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 August 21, 2019 1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Chairperson Stephanie Oppenheimer called the meeting to order at 7:00p.m. The following Board members attended the meeting: Chet DeLong Chrystie Swiney Stephanie Oppenheimer Don Camp Jeff Peterson Participated by teleconference: Molly Novotny Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously moved to allow Ms. Molly Novotny to participate at tonight's Board meeting by conference call under the resolution adopting the policy for electronic participation in meetings. Absence excused - Kathleen Tysse Planning Commission Liaison, Rob Puentes and Council Liaison Ross Litkenhous, were not in attendance. Others present for the meeting included: Director of Public Works Mike Whitfield, Library Reference Supervisor Marshall Webster, Library Director Jenny Carroll and her assistant Claudia Gutierrez. 2. RECEIPT OF PETITIONS The Director informed the Board that Ms. Kate Walker, the City's Environmental Program Coordinator, requested the opportunity to present the Environmental Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan at September's Board meeting. The Board agreed to include her presentation in the next Board meeting. 3. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 17, 2019 MEETING MINUTES Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the July 17, 2019 meeting minutes with minor changes. 4. LIBRARY REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS • Shining Star Awards have been given to several library staff employees for helping unload pallets of supplies and book carts, assistance in the Circulation Department, and for helping at the July's 1  library book sale. • The letter regarding the Board' s comments about the demographic and housing chapters of the comprehensive plan has been submitted to Council. • Falls Church City School Superintendent Peter Noonan sent a note to City Manager Wyatt Shields expressing his gratitude for the close working relationship between city government and school employees, including the library staff who is continuously collaborating with the City Schools. • Ms. Samantha Youaw was hired as a Library Assistant I Substitute. • The Library Page position had been posted and interviews will be starting next week. • The Library Assistant II position in Technical Services (Linda Baker' s position) has been posted for internal recruitment. Linda Baker will be retiring on September 11 , 2019. 5. LIBRARY FOUNDATION REPORT Mr. Camp informed the Board that next Thursday, August 22, Fox News TV Channel will be broadcasting live from the Cherry Hill Farmhouse in Falls Church. The City asked the Foundation to participate. Ms. Jess Sabo who volunteers for the Foundation will set up a table including information, giveaways (e.g. bookmarks), and book demos. Mr. Camp and Mr. Ed Rose will be at the table along with the Library Director. Ms. Swiney volunteered to help as well. 6. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT No report. 7. STUDENT LIAISON REPORT No report. 8. ARTS AND HUMANITIES COUNCIL REPORT (CATCH) Ms. Oppenheimer informed the Board that the council is working on a public art policy and she provided a draft to the Director. Ms. Oppenheimer moved item 10 in the agenda, Local History Room NEH Grant presentation, ahead of the Library Project Update. 9. LOCAL HISTORY ROOM NEH GRANT PRESENTATION Mr. Webster informed the Board that in May 2018 the library applied for National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) preservation grant for small libraries. In January of 2019, the library received the award for $5 ,900. In March, a consultant from the Center of the Conservation of Arts and Historical Artefacts in Philadelphia visited the library. Prior to the visit library staff filled out a 30-page questionnaire requested by the consultant about the current collection, practices, procedures and policies. After the visit, the consultant wrote a report including best practices, suggestions for policies 2 and procedures, and prioritizing realistic projects to accomplish in the short, medium, and long-term. While the library is at the temporary location, staff will be working on projects related to the goals that the consultant recommended. The consultant suggested having budget line dedicated to the Local History Room. Mr. Peterson stated that VPIS might be interested in funding a project related to the LHR. Mr. Webster also stated, that he and the Director are considering library staffliaisons for VPIS and other groups in the City in order to build partnerships. The consultant's report will be made available to the Board and the public. 10. LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE The Library Director informed the Board that currently the architects are working on the construction document phase and the temporary locations at Gage House, where the administrative office and technical services staff will be located, and the trailers at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, where the collection and staff will be housed. At the beginning of August, 95% construction documents were received for comment by city staff. The Project Manager, Joel Timmons will put together the comments and submit them to the architects. On Tuesday September 3, Planning Commission will have a meeting where the site plan will be submitted for approval. The Director encouraged the Board to attend. The architects are working on the building permit application process, which will be reviewed by the Fire Marshall and Building Officials. Centennial will be working on the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) with an expected delivery date of mid-October. Once the GMP is negotiated and finalized, it will be presented to the Board and then to Council. Once Council approves the GMP, the library will be moving into the temporary location tentatively by late fall. Kloke Group has presented a cost estimate for the library move and storage to the City for review. The temporary locations are being prepared for the move including furniture layouts, technology needs, and physical changes. In addition to the library's physical collection, a variety of electronic resources will be available for patrons while the library is in the temporary location. The library will be closed between 3 - 4 weeks in preparation for the move and the actual moving process. The Local History Room move to storage will be in the first phase of the moving timeline. The last time the project cost was discussed it was between $1.5M- $2.1 M above the original $8.3M. The voluntary concessions from the Founder's Row Project have been added to the budget. The direction from City Council was to arrive at a GMP and include LEED Silver Certification and streetscape elements according to the guidelines. There was a concern from the Board about Council's reaction to the cost increase. Council is aware of the increase from the original budget. Mr. Whitfield stated that the CMAR has a good handle on the estimate and it is unlikely that the cost will significantly increase. The Director encouraged the Board to attend to all the Council meetings for support; she will keep the Board informed on when the upcoming dates are. There was a discussion about the escalation in cost including availability of skilled labor, increased scope of the project (most notably streetscape and LEED Silver requirements), and the length of time between the initial Master Plan, the referendum, and starting design work. All of these issues have led to an increase in cost. The Board is concerned about where funds will come from to cover the shortfall in the budget and do not want the funds to come from a tax increase. The Board requested the Director ask City Manager Wyatt Shields and Finance Director Kiran Bawa about their thoughts on funding the GMP 3 and what plan the City is developing to cover the increase in construction costs. The Director will discuss the Board's concerns with Mr. Shields and Ms. Bawa. 11. BOARD BUSINESS MEETING a) Voting for Vice Chair There were two nominees for the Board's Vice Chair position: Mr. Jeff Peterson and Ms. Kathleen Tysse. The Board voted by secret ballot and Mr. Peterson was elected the Vice Chair for the library Board. b) Adopting of Rules of Procedures/Bylaws After a discussion about the wording of the Board's officer terms, the Board's consensus was to leave the original statement with the addition of a sentence about the length of the term. Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the previous bylaws version with the addition of the sentence - "Officers shall serve one-year term." to section II. Officers. 12. BUSINESS NOT ON THE AGENDA Mr. Peterson proposed the creation of a pamphlet for new citizens on the history of Falls Church. The Director will ask Mr. Webster about it and find out ifthere is already information about it. If it already exists, it can be updated. 13. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8:27 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 4  Copies: Board ofTrustees, 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 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5032, TTY 711. 5  MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING August , 21 2019 SIGN-IN SHEET NAME ADDRESS EMAIL lf(i}ct! JJk.-J{;. c /d 3tH? /;.., j IJve ,Fe, / IliA u.l/~,'.fJ;e /J rPfillcc Jrvr~lr ~ {Y)t<)~~~ Wc.b)r~ Page 1