Library Board of Trustees

MEETING MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY Held in the Mary Riley Styles Public Library 120 N. Virginia Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046 July 18, 2018 1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS OF GUESTS Board Vice Chairman Chet DeLong called the meeting to order at 7:00p.m. The following Board members attended the meeting: ChetDeLong Chrystie Swiney Kathleen Tysse Jeff Peterson Don Camp Stephanie Oppenheimer Youth Representative Tika Wallace Absence excused: Brad Gemand Planning Commission Liaison Rob Puentes notified the Director that he could not attend the meeting. Others present for the meeting included: Chief of Police Mary Gavin, Library Project Manager Kim Callahan, and Mark Manetti from BKV Group, Library Director Jenny Carroll, and her assistant Claudia Gutierrez. Councilman Ross Litkenhous and City resident Ms. Katherine William were also present. Mr. DeLong asked the Board ifthere were any objections to moving the Renovation and Expansion Project update to the beginning of the meeting; the Board agreed. The Director introduced the new Library Board member Chystie Swiney (duly sworn in). I 1. RENOVATION AND EXPANSION PROJECT UPDATE a) Entrance location b) Location of Children's Room Ms. Kim Callahan presented two updates to the Board: The CMAR (Construction Manager at Risk) procurement process and the design process. The CMAR selection committee was comprised of: Ms. Kim Callahan, the library Director, Director of Public Works Mike Whitfield, City Senior Planner Akida Rouzi, and BKV Architect Mark Manetti. The negotiations for the scope and budget were finalized in early July. Ms. Callahan and the Director brought the recommendation to the City Council work session on Monday, July 16. The recommendation was to hire Centennial Contractors Enterprises, Inc., as the Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) for Pre-Construction Phase services for the library project. Ms. Callahan explained to the Board that there was a two-step process. The first step is an invitation for qualified contractors, where General Contractors interested in providing CMAR services to the City submit a 1 qualifications package for review by the selection committee. Four general contracting companies were pre-qualified and invited to the next step of the selection process, to receive the request for proposal "RFP". The City received one proposal from Centennial. The Selection Committee unanimously recommended that Centennial be awarded the CMAR contract for pre-construction phase services. Some of the reasons for the recommendation are as follows: Centennial is a professional firm who put emphasis on being a partner in the library project with communication, transparency, and open book policy. They demonstrated an understanding of the importance of the library to the community. They also had excellent references including Fairfax County and Stafford County Schools with whom they have had annual contracts with for many years. The committee received all positive references about the company being proactive, not having too many change orders on projects, and providing outreach to the public among other things. Centennial also worked with the City on the Cherry Hill Farmhouse and with the City Superintendent of Operations, Robert Goff, on projects for the operations fuel pumps and the stairs at the operating building. Next Monday, July 23 Council will vote on approval of the contract with Centennial at the regular Council meeting. Mr. Peterson asked how the Board will be getting updates and information about the CMAR, Ms. Callahan responded that the Board will not see much of the CMAR consultants and the information to the Board will be through her. Centennial and BKV will do a presentation of the design to the Board but they mostly will be in the background. Centennial has public outreach experience and if there is a public meeting, they will attend if necessary. Ms. Callahan stated that Chief Gavin will be providing to the Board her insight on the options from a crime prevention through environmental design perspective. The Director mentioned that the phasing component will be different from the master plan which originally planned for phased occupied construction. This new project plan will eliminate 10-12 months of time and there will be considerable savings in contractor fees. Mr. Mark Manetti presented to the Board the changes on the block plan. There are two decisions to make: location ofthe entrance and location of the children's room. The entrance has two options: Comer (1) and Park Ave. (2). The location of the children's room also has two options: Upper level (A) and Lower Level (B). There are then four block plan options: Comer/Upper Level (lA), Comer/Lower Lever (1B), Park/Upper Level (2A), and Park/Lower Level (2B). For option 1, the comer entrance, a small refinement was made lowering the towers. The entrance would also have three risers in to the portico and a ramp on the side of Park A venue. Mr. Manetti showed the existing utility pole near the comer that will remain there until the City works on undergrounding the utility poles on Park Ave. The rest of the design remains the same as presented to the Board in previous meetings. Option 2 is the entrance on Park A venue; the only change is that there will not be a landscape element next to the entrance because it is very costly. This option will not have a portico, but it will have a vestibule area. If some space is needed for patrons to leave their wet umbrellas, scooters, or strollers they will design a space for it inside. The Director mentioned that for safety and security reasons she would prefer not to let people leave personal belongings in the entrance of the library. This