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 November 14,2018 1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS OF GUESTS Board Chairman Brad Gernand called the meeting to order at 7:00p.m. The following Board members attended the meeting: Brad Gernand Chet DeLong Chrystie Swiney Kathleen Tysse Stephanie Oppenheimer Jeff Peterson Excused absence: Don Camp Youth Representative Tika Wallace Council Liaison, Ross Litkenhous and Planning Commission Liaison Rob Puentes were not in attendance. Others present for the meeting included: Library Project Manager Kim Callahan, Library Director Jenny Carroll and her assistant Ms. Claudia Gutierrez. 2. RECEIPT OF PETITIONS The Director informed the Board that the Library Management Team, formed by Supervisors from the different library departments, request permission to close the library one day a month for staff workdays starting in January 2019 until May or June 2019. There is a considerable workload in preparing and organizing for the relocation of the library. It will be helpful having extra days to focus on inventories of closets, equipment, and furniture, preparing the collection, and determining which items will go to storage or the temporary location. The Director mentioned that it could possibly be a Friday since the library closes at 5pm or a Wednesday when the library is already closed part of the day; this way there would be less of an impact on patron's service. Ms. Swiney asked about alternatives for not having the closing; the Director responded that it would be a lot of pressure on staff since they would continue to provide services in addition to preparing for the move. The extra workdays would help alleviate some of the pressure associated with all of the preparation that needs to go into moving. The Director stated that she and Ms. Callahan would consult regarding the amount of time that the library would be closed for the move, however she estimated that the library might need about 2 weeks to move things into the temporary location. Ms. Callahan mentioned that their goal is to move into the trailer early July depending on what they need to modify in the trailers, building permits etc. Ms. Oppenheimer asked if th.ere is data that shows days when the library has more patrons than others. This data may help in determining the best day to be closed between Wednesday and Friday. The Director stated that there were regular programs on Wednesdays and Fridays, but that whichever day 1 they decided to close the staff would ensure a low impact on program provision. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board agreed to give the staff the opportunity to close the library one day a month under the Director's discretion, choosing the day which best suits their work schedules starting in January 2019. 3. APPROVAL OF THE OCTOBER 17, 2018 MEETING MINUTES There were some rewording and changes to the minutes, the Director will bring them corrected to the December Board meeting for approval. 4. LIBRARY FOUNDATION REPORT No report 5. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT No report 6. STUDENT LIAISON REPORT No report 7. POLICIES TO DISCARD: SERIALS CATALOGING AND MAINTENANCE, AUTHORITY FILES, MATERIALS REP AIR The Director informed the Board that Steve Ingeman, who is the Technical Services Supervisor, brought the Serials Cataloging and Maintenance, Authority Files, and Materials Repair policies to her attention. Staff feel that they are mostly procedural rather than policies. Mr. lngeman requested that the policies be discarded. The Director asked Library of Virginia (LVA) about the process to discard policies enacted by a Library Board. LV A Staff replied that there should be a discussion from the Board and they need to have a motion to discard; there is no need for a second reading. Staff will be working on including and updating the procedural information from the policies in a procedure manual for staff. The Director said that in the past, library policies had both policy and procedures. She mentioned that staff would like to take the procedures out of the policies. The procedures can be added to the procedural manual and updated and revisited as needed. In addition, library policies could be revised every year or every other year depending on the Board's purview. Mr. Gemand confirmed that the policies are usually brought to the Board by Management Team staff for review. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board agreed to discard the aforementioned Technical Services policies for the primary reason that they contain much procedural data. 8. POLICY TO UPDATE: CHAIN OF COMMAND The Director presented to the Board the current and updated Chain of Command policy. There have been changes in staffing which necessitate revisiting the policy. There is not a significant change to the policy, there is still a line of authority and chain of command. It is more a matter of staff positions included in the chain of command. The major changes to the updated policy are that it includes all the librarian positions full and part-time from Reference, Local History, Youth Services, 2 and Technical Services. In addition, the Senior Administrative Assistant is placed above the librarians since she is a full time employee and has extensive knowledge about the building and staff. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board moved to adopt the first reading for the Policy of Chain of Command as updated. 