Russell Library Board of Trustees

Russell Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Tuesday, October 15, 2024, 6:30pm Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad St., Middletown CT Draft minutes and other supporting items can be requested in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Present: Trustees Andy Becker, Shanay Fulton, Jennifer Hadley, Greg Harris, Cindy Harrison, Steve Nelson, Ann Percival, Tom Russell, Sarah Schulenburg, Eamonn Wisneski; Library Director Ramona Burkey Absent: Trustees James Belin and Andrew White MINUTES 1.​ Call to Order - The Meeting was called to order by President Wisneski at 6:33 p.m. a.​ Review Community Dialogue Framework - President Wisneski referred to the bullet point “Speak from personal experience. Use “I” statements to share your thoughts and feelings.” b.​ MOTION: It was moved (Trustee Harris) and seconded (Trustee Hadley) to move the agenda item 4a, presentation by Howard Weissberg to Agenda item 1b. The motion passed with all in favor. See notes under item 4a. c.​ Mission Moments (Mission: “We empower people to grow, connect, strive and thrive.”) - This agenda item was bypassed to support the timing of Mr. Howard Weissberg’s presentation. 2.​ Public Comment - There were no comments from members of the public, nor any emails or comments from the “Contact the Board” feature on the website. 3.​ Approval of Minutes a.​ September 17, 2024 Board meeting - MOTION: It was moved (Trustee Harris) and seconded (Trustee Nelson) to approve the minutes of the September 17, 2024 Board Meeting. Discussion: Trustee Schulenburg noted that there was an error in attendance, with the absent trustees also being listed as present, so the Trustees present section needs to be corrected. MOTION: It was moved (Trustee Harris) and seconded (Trustee Becker) to approve the minutes as amended to reflect accurate trustee attendance. The motion to approve the minutes passed all in favor, with one abstention. 4.​ Administration Report – Ramona Burkey, Library Director In addition to her written report, Director Burkey shared conceptual renderings of the future library. The library will continue to look to share information at city events. There are opportunities for Board engagement in the coming months. Next week is Friends of the Library week. There is a gathering on Tuesday, October 22nd in the staff room. On Tuesday, November 12 from 5:30 - 7:30, there is a Thanksgiving basket sign up in the evening, to support those who cannot sign up at  the food pantry during the day. The next Friends book sale will be set up on Thursday, December 5th and runs from Friday Dec. 6 - Sunday Dec. 8th. There will be a kickoff event for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in the Hubbard Room on Saturday, January 11th. a.​ Howard Weissberg, Acting Director of Public Works (Agenda item moved to 1b.) i.​ Mr. Weissberg shared “The Future of City Hall” presentation with the Board. The idea is to possibly bond the City Hall and Russell Library projects together. The current City Hall was built in 1958. An expansion (5000 sq. ft) was added in 1970 and renovated in 2001. The city population has nearly doubled since City Hall was first built. There are recommendations for existing conditions improvements, renovations/additions for space needs, and highest and best use of the site. The roof was last updated in 2001 and needs replacement within the next 2-3 years. Windows and HVAC are also in need of repair/replacement. There are challenges to ADA compliance, including entrances, toilets, and the elevator. The space needs assessment shows that there is currently 35,000 sq ft but 57,000 sq ft are needed in order to meet the needs of City Hall functions. There are needs to improve the security desk area and long-term goals to establish secondary corridors and enhance public areas. Recommendations from Landmark Architects was a 22,000 sq ft addition and the addition of an elevator. They proposed an addition on Court Street while maintaining some of the green space on deKoven Dr. This recommendation was quoted at about $23 million but would likely be closer to $32 million when completed. There was another best use proposal including hotel rooms, apartments, and convention space, which could bring economic assets to the city. If City Hall were to move space, 225-237 Main Street has been identified as the most viable option for a potential future City Hall site. Rubinoff Architects has worked on the space plan and final design, along with Partner Financial Group. The combined size of the spaces is 53,700 sq ft. Benefits include location closer to the center of population, presence on Main Street, large gathering spaces for the public, creative use of County Lane as green space, adds stabilizing institutional use for Main Street, uses existing underutilized parking structure, allows for better use of existing City Hall site, and retrofitting would be less expensive than a new build (projected at less than $20 million). Potential issues include costs, the Main Street location could be valued for other uses, and parking. Options: Stay at City Hall and do nothing, renovate City Hall, or move to the 225-237 Main Street location. Next steps are to finalize costs for each option, RFI for highest and best use of 245 deKoven, and a Council information session. If City Hall does move to Main Street, they would stay at 245 deKoven while waiting for the minimal renovations to be made to the 225-237 site. There would be strategies to support parking for City Hall employees and users, including street parking and garage parking. While parking is a concern, Mr. Weissberg encourages the public to think of parking for the library and 225-237 as a campus approach. Another next step will be to do an economic analysis on what the impact will be on Main Street by putting the library and City Hall closer together. 