option may have a skylight or solar tubes to let bright light into the heart of the building. Option 1A shows the popular library and the children's space located on the upper level. The space for programming will be reduced in comparison to having children's located on the lower level. There are no changes to this option from the last time the Board viewed the block plans. With the 2 Option lB, the children's space is on the lower level, one of the benefits to this option is that the space will grow to approximately 5,000 sq. ft. The meeting room is on the lower level and will be located in the new addition. This way there is no need to restructure and remediate the current columns, which would have a significant cost impact. This lower level will not get a lot of natural light into the heart of the library. Mr. Manetti said that this space will get sun exposure from the south and the windows facing Park Ave. The Director added that with the comer entrance option, the stairs will be an open area, which will bring natural light into the library from the north side of the building. She also mentioned that having almost the triple the space in the children's area will allow the option of making the stacks lower. A children's space permits more flexibility in choice of color, furniture design, and use of pattern. Chief Gavin gave her perspective from a safety point of view including man-made and natural disasters. She stated that her preference is to have the children on the lower level. She said that for natural disasters, the lower level would be used for shelter in place and having children already in that area makes sheltering easier. Chief Gavin also talked about division of purpose- adult services on one level and children/teen services on another. It is easier to identify somebody who does not have any purpose in the children's room because there is a natural division if the children's area is located on the lower level. Staff can observe behavior and approach those patrons who do not appear to have a clear purpose in the children's area. Having lowered shelving also increases the ability to naturally surveil an area i.e. clear sight lines. Chief Gavin talked about having the children's space in the upper level would limit natural surveillance and makes it more difficult for library staff to assess persons accessing that level because adults have a purpose for being on that level (i.e. circulation services and the popular library). Chief Gavin and the Director discussed the issue of convenience of access to the lower level. There would be two fire exits in the lower level including one directly out of the children's area to the sidewalk on Virginia Ave. In addition, there will be two elevators (current and new) and the ADA compliant stairwell. The Director recommended starting with a fire exit and planning functionality of a full entrance, should it ever be needed. There are several factors that may impact the number of caregivers and children coming to storytime including a change in service delivery. The new children's area would have a meeting room large enough to have storytime. The Director stated that the Youth Service staff have started discussing different options including frequency of programs and maximum capacity. Delivering storytime in a separate room and having a larger space for the children/teen areas would also create different dispersal patterns following a program. Having a second entrance creates concerns for safety that would impact staffing. Building in flexibility into the fire exit provides options in terms of how "open" that point of egress/ingress is. For example, if it was determined that after a program patrons needed to immediately exit the building due to the number of people, then it could be exit only opening for a period oftime after the program. There was a discussion about where the strollers, umbrellas, scooters will be. The Director said that there will be many options and opportunities for providing these types of areas since the space is almost triple the current size of the children's room. There could also be areas in the upper level as well for items that patrons wish to leave while they are using the library. Mr. De Long thanked Chief Gavin for her interesting point of view about safety she presented to the Board. Ms. Callahan asked the Board to give her a direction on what option will be recommended for 3 both the entrance and the children's location in order to continue with the schematic design. Once the schematic design is ready and the costs are revised, it will be presented to staff, the Board, the public, and City Council. Ms. Callahan also added that the Board's recommendation will be presented to Council on Monday July 23 session. Mr. Peterson expressed his concern about having the entrance at the comer of Virginia Avenue. Mr. Peterson said that it is not Williamsburg style and there is a strong community interest in maintaining the City campus with this style. The option with the entrance on Park A venue would be more compatible with that style. Mr. Peterson pointed out that with the Park A venue option there will be no need for a handicap ramp. He also mentioned that in the comer option the light pole is right in front of the comer of the library and there is no money to remove it any time soon and will need to wait a long time until the City's undergrounding project happens. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board recommended the option 1 to have the entrance on the corner of Virginia Avenue and Park Avenue. The roll call vote was four in favor by Mr. Chet DeLong, Ms. Kathleen Tysse, Ms. Chrystie Swiney, Ms. Stephanie Oppenheimer and two votes against by Mr. Don Camp and Mr. Jeff Peterson. