Library Board of Trustees

Library Board of Trustees Whitewater Public Library, Meeting Room 2 431 West Center St., Whitewater, WI, 53190 *In Person and Virtual Wednesday, January 21, 2026- 6:30 PM Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods. Please click the link below to join the webinar: Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85020202048?pwd=TZwRReCHECXKnN8AMIhBEg3KVds8uO.1 Meeting ID: 850 2020 2048 Passcode: zKGiB41B Telephone: +1 (312) 626-6799 US (Chicago) Please note that although every effort will be made to provide for virtual participation, unforeseen technical difficulties may prevent this, in which case the meeting may still proceed as long as there is a quorum. MINUTES CALL TO ORDER at 6:33pm ROLL CALL Present: Jennifer Motszko, Elizabeth Miller, Steven Sahyun, Kathy Retzke, Camden Harlan, Tara McKenzie- Peotter Not Present: Doug Anderson Library Staff Present: Diane Jaroch (Director), Sarah French (Assistant Director) Others Present: APPROVAL OF AGENDA A Board member can choose to remove an item from the agenda or rearrange its order; however, introducing new items to the agenda is not allowed. Any proposed changes require a motion, a second, and approval from the Board to be implemented. The agenda shall be approved at each meeting even if no changes are being made at that meeting. ● Elizabeth Miller motioned to approved, Tara McKenzie-Peotter seconded the motion, the motion passed unanimously. Library Board of Trustees Agenda January 21, 2026 Page 2 CONSENT AGENDA Items on the Consent Agenda will be approved together unless any Board member requests that an item be removed for individual consideration. 1. Approval of the minutes of the December 15, 2025 meeting 2. Approval of Payment of Invoices for December 2025 3. Acknowledgement of Receipt of December 2025 Statistical report 4. Acknowledgement of Receipt of Financial reports 5. Acknowledgement of Receipt of December 2025 Treasurer's reports ● Elizabeth Miller motioned to approve the consent agenda, Kathy Retzke seconded the motion, the motion passed unanimously. HEARING OF CITIZEN COMMENTS No formal Board action will be taken during this meeting although issues raised may become a part of a future agenda. Participants are allotted a three minute speaking period. Specific items listed on the agenda may not be discussed at this time; however, citizens are invited to speak to those specific issues at the time the Board discusses that particular item. To make a comment during this period, or any agenda item: On a computer or handheld device, locate the controls on your computer to raise your hand. You may need to move your mouse to see these controls. On a traditional telephone, dial *6 to unmute your phone and dial *9 to raise your hand. No citizen comments. OLD BUSINESS 6. Library Building Project general update Cracks in laminate in front of circulation desk. Calling contractors to get it fixed before the grand opening on Friday, February 6. Donor wall tiles project is still on track to be completed by the grand opening. The wall recognizing extraordinary women is already up on the exterior! NEW BUSINESS 7. Discussion and possible approval of the cost of a bench from our oak planks In December 2024, the board approved $2,000 for this bench project, made from oak planks from an oak tree that was removed during renovation. The wood has been milled, but it needs to be dried. The wood cycling place in Madison Diane has been in contact with quoted $57/board, $969 + mileage. Bench could run $800-$3,000 depending on how “fancy” we want it. Steven Sahyun suggested we could put out a call for local artists. Library Board of Trustees Agenda January 21, 2026 Page 3 Elizabeth Miller suggested a partnership with the woods class at Whitewater High School to make the benches out of the materials we have. There are between 15-20 boards (roughly 4ft long). Kathy Retzke is going to contact the woods teacher at Whitewater High School about partnering on the project. Kathy Retzke motioned to add additional funds, not to exceed $500, to the prior approved $2,000 for milling and drying the wood. Camden Harlan seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 8. Review and approval of the updates made to the Makerspace & Meeting Room Policy Diane and Sarah suggest striking the part of the policy that requires 3-days in advance. It’s a holdover from an older policy that is out-of-date. People often come in wanting to use the space, and if it is available, they should be able to use it right away. Suggesting a change to have a minimum age requirement of 14 to reserve a study room and 18 to reserve a meeting room. The library doesn’t have a point-of-sale system. Camden suggested editing item G. Children’s Groups. Sarah said that provision doesn’t apply anymore, because a person making a reservation needs to be at least 18 years old, so we could delete G. Camden suggested formatting meeting room fees with either an indent or a bullet like was done under meeting rooms on page 21. Kathy suggested updating the beginning of section A to read, “The Whitewater Public Library provides meeting and study rooms to further…” CONSIDERATIONS / DISCUSSIONS / REPORTS 9. Library Director's report In two weeks, on February 6, the library will host the grand opening event. Wild Wisconsin Winter conference is going on, Diane is attending sessions. The city is going to allocate $5,000 for the children’s play area. Milton, Watertown, Elkhorn, and Lake Geneva were suggested as locations to look to for inspiration. 10. Assistant Director's report A Girl Scout Troop used the meeting space for their monthly meeting and gave a glowing review. They are excited to continue to use the new space. 11. Youth Educational Services report 996 library cards were sent out via the opt-in program with the school district! 12. Programming & Makerspace report Library Board of Trustees Agenda January 21, 2026 Page 4 Hunter is putting on some exciting programs that are drawing crowds! 13. Bridges Library System Staff reports 14. Board reports FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Opportunities for board training around what library board roles are. We will continue to look at this in March and perhaps a small section of future meetings so we can continue to be efficient in our roles. CONFIRMATION OF NEXT MEETING February 16, 2026 at 6:30pm. ADJOURNMENT at 7:23 pm. Camden Harlan motioned to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Tara McKenzie-Peotter. The motion passed unanimously. Anyone requiring special arrangements is asked to call the Library (262-473-0530) at least 72 hours prior.