5.​ Committee Reports a.​ Executive Committee – E. Wisneski - The Executive Committee did not meet this month. Trustee Atherton has resigned from the Board, so the committee will be looking at a potential new trustee soon. b.​ Finance Committee – A. Becker - The Finance Committee met with a representation  from Essex Financial to discuss the endowment. The market is up, which has positively impacted the endowment. The Finance Committee is reviewing the Russell Library Company financial policies and will bring potential changes to the board in the future. Trustee Percival noted that repairs have already used about 75% of the repair line in the first quarter. There are significant issues with the plaster coming down in the tower that require analysis by an engineer. c.​ Governance Committee - J. Hadley - The Governance Committee looked at board self-evaluations that can potentially be used by trustees in the future. ACLB has a template and recommends that these types of evaluations are done every two years. The Governance Committee is working to modify the template to be representative of this board. They will share the self-evaluations with board members prior to the next board meeting. The evaluations are meant to support reflections both individually and as a group. The committee looked at general equity in library policies in order to better support staff, patrons, and the library’s mission. d.​ Strategic Planning Committee - The Strategic Planning Committee did not meet this month. The committee is awaiting results of the upcoming referendum before re-launching. The committee will be looking for a new chair. Director Burkey reminded trustees that the current strategic plan concludes at the end of 2025. While there is a solid foundation in the current plan, the board will need to evaluate how the current landscape may influence the next plan. Trustee Hadley mentioned the FAQ document that the committee had been working on and volunteered to work to finalize it to add to the website. 6.​ Unfinished Business a.​ Russell Library/City Hall Feasibility Study Committee updates - Some of the funds allotted for the study that were not yet encumbered have rolled back into city accounts. If needed, a new request for the funds would be necessary for anything that wasn’t already covered by current purchase orders. Trustee Nelson shared that it is important for any upcoming studies to look at the benefit of selling 245 deKoven to the highest bidder for projects such as a hotel as opposed to the benefits of keeping the building for city services. Right now some discussions are paused in waiting to see the results of November’s referendum. 7.​ New Business - There was no new business. 8.​ Announcements - The library is collecting 40 oz. cans of yams by November 20th. President Wisneski will purchase yams on behalf of any trustees who donate toward the cause. He will send out information to trustees. Trustee Percival encouraged trustees to listen to the “Meaningful Mondays” segment referenced in the Director’s report. 9.​ Open Forum/General Good and Welfare - There were no additional items shared. 10.​ Executive Session to discuss strategy, real estate, pending legal matters a.​ MOTION: It was moved (Trustee Harris) and seconded (Trustee Harrison) to enter Executive Session to discuss strategy, real estate, and pending legal matters at 7:56 p.m. with an invitation for Director Burkey to stay. The motion passed with all in favor. b.​ MOTION: It was moved (Trustee Harris) and seconded (Trustee Fulton) to exit Executive Session at 8:10 p.m. The motion passed with all in favor. 11.​ Adjournment - MOTION: It was moved (Trustee Harris) and seconded (Trustee Harrison) to adjourn at 8:10 p.m. The motion passed with all in favor.  Next regular board meeting: Tuesday, November 19, 2024, 6:30 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Sarah Schulenburg Sarah Schulenburg, Secretary  Russell Library Board Community Dialogue Framework Parliamentary procedure and public meeting requirements set a method for deciding the business of the Russell Library in view of the public. A Community Dialogue Framework provides guidance on improving the decision-making process by encouraging productive discussion. ●​ Practice open and honest communication. ●​ Listen carefully, actively, and respectfully. ●​ Be courteous; do not interrupt another speaker and do not multi-task. ●​ Speak from personal experience. Use “I” statements to share your thoughts and feelings. ●​ Support your statements with evidence and provide rationales. ●​ Respect others’ rights to hold opinions and beliefs that are different from yours. All perspectives are welcome and valid. ●​ Be open to new and different perspectives. ●​ If you are offended, speak up. ●​ Challenge and debate the merits of ideas, not the person supporting it. ●​ Step up and participate in the conversation. ●​ Step back and recognize others deserve an opportunity to speak. ●​ When discussion takes place in Executive Session, respect and maintain confidentiality. ●​ Share the message, not the personal. ●​ Trust that dialogue and disagreement will take us to deeper levels of understanding and acceptance.