.M.
ATTENDANCE
Trustees: Ron Farmer, Chair; Jerry Bancroft; Al Kesselheim; Marilyn King; Wendy Lewis, Foundation Board; Lois Dissly and Terri Dood, Staff; and Alice Meister, Director.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chair Farmer at 4:19 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of the March 30, 2005 meeting were approved as submitted.
CORRESPONDENCE
Meister read letters of congratulations on the Library’s ground breaking from Senator Conrad Burns and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch. E-mail congratulations from former staff members Liza McClelland, Mary Etta Parkinson, and Cynthia Harrison had also been received. She read notes of thanks from the Great Falls Public Library staff who had recently visited the Library and from the Student Assistance Foundation for displaying its brochures. She also shared colorful thank you letters from LaMotte School students sent to Cindy Christin after their visit to the Library. Another letter sent to Christin thanked her for involving the Kuwahara Wolf Nature group from Japan and Mongolia in an origami program. Meister mentioned a letter from Don Kreitz sent to the City
Commission and the newspaper denouncing the Library plans and requesting the project be tabled. She shared a news release from the State Library announcing three new State Library Commissioners, one of whom, Nora Smith, is an Adjunct Instructor at Montana State University. The State Board of Investments approved the County’s Intercap Loan, so Meister was notified by Linda Leening in Fiscal Officer Ed Blackman’s office that further details would be forthcoming.
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY REPORT
Meister reported that renewals are still being received and that the Friends are researching a Legacy project for the new Library. Their next meeting is scheduled for this evening at 7:30 p.m
FOUNDATION REPORT
Lewis distributed a “Foundation Report,” which noted that the Foundation delivered a $700,000 check to the City on March 14. This check constitutes the first payment of $200,000 per month during construction and the challenge grant in the amount of $500,000 for breaking ground before June 1, 2005. To date the Foundation has made payments to the City in the amount of $850,000. Several Foundation members are meeting to discuss the donor appreciation space in the new Library, which might include names of donors who have given $1,000+ on the winding staircase. There might be a wall plaque in the Montana Room for 20 to 25 donors who give a total of$250,000. The next Foundation Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 18 at 8:30 a.m.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Meister noted that the budget report showed that after nine and a half months or 79% of the fiscal year completed, nearly 26% remained in the budget. The Library Project Report showed $4,684,009.89 spent with total revenues of $5,048,994 received. The statistical report showed a slight increase in circulation of materials, 4.36% increase in reference questions asked, and 97.23% increase in adult program attendance. The Groundbreaking Ceremony on April 14 went well in spite of cold and stormy weather. JB Bancroft, Ron Farmer, and State Librarian Darlene Staffeldt spoke, and the Hawthorne Children’s Choir sang. Local stores donated food for the reception held afterwards at the Library. Julia Bruner, Paula Beswick, Christin, and Meister were the group in charge of planning the
Ceremony. It was fitting to do this during National Library Week, which was pointed out in the media. Naitonal Library Week with a theme of “Something for Everyone @ Your Library” (and National Poetry Month) events during the week of April 10-16 were varied in attendance. There were 50 children for the Harry Potter Party on Sunday, 10 at the Teen Advisory Group on Sunday, 28 at “Painting Rock Houses” Monday afternoon, 8 at the Sherman Alexie program Monday night, 2 at the gardening program Tuesday night, 36 at the Poetry Night workshop with Lowell Jaeger, 55 at the Puppet Show Thursday morning, 16 at the Great Decisions program Thursday night, and 19 at the children’s “Celebration of Poems” on Friday morning. Marlys Forbes, who has been with the circulation department for 12 years, will be resigning her job in May. Thirteen staff members will be traveling to Billings April 23-26 to attend the Montana Library
Association (MLA) conference. Catherine McMullen received a $150 travel grant from MLA. Director of Finance Anna Rosenberry asked the Library and other City departments to reduce their budgets. The Library reduced its request of $26,238 by $13,923, which means the total requested for next year is $12,315 or a 3.5%. The County had its Intercap Loan approved, which means the Library will receive its money for the new Library. The Friends of the Library and the Montana Center for International Visitors will be presenting a program by George Metcalfe on “Terrorism and Liberation: Lessons Learned from Direct Experience”on April 20. There will also be a special program on international debt and Nicaragua on April 28. Five staff members will attend Sirsi training and a semi-annual meeting in Missoula May 5-6. The Library will again host Leadership Bozeman on May 4. Special opera classes will be presented April 30 and May 14
to tie in with this year’s opera performances.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION: BUILDING PROJECT
Bancroft reported that the Building Committee had met April 11 and worked on value engineering cuts in order to delete$200,000 from the building budget. Martel Construction still needs to make recommendations about several large bid packages, which will be discussed at the next meeting on May 2. The recommended savings amounted to $70,542 though a masonry item in the amount of $15,200 for exterior brick accent header course might be retained. Greenspace landscaping did make a mistake in its bid, which is currently being reviewed. The Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) process still relies on Kath Williams’ help and needs completion by May 15. Weekly meetings with the contractor, architect, and owner’s representative should be started soon. There will be a
meeting soon with Laura Fedro, Tony Martel, Cindy Christin, Bancroft, and Meister to discuss Martel Construction’s donation to the children’s library. Another meeting will be scheduled with Mark Headley, Bancroft, and Library management staff to discuss Library Consultant David Smith’s memorandum regarding the building project.
BOARD MEMBERS’ AND CITY COMMISSIONER’S REPORTS
Kesselheim stated that the process regarding the sale of the current building needs to proceed, and the City should state its intention regarding the building. Meister will ask City Manager Chris Kukulski for that information.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There was none.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 5:13 p.m. The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, May 10 at 4:00 p.m. in the Library Director’s Office.
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