9. SCHEMATIC DESIGN/COST ESTIMATE PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION Ms. Callahan gave an updated report about the next steps in the library project. The architects submitted to Centennial the schematic design packet (approximately a 10%-15% level design) for preliminary pricing. The pricing came in better than expected at approximately $500,000 over budget. She reminded the Board that this is an estimate still based on somewhat limited information, however it shows that the project is on track and the scope will not be changed. Ms. Callahan gave the architects notice to proceed with Design Development (DD) which is the 30% design stage. At the end of the 30% stage, Design Development (DD), another packet will be submitted after the holidays in early January; this design packet will have more details and another pricing by Centennial will be completed. The Board will receive a presentation of the Design Development package including the cost estimate mid to late January. This is the time to have a discussion about value engineering if necessary and whether or not there needs to be a request to Council for additional funds. Ms. Callahan also mentioned that currently City staff and Council are viewing the Volunteer Concessions from Founders Row as an offset to the bond fund and not as extra money; she stated there are good arguments to present if the library project is over budget and needs additional funding. The Director added that she is aware that there is still a concern about the bond issuance fees. Ms. Tysse asked ifthere are any thoughts about fundraising for the library, and if the Foundation can do something to raise funds for the project. The Director confirmed that according to the library bylaws, the library board can accept money and there is a Memorial fund administered by the library; however she is unsure about the Board actively fundraising. She added that the Foundation already completed their annual letter to library patrons for donations and will be mailed soon. Mr. Gernand commented that in the past when the Board was discussing fundraising, the City Attorney at the time stated that the Board could not be an instrument to raise funds for the library, so the Board decided to establish a foundation to serve as the vehicle for fundraising. Mr. Peterson said that there should be an outreach to the community for funds but he thinks it is more important to get the bond issuance fees back and the voluntary concessions before raising money. Mr. DeLong expressed agreement that the financial issues of the bond issuance fees and voluntary concessions should be resolved before pursuing fundraising. The Director added that the Foundation is building an endowment for the library in order to ensure a regular contribution for library needs. The Foundation believes that they should not give money for something that it is the City's responsibility. They might not want to divert attention from building the endowment. Ms. Swiney and Ms. Tysse said that they thought many people in the City would be willing to donate to the library to fund the project. The Director thinks that the Foundation may be open to fundraising or contributing towards funding Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FE&E) needs. A Board member expressed that it is a missed opportunity for the Foundation if they don't ask the community to contribute through a separate drive. Mr. Gernand suggested sending a note to Don that the Foundation and fundraising is on the Board's mind. Mr. Peterson emphasized in having a better timing of the resolution of the other funding. Ms. Callahan explained that they would need to go to Council, explain that the project is over budget by $500,000, and request a budget amendment to the CIP, which currently is at $8.3M. For 3 example, the budget amendment request could come from the $250,000 voluntary concessions and maybe some from the bond issuance fees. The Director informed the Board that there are regular budget amendment times. Mr. Peterson was concerned about locking the $8.3M in again and wanted to increase the budget as part of the next adoption of the CIP. He would like to line up the annual CIP process with the January cost estimate so that it is a more accurate reflection of what additional funds the library project needs. Ms. Callahan stated that the amount of money for the project is already set in the CIP and no matter when the CIP might be changed it would be a budget amendment (which she can confirm with Assistant City Manager Cindy Mester). Ms. Callahan confirmed that Mr. Peterson would like to increase the budget as part of the next CIP adoption. She also stated that it would not go to Planning Commission; budget amendments are voted on by City Council. The Director reminded the Board that budget season is starting and she hopes to start the process in December with the Board. Ms. Swiney asked if it is an option to ask Centennial to reduce costs in order to lower the $500,000 over budget costs. Ms. Callahan said that the value engineering process includes not only bringing more value to the project, but also finding ways to save money. Ms. Swiney felt that the amount that the project is over budget could be addressed through negotiations with the contractor rather than going to Council or fundraising. Ms. Tysse noted that nowadays there are many creative ways to fundraise and that there is untapped potential. The Director mentioned that the Foundation has annual fundraisers. The Director added that the library can receive donations through the Memorial Donation fund; the funds are usually used to pay for library needs. The Director has been told that library employees cannot fundraise. Mr. Gernand confirmed this (from prior City Attorney consultation) and that the Board could not fundraise except as private City residents. The Foundation is the mechanism for actively fundraising but their current goal is to build up for the endowment. Ms. Tysse asked about the status of the letter that the Board sent to Council requesting the bond issuance fees; the Director explained that the response from the City Manager Wyatt Shields was that the bond issuance fees are not part of the CIP. A letter was sent to Council with several statements but did not ask for a response. The Director stated that Councilman Litkenhous has offered to support the library's request for the bond issuance fees and voluntary concessions to be added to the library project budget. The Director stated that the view of City government is that the bond issuance fees are not actually money and that the voluntary concessions would be considered as part of the project, not in addition to. Mr. DeLong stated that both of these view are not written into law and that the library can still ask Council. Mr. Gernand asked Mr. Peterson to draft a letter to Council asking for the money, he agreed and will be