Informational Meeting

MINUTES Informational Meeting Thursday, April 11, 2023, at 4:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Council Members Present: David Barranco, Sarah Cole, Alex Jensen (arr. 4:10 p.m.), Rich Merkouris, Greg Neitzert, Marshall Selberg (dep. 4:35 p.m.), Curt Soehl, Pat Starr Council Members Absent: None Council Chair Curt Soehl called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. 2. Committee/Commission Reports A. Siouxland Heritage Museum Board: Thursday, April 6, 2023 (Council Member Starr) Council Member Pat Starr provided the report. He stated the interns have started at the Museum. He talked about how discussions are happening regarding the building being older; facility conversations about improving energy and efficiency; and planning before major equipment wears out. Starr noted the Museum is working on the historical donations received from the Argus Leader. They are working on the best ways to store the materials, determining what to keep and what to store, and the retrieval system to be used to make the material searchable and easily available for public use. 3. Councilor Remarks Council Member Greg Neitzert thanked those involved in 15th Street Bicycle Boulevard. He talked about the Traffic Circle Pilot Project on 15th Street and presented photographs regarding this program. Council Member Rich Merkouris stated there will be a Coffee With The Council on Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the Washington Pavilion with Council Members Marshall Selberg and Pat Starr in attendance. Soehl reminded all that Tuesday, April 18, 2023, is ‘Tax Day’ and to get their tax paperwork submitted. 4. Presentations A. Siouxland Libraries Strategic Plan Presentation by Jodi Fick, Director of Siouxland Libraries Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion Fick began the presentation by providing an introduction and overview of the strategic planning process; key challenges; strategic planning goals and objectives; the library mission, vision, and values; and included a comparison to peer libraries, state/national averages and an environmental scan. A review was given regarding the process of gaining input and feedback from residents in Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County which provided the following updates: Use of digital content (e-books, e-audiobooks, online magazines, downloadable movies, and music) which has increased significantly in the past three years; while checkout of physical library materials (books, audiobooks, movies, etc.) has decreased slightly. The library also continues to play a prominent role as a destination for community activities, library services, and programs. Consideration of this role is important in planning the library’s future. In 2018, the library focused its efforts on early literacy. With 90% of brain growth occurring by age five, quality library services that support improving early literacy and positive interactions have a direct impact on the success of children in school and in life. Over the past three years, the library has concentrated on improving early literacy with increased resources for preschool children, adapted story times to incorporate pre-reading activities, and added children’s play areas. In 2018 and 2019, more children than ever before participated in early learning activities. The pandemic in 2020 and 2021 impacted the number of children using library resources, with some improvement in 2022. Area schools report that kindergarten readiness was also negatively impacted by the pandemic. The Strategic Planning Process was reviewed. When the strategic planning process began, the team set out to answer three key questions: What does the community want? Where do we want to go and how do we get there? How can Siouxland Libraries meet community desire and innovate to meet changing needs? To answer these questions, the library reached out to people throughout Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County. Through an online survey, focus groups, individual interviews and direct staff participation, ideas and feedback were gathered from nearly 1,300 people including business, education and nonprofit leaders, key stakeholders, library staff, volunteers, and—most important of all—patrons. National best practices and local data about services and statistics, actual facility use, and service area demographics and projections were also an essential part of the analysis. Through this process, residents’ current and future needs, broad community influences and the library’s role in the community became apparent. Respondents agreed Siouxland Libraries is a deeply valued community resource, and their appreciation for the hardworking staff, affirmation of current services and programs and a strong desire for even more services emerged. These findings formed the framework for the strategic goals in this plan. A few key challenges emerged from the research process: 1) Perception that Siouxland Libraries are primarily a place to check out books. There is less understanding of how Siouxland Libraries supports learning and social engagement; 2) Fast growth of service area, with newcomers comprising diverse viewpoints, nationalities, and socioeconomic groups; 3) Lack of awareness by both library users and non-users of what services and resources the library currently provides and what services could be provided in response