HomeMy Public PortalAboutFebruary 4, 2020 minutes with links Watertown Free Public Library Meeting of the Trustees
Tuesday February 4th, 2020
Watertown Savings Bank Room, WFPL
Present: Watertown Town Council President Mark Sideris. WFPL Trustees: Leanne
Hammonds, Chair, Sheppard Ferguson, Vice Chair, Michael Hanlon, Treasurer, Teddy Kokoros,
Secretary, Daniel Pritchard. WFPL Director Leone Cole, WFPL Assistant Director Caitlin
Browne
Enclosures: February 4th 2020 Meeting Agenda, Minutes of January 7th 2020 Meeting, Town
of Watertown Free Public Library Year to Date Budget Report, Letter from Library Director
Leone Cole to declare six maps surplus property and offer to sale, letter from Leone Cole
regarding Library of things proposal, List of Library Trustee interview times and past questions
asked of library trustee candidates, cover letters and resumes of all the library trustee
candidates
Call to Order: 7:OOpm
Discussion of Interview Logistics: Each Trustee will ask one question to the interviewees.
We will all ask the question to interviewees in the same order going around the table. There will
be no follow up questions due to the interest of time and fairness. Each candidate was asked
the same questions in the same order (see below)
1. How do you use the library?
2. What, in your work experience, would you bring to the Board of Library Trustees
3. Please describe your contacts and involvement in the community
4. Later this year the trustees will be approving a five-year Strategic Plan for the library. A
Strategic Planning Committee consisting of the trustees and several community members,
library administrators, and staff will meet on the third Wednesday of each month to
review survey results, discuss goals and outline a Strategic Plan. If appointed, to the
board, would you be able to attend these Wednesday event meetings and how would your
voice and skill set advance the planning process?
5. How would you advocate for the library beyond attending monthly meeting of the
trustees?
6. What do you see as the mission of the public library?
7. If appointed, would you consider running for the library trustee in the next election in
November 2021?
Library Trustee Interviews
• Roberta Rosenberg
• Eric Patoine
• Kristen Kenny
• Heather Risso
• Chris Richards
• Mathew Brown
• Jared Knowles
• Amended minutes of the January meeting approved
Financial Report FY20 Budget:
• Ms. Cole reported the library has spent 54 percent of our budget through 7 months and
that the Watertown Library was on track in the electric and gas expenses with what was
expected.
• Mr. Prichard asked for an update about the door project and Ms. Cole shared that there
was a change order for the drain gutter was being adjusted on the rear entrance that is
now installed but did not have any impact on the overall budget for the project.
• Mr. Hanlon had a question about Project Literacy fundraising which was if the funds
were only used for teaching. Ms. Cole said that the funds were used for anything Project
Literacy needs.
• Mr. Hanlon had a question for Ms. Browne about The Hatch Financials about what the
available $9,000 budget would be spent on. Ms. Browne said it would be spent to laser
cutter maintenance specifically the expensive filters and everything else would be spent
down during the fiscal year on programs and supplies.
• A motion was made and accepted the financial report. The Motion was approved.
• Red Leaf Cafe Update was tabled
Chairwomen's Report CPA Update FY21 Budget:
• Ms. Hammonds went to the CPA Public Meeting and heard about the process for
how that money could potentially be spent and one of the areas is historic
preservation where the library could be involved. She encouraged the board
members to go on the CPA Website and fill out the survey. There will be more
public meetings about how to use the CPA funds and it was believed that there
are about 5 million dollars currently in the fund. Historic preservation could
include materials and archiving that the library might be involved in. 10 percent of
CPA Funds will be used for historic preservation each year.
• Mr. Ferguson added that at the meeting there were stickers people could put up
on charts about good ideas and one was about using the old police station as
part of the library.
• Ms. Hammonds and Ms. Cole went to the FY 2021 Watertown Initial Budget
Meeting and met with The Town Manager Mike Driscoll and Tom Tracy. They
were interested and receptive to the requests The Watertown Library made
regarding the archivist and outreach librarian.
• Ms. Cole said that the Department of Public Buildings is taking over for
Watertown Library maintenance and that means that the libraries budget related to
maintenance could get transferred to the town. This might require an adjustment
to the MAR and The Library will have to wait and see on how the town wants to
move forward with that.
Update Director's Report
• A request was made on declaring six maps as surplus and authorizing the
Library Director to work with the Purchasing Agent to offer them for sale via
sealed bid. Ms, Cole gave a memo in the packet detailing what the maps are.
The library had spent a lot of money on preserving Watertown maps, but these
six maps need conservation and don't relate to Watertown. Leone's
recommendation is that they are offered to sale for an institution to be buy them
and take care of them. Ms. Cole worked with the town purchasing agent and the
town attorney and found it was legal for the board of trustees to do this. The
parameters would be they would sell under a sealed bid after being advertised
for a two-week period. The purchasing department would require a 33 percent
bid deposit and the bidder would give a letter that would say the maps would be
available to the public and the minimum bid for all 6 maps being declared surplus
and offered for sale would be 50 thousand dollars. The purchasing agent would
be required to advertise in The Watertown Tab. The purchasing agent would also
advertise in the bulletin for goods and services and Ms. Cole would advertise to
her contacts in the map world as well. The Historical Society as emailed and they
did not flag anything related to the map sale.
• A motion was made to declare the six maps as surplus property and offer them
for sale. The motion was approved
• Consideration and Action on a request to use $6,700 LIG/MEG funds for the
Library of Things collection. The Watertown Library requested feedback from
town patrons about what should be on Library of things. A list was created which
is in the packet and Ms. Cole is requesting $6,700 to buy the items on this list.
• Mr. Prichard asked about how the items on the list were chosen and Ms. Cole
and Ms. Browne said there were surveys at the Fair on The Square and on
Facebook
• Ms. Hammonds asked how they would be stored and asked how the materials
would be assessed to be in good working order. Leone responded that there are
some cabinets in the staff hallway that would be used to store the materials and
a catalogue would be created of the items available. The staff would do their best
to assess the condition of the materials.
• Mr. Pritchard asked if they would be offered to interlibrary loan and Caitlin
Browne said they would not be.
• Ms. Hammonds asked if how long the loans are of library of things and what
happens if people bring them back late. Ms. Cole said there would be a waiver
for the items that was discussed with the town attorney.
• A motion was made to request transfer the $6,700 funds from LIG/MEG. The
motion was Approved
• A motion was made to accept the draft policy for the library of things as
presented in the packet. The motion passed.
Old Business: There was no old business
Requests for Information and Responses: none
Date of next meeting
February 19th 5:30pm for Interview and Strategic Planning meeting at 7pm.
March 3 is the date of next Board of Trustees Meeting at 7pm
Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was accepted at 9:06