bring it to the next Board meeting for discussion. The Director informed the Board that in the CIP for FY2018 the library had $1.073M and for FY2019 was $7.3M but there is no money listed in FY2020 nor in FY2021. The CIP does state that part of the referendum money is for bond issuance fees. Technically the library is not in the CIP those fiscal years and theoretically the bond issuance fees and the voluntary concessions moneys could be included in FY2020. Ms. Swiney asked when the payments are due. Ms. Callahan explained that the money needs to be available in the bank in order to award the contract. Then every month the contractors submit a draw schedule about what tasks have been completed, the submissions are reviewed and then the contractor is paid. There was a discussion about rescheduling the December meeting so most of the Board members could attend to discuss the draft letter that Mr. Peterson will write to Council. 4  Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board moved to reschedule the December meeting date from Wednesday, December 19 to Wednesday, December 12. Ms. Callahan summarized to the Board the next steps for variances for the library. A lot coverage variance is requested; currently the building is at 41.6% and needs to be at 57%. The building also needs setback variances on Park Avenue and North Virginia Avenue. Ms. Callahan will need to present arguments for granting the variances to the Planning Commission at their work session on November 19. It will then go to a public hearing of the Planning Commission on December 3. After that on December 13, they will go to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) with the recommendation of the Planning Commission for approval. The Director asked if the Board should attend any of these meetings. Ms. Callahan thought it would be helpful having support from a library Board representative at the BZA meeting. The BZA meeting will be held at the Community Center on December 13 at 7:30pm in the Teen Center room. The Director mentioned that Mr. Gemand is the representative from the Board and usually attends these meetings; however, the rest of the Board could attend the public hearing and make comments as City residents. Mr. Peterson asked if the lot coverage is connected to storm water; Ms. Callahan mentioned that it is connected to it but it is part of the zoning ordinance. She added that currently there is no storm water management as it didn't apply during the last library renovation and expansion. There have been discussion about ways to address storm water including adding a cistern and how to access and use that water. Mr. Peterson mentioned that Principal City Planner Paul Stoddard made a presentation to VPIS about projects in the City and Mr. Peterson asked if the light pole at the comer of Virginia and Park Avenue could be undergrounded. Mr. Stoddard expressed having the same view of fixing the light pole, but did not have a firm opinion on how to address. Mr. Peterson thinks that relocating the pole will not be a solution since it is in front of the library building. Ms. Callahan showed the Board some options where the pole could be relocated. She explained to the Board that the City does not have the money to underground it. Dominion gives the City a certain amount of money every year towards undergrounding and they allow grouping all the money together. The City wants to underground all the utility poles from North Virginia Avenue up to Washington Street which would use 15 years of undergrounding money from Dominion and it might not cover all the cost. In addition to the cost for undergrounding the poles, there is the voice data, and all the conduits and connections to all the business buildings in the area which is different than undergrounding residential service. Dominion is who estimates the cost for undergrounding. 10. LIBRARY REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Director attended the Council meeting last night. The Director presented to Council an update on the library project about the schematic design, the timeline, the temporary location and the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU). She also made a statement to Council about the collection and mentioned that the library Board agreed that the size of the collection will be consonant with the ADA requirements and the shelving space needs. She also mentioned that staff is responsible for the deselection of items from the collection. Deselected items are passed along through the library book sale and donations to charities; there are also items that are not appropriate to pass them along due to their bad condition and inaccurate information. The Director and Ms. Callahan also attended the Architectural Advisory Board (AAB) Wednesday, November 7 to receive recommendations and feedback. It was all positive and the AAB was in favor of a liberal interpretation of the 5  Colonial style and a more refined feel to the comer entrance. The architects will be working on the exterior of the building given the feedback. The Director will be working with Ms. Callahan on reviewing the deed as it pertains to the style of the building. • The Director reported to the Board that in October, there was a bin placed next to the stairway for the Dakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Coat Drive; it was done in conjunction with City Council lead by Letty Hardy. The tribe sent a thank you letter to the library for hosting the donation drive. She also added that there was another bin at the Community Center. • There are two library page job openings; one of them was a resignation from a high school student. An offer was made for the Library Assistant II position in the Youth Services Department and it will be filled soon. • The Director noted that the library staff has been going through City wide mandatory training. The first one was on Sexual Harassment, the second was on Cultural Competency, which it is still going on and staggered through December. Also, since the library is part of the emergency plan for the City, the Management Team attended to the Spontaneous Management of Volunteers training. The Director and her Assistant