to community needs; 4) Assumption that brick and mortar locations are the only way to provide services, particularly in rural areas. There is a gap in understanding about all the ways library services can be delivered; 5) Assumption that most library users are from underserved communities; patrons are in fact from many socioeconomic groups. The timeline for increasing awareness, promoting services beyond the library walls, providing experiences that encourage early literacy, providing learning opportunities for all ages, providing access to gather as a community, providing access to new and existing technology was reviewed. The mission, vision and values were reviewed. The mission for the Siouxland Libraries is: Connecting you to a world of ideas and information to enrich your life. The vision for the Siouxland Libraries is: Siouxland Libraries aims to serve the needs of its customers by expanding minds, building community, and inspiring curiosity. We strive to promote a lifelong love of reading, learning, and literacy. The values for the Siouxland Libraries are: 1) Safety: Protecting quality of life by providing safe places to gather, secure internet access, quality programs, and interesting and educational collections to read, use, hear, and view. 2) Teamwork: Collaborating to serve by supporting our coworkers, working with city departments, and through partnerships with schools, organizations, and other government agencies; 3) Innovation: Driving growth and development by adapting services to fit current and future needs with creativity and relevance; 4) Character: Doing the right thing by providing excellent service, supporting intellectual freedom, and ensuring equal access to all; 5) Respect: Honoring the dignity of others through exceptional hospitality. LibraryIQ conducted an analysis based on data publicly reported to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. All data is from 2019, the most recent available. Peer libraries are Lincoln City Libraries (Nebraska), Washington County Library (Minnesota) and Des Moines Public Library (Iowa). The Siouxland Libraries strengths are: lowest cost per hour of $312.78 among its peer group; highest ranked visits per capita among its peer group and above both South Dakota and National averages; highest circulation rate of 9.02 compared to South Dakota and National averages; second ranked compared to its peer group; efficiency rate (cost per visit) ranks just outside the top 25% but significantly above the median of all libraries serving a population of 100-499K.The opportunities are: Program attendance per capita is below the South Dakota and National averages and trending opposite of State and National averages. The following charts were reviewed: Five-Year Service Trends; Computer Use; Program Attendance; Peer comparisons; Five-Year Funding Trends; Collection Budget; Budget and FTE; Staffing; and Visits. An update on library usage showed: For every 100 people that visit Siouxland Libraries: 1) 13 will use a computer; and 2) 82 will check out a book or other item. While as, for every 100 people that visit the average South Dakota library: 26 use a computer and 65 check out a book or other item. The environmental scan included the following: Siouxland Libraries serves a dynamic and fast-growing community. From its inception in 1856 on the banks of the Big Sioux River, Sioux Falls has been an important South Dakota community.  The history, development and continued population and economic growth of Sioux Falls is intricately related to the river and falls, with major industries continuing to be banking/financial services, agriculture, health care, manufacturing, and transportation as well as the service industry. Siouxland Libraries also serves Minnehaha County. Formed in 1995 and covering 814 square miles, Siouxland Libraries was created by the merger of the Sioux Falls Public Library and the Minnehaha County Rural Public Library. Siouxland Libraries’ service area population is 230,819. In 2020, there were 96,842 cardholders, representing approximately 42% of the population, which is strong market penetration for a public library. The demographics are Minnehaha County’s population of 197,214 makes it the most populous county in South Dakota, containing over 20% of the state’s population. The county seat is Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota. In the Sioux Fall Metropolitan Area, the average household size is 2.46 people. About one-third of all households (33.5 percent) have one or more children under the age of 18; 23.6 percent of all households have one or more people 65 years and over. The average median income in Minnehaha County is $61,772 (compared to South Dakota median $59,896) with 8.7% of the population under the poverty level. Sioux Falls has a 2.8% unemployment rate, far lower than the national average of 6.2%. Discussion followed regarding: the number of individuals who received the initial survey; the synergy between the Sioux Falls School District libraries and the Siouxland Library books; satellite stations at the recreation centers; the benefits of early reading to children; how to engage with families where English is not the primary language; impact on Libraries based on the Community Center changes; quiet and non-quiet zones in libraries; the use of physical books vs. electronic and audio books; waiting lists for electronic items; the use of parks