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board recommended option B, to have children on the lower level. The vote was five in favor and one against. The Library Board's recommendation is option lB- Corner entrance and children's space located on the lower level. 2. RECEIPT OF PETITIONS a. Founders Row Mr. Litkenhous informed the Board that he spoke to the developers of Founders Row and they will be increasing their voluntary concessions for the library. The increase carne up from .62 cents to .70 cents per sq. ft. The Director mentioned that according to Senior Planner Akida Rouzi it applies to all residential ADU's. Mr. Litkenhous asked the Board about the facts for not pursuing the purchase of the property next door on Virginia Avenue. Mr. Camp mentioned that the reasons were staffing inconvenience in a separate building, the high cost for the property plus the renovation cost, the sewer line between the buildings, among other inconveniences. The Director mentioned that the property is on the market and the price is between $1.5M and $1.8M. She also said that if the Board decides to buy the property the current process will need to stop and start all over again since acquiring property and renovating is totally different from what the public voted for in the referendum. Land acquisition would need to be added to the CIP. The Director also informed the Board that the square footage of that building is 4,200 sq. ft. It has no elevator, it is not ADA compliant, and it was built in 1968 so hazardous materials may be an issue. In addition, it is probably not rated to hold bookshelves. The structure of the building is on different levels and it would need to be completely renovated. Mr. DeLong stated that the Board is not interested. Mr. Camp asked Mr. Litkenhous about the issuance fees being returned to the library. Mr. 4 Litkenhous suggested the Board to present the request to Council. The Director informed the Board that the issuance fee was bonded for $1.07M and $12,000 was used so far out ofthe $400,000 designated to bond fees. The Director handed out to the Board a letter that she drafted to Council regarding the voluntary concessions for the Founders Row project. There was a discussion about the wording. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the amended letter to be sent to Council. b. CATCH Appointee- No discussion 3. 2ND READING OF FINES AND FEES FOR MATERIALS CHANGE Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved to increase the overdue rate to .30 cents for most items and reduce DVDs from $1.00 to .30 going into effect August 1st. 4. BUSINESS NOT ON THE AGENDA None 5. APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 20, 2018 MEETING MINUTES For the lack of time, this item will be in the next Board meeting 6. LIBRARY FOUNDATION REPORT No report 7. COUNCIL LIASION REPORT No report 8. STUDENT LIASION REPORT No report 9. PLANNING COMMISSION LIAISON INTRODUCTION Mr. Rob Puentes did not attend the meeting. 10. LIBRARY REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 5  • The Director informed the Board that the Foundation donated to the library $2,000 that will be used for additional programming for children and adults. • There are problems with the City's phone system and it includes the library. IT is working on the issue. There will be a new and improved system until October • The alley that leads to the reference emergency exit has a permanent chain with a no trespassing sign. • As of today the total for summer reading program sign-ups is 1,800 children and teens and 366 for adults. 11. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Copies: Board of Trustees, City Manager, Library Reference Desk, Staff Bulletin Board, City Clerk, Library Web Page lrhe City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities !Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5032, rrTY 711. 6 July 18, 2018 Dear Council Members, The Library Board of Trustees writes to express that they do noNake a position on impending projects as they consider it outside their remit. The Board a#reoiates the voluntary concession that specifically addresses the library. Please consider chaftg~ the wording to the following in bold: ·~ - In return for various benefits to the Owner granted through the special exception process and to ameliorate the effect on the community of the additional residential density approved through the special exception proc~s 9n the community, tlie-Owner agree to provide, as a service for the community, a contriblltion to ~t:lre City's public libraries. The owner agree to make a capital co~ribut~on f~r pi'.blicJJ . a . use. !he con~~ution will equal $0.62 per square foot of gro~ ""~e~ndentlal apartme t unit area m the proJect (excluding affordable dwelling units) . Such payment s e made prior to issuance of a demolition permit for the Project~""'! ~"" Our numbers increase every"'year~ in FY2017we had 500'000 in circulation and over 38,000 attendees to our program{ The B and Direct6L<anticipYe~ increase in the demand for library services as this nevy comes online. We res{ectfully request consideration of the change in wording to Sincere! ... Chet DeLong, Library Board of Mary Riley Styles Public Library • 120 North Virginia Avenue · !Falls Church, Virginia 22046 • 703-248-5030 •703-248-5144 FAX • www.fallschurchva.gov/library  MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING July, 18 2018 SIGN-IN SHEET NAME ADDRESS EMAIL L1fvl ~lilah411 Oft>3 (Y)4di:trn L!l . 1 l~e_q//aha:~~®f/~ff,(h J3 ~tttV'Li Qau i {) 3 DO PMlL -Mit Gn-11 ~l M61A-\JI!j~fAu<£1-tVWVA .~ 1' Mo:-r{ ~neth J,5:Jl7 Pod}~ Hie_ ~ne fY)rna ~'~ett(' e b k \1 '\fOJp-cc...- h ('~ ~-1\~ Sv.-.\~ '\ -4d-\ L \V\Co\"" ~ , rchflt me .s~n"'~.J@~ \. .!l~MJft~FJf£ LJwtlffl ' 1to B1 ~ttl/- sr ~ t~J I ~fl4JE_ _'(l,W~e_~yA-f ~ I I I I I - I I I Page 1