attended a Munis training which is the financial software for all the administrative functions. • The Management team has been reading the book Leading Change and discussing it as a book group. This book has been helpful preparing for the transition to moving into the temporary location. • Since there are new Board members and the library is moving into a period with many changes, the Director suggested having a Board retreat on a Saturday either in January or February. She added that Council and other Boards and Commissions have done retreats. She thinks it will be helpful to invite both the Library of Virginia and the City Clerk who is in charge of the City's Board and Commissions. This could be an opportunity to look into the library's mission and vision and to work with the Board on a strategic plan for the library. The Board agreed. Ms. Tysse would like to meet with the Management team if possible the day of the retreat. Mr. Peterson suggested inviting the Foundation as well. The Director will make arrangements and send out potential dates. 11. BUSINESS NOT ON THE AGENDA Mr. Peterson thanked the Director for sending the graph with the breakdown of public vs. staff space. He stated that the numbers did not add up and requested that it be revisited. The Director said that she would confer with Ms. Callahan and Mr. Manetti to clarify. Mr. Peterson asked if there are guidelines for how the collection is being addressed given the numbers that the library consultants presented. The Director remarked that the library Board adopted the CREW manual as a guide for maintaining the collection. The selectors use the manual in addition to reviewing collection statistics and checking for condition. Mr. DeLong added that the nonfiction collection has been weeded heavily. The Director mentioned that the nonfiction collection has the .. 6 lowest turnover rate in the library (i.e. how many times a books goes out in a year). Mr. Peterson asked if she had a target of how many books are going to the temporary location, to storage and to be deselected. The Director said that approximately 25% of the collection will be deselected. Depending on the collection the percent deselected may be between 20%-40%. The collection that goes into the temporary location is dependent upon the load capacity of the trailers, which is being assessed. The Director mentioned that in the October meeting, there was a discussion about the new building having a collection of approximatley 110,000 items. During the time that the library is under construction books will still be purchased, so the total number of items that goes into storage and the temporary location needs to take into account the new items. The collection may need to be weeded to 95,000 items before the move to accommodate the new items purchased during the time that the library is in the temporary location. The Director stated that she emailed the MOU between the schools and the city for the temporary location to the Board. The MOU is currently with the FCCPS Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan for review. She asked the Board to review the MOU and to give their feedback. Ms. Tysse asked why the schools are offering the trailers and paying for the utilities. Ms. Callahan responded that the schools own the trailers and they will not be using them during the library construction. The Director added that Dr. Noonan sees it as a win-win for the schools and the city; the city and the school system are working on having a good relationship and being good neighbors. Ms. Swiney asked if there is a concern or feeling in the community about parking since there are people that do not know that the library is moving to the trailers. The Director expressed that there is concern about it and there will be outreach to the neighbors. Ms. Callahan remarked that they are aware that it might be a burden for the community but it will also be a benefit to neighbors. The Director added that currently there is a parking demand around the library since there are medical buildings, businesses, and City Hall all vying for parking spaces near the library. Ms. Oppenheimer asked what the logistics will be when Parker Street is closed during early morning weekdays. The Director explained that as part of the MOU the library will be opening at 9:30am to address the issue. The library will also work with the schools about signage for parking and also there will be public outreach on where to park. After school hours, the parking lot can be used for library patrons and they will be coordinating with schools when night school events are scheduled. The Director also added that there will be bike racks, the entrance ramps will be changed, the fence will be installed separating the trailer from the school, and a security guard added during school hours (in addition to the one that is regularly at the school). Ms. Callahan added that she has a budget of $260,000 for moving and storage; this includes the modifications to the trailers, the fence etc. The security guard cost will possibly be coming out of the library's operating budget. The Director mentioned that the trailers is actually 7 connected trailers. Once they get the load bearing issues resolved they will start working on the planning for the space to find out where to locate book shelves and staff space as well. Mr. DeLong added that they will need to coordinate parking with the schools during summer time; the Director noted that it is included in the MOU as well. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board supports the draft Memorandum Of Understanding for its temporary location. 12. ADJOURNMENT · There being no further business, upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board of 7  Trustees voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8:59 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ) Bradley E. Gemand, Chairman Copies: Board of Trustees, City Manager, Library Reference Desk, Staff Bulletin Board, City Clerk, Library Web Page !The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit ofthe Americans with Disabilities !Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5032, !TTY 711. 8