and public facilities for engaging with story or activity times with children with the bookmobile; donations to the library; and reading proficiency correlation between children and library funding. B. Community Center Transition/SFSD Joint Usage Agreement by Jackie Nelson, Recreation Manager Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion Nelson started the presentation by providing the following background information on the Joint Use of the Public Facilities Agreement: Collaborative Agreement between the City and the Sioux Falls School District; created in 1998, amended as needed; outlines maintenance roles and responsibilities for park/school shared sites (i.e. mow, snow, play structures); defines shared use of school and city facilities, including space for recreational programming and athletic events (i.e. Community Centers, Athletic Courts/Fields). Key Updates to the agreement include standard legal language and insurance requirements; Section Six – Fees; Waive fees during normal business hours; Section Sixteen – Site Specific Conditions (maps). For Section 8 – Public Facility Gymnasium use and City Park use, the key updates are: School days from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. the school or School District has priority usage over full gymnasium schedules; The City shall have priority usage of gymnasiums from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays from October 1-April 30 of each Agreement year to support league programming; The parties agree in the event the City needs to schedule additional gymnasium use outside the scheduled leagues’ and tournament times, the City will work with the School District Community Relations Department to reserve space as needed; The School District will host various school athletic practices, meets and events located in City-owned parks. The School District will coordinate scheduling the parks for School District events with the Director of Parks and Recreation or his designee. The decision drivers for planning for the future include the following: Align with 5- year Comprehensive System Plan Recommendations; Assess Community Center Model – outdated per consultant; Explore New Indoor Recreation Space Needs; Supports Community Engagement; Indoor Recreation Facilities (i.e. Aquatics, Walking Track, Courts, Fitness Equipment); Boost additional quality after school care opportunities; Between 4,000 - 6,000 elementary children lack access to quality afterschool and summer programs. Many students spend as much as 15 hours each week unsupervised. Source: Thrive OST Report; and SFSD is better suited to provide after-school care. Rebecca Wimmer, Coordinator of Community Partnerships and After School Programs for the Sioux Falls School District, provided an update on enrollments and financial considerations. Afterschool Program Comparisons are as follows: The Community Learning Centers have the following: Programming begins on the first day of school; Programming ends on the last day of school; 5–6-year-olds eligible; Custodial (1-15 Ratio); Nutrition provided; Structured Programming; and available at 22 Elementary schools. The Community Centers have the following: Opens one month after school starts; Closes two weeks before end of school; 5–6-year-olds NOT eligible to attend; Non- Custodial (no ratio); No nutrition – snacks not provided; Drop in program - 7 and older able to attend; and only available at 5 locations. CLC Benefits include: Stronger connection of the student with their school which has been proven to: Increase engagement in school; Raise Student Test Scores; Increase Attendance; Develop Character & Leadership Skills; and Increase post- high school opportunities; The Partner benefits include: Reduced transportation costs; Reduced operating costs; and more efficient system – redirect funds; Transition for the future involves updating the agreement to: Allow SFSD to program community center space to support CLC operations; Surplus/Gifting Agreement; Funding Agreement; Parks and Recreation to continue to run basketball and volleyball league programming from October 1 – April 30; The SFSD to continue to use city fields (i.e. Yankton Trail, Sherman Softball Complex) for athletic events. Next Steps are as follows: 1) May 8, 2023 - School Board Meeting; 2) May 17, 2023 - Park Board Meeting; 3) June 6, 2023 – City Council Meeting and 4) July 1, 2023 – New Joint Usage Agreement effective date.  Discussion was held regarding: administrative leadership and cost savings; the current draft agreements and the programming changes; amount of money needed to enhance the opportunities for middle school aged children; what public feedback has been encouraged or received; a review of the Community Center maps and nearby parks regarding boundary lines; the use of community centers as polling places in elections; appreciation expressed to the teams for their work; expressing a wish to further tweak the draft agreement for more improvements; future enhancements coming forward for children; partnering with the school district to use savings/funding for middle school programs; and the use of a connections coordinator to work with parents. 5. Public Comment Sierra Broussard spoke about the need for a public community center for children from low-income families. 6. Adjournment Council Chair Curt Soehl adjourned the meeting at 5:29 p.m. Tamara Jorgensen, MMC, Assistant City Clerk