Pontiac Public Library Board of Trustees met Nov. 9.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
President Connie Snyder called the meeting to order at 5:35PM.
The roll call was answered by Connie Snyder, Curt Myers, Kathy McLean, Eric Hoover, and Bruce Koerner. Lisa Martin joined via telephone.
Consent Agenda:
Trustees reviewed the minutes and paid bills from October. Curt Myers moved to accept the minutes and bills as presented. Bruce Koerner seconded. All present voted in favor. Motion carried.
Correspondence:
Received correspondence from Representative Tom Bennett’s officer notifying the library of potential grant funds available under “The Local Cure Program”. Funding is available to county, municipality/village or agency to offset certain COVID expenditures. As a municipal library available funds would have to be requested through the city. Kristin was informed that the city will be applying for the full amount of allocated funds for the grant. However, at this time, the library is not expected to receive any of the allocated funds being applied for.
Director’s Report:
Volunteer hours for the month – 15.
The library participated in the 3rd Saturday market on October 17th. While it was windy and attendance was down, we were appreciative of the continued support from Pops Pop-up.
Circulation and attendance continue to improve. However, hours have remained unchanged due to the increasing COVID numbers.
The Illinois Municipal League files a lawsuit regarding the Governor’s declaration that the election date was a state holiday. They won the suit and municipalities were allowed to remain open. The City remained open, so the library remained open also.
RAILS adjusted their guidelines allowing libraries to return to a 3-day quarantine period from the current 7-day quarantine for materials. Kristin has not adopted the guidelines at this time, but will be monitoring the region’s COVID situation before returning to a 3-day quarantine.
The annual backflow test was completed and passed inspection.
The annual elevator inspection was completed, and a new certificate will be arriving soon. During the inspection it was determined that the elevator is in need of elevator packing. This repair will help maintain oil pressure and allow the motor to run more smoothly extending its life. The packing will cost $3,641 with 50% due before the repair and remainder after.
2020 marks the centennial anniversary of the Apollos Camp and Bennet Humiston Trust. The paper is listing statements from all agencies benefiting from the Trust. Kristin will be submitting a statement of the Trust’s impact on library services.
The library will be providing a Countdown to Christmas activity and reading packet for Santa to hand out to kids when they visit this holiday season. These will also be available at the library.
The library will be offering “Elf Bags” with randomly selected wrapped books for checkout for both adults and children. The program will be similar to the “Blind Date w/ a Book” that is run in February for Valentine’s Day, and gives patrons exposure to varying titles and authors within our collection that have winter or holiday themed stories.
Committee Updates:
Management Committee – Will be holding meeting on December 7th.
Building and Grounds – Bruce contacted two local contractors for an estimated cost to replace the library parking lot. An estimate is needed to determine if and to what extent we will pursue a matching mini grant that could be used towards the project. Once estimate is for concrete and the other is for asphalt. Bruce is waiting for one more estimate. Following the last meeting and a review of the parking lot, Bruce is looking at obtaining an estimate for only the West half which is in the worst condition. The grant will match up to $35,000 in funds, for a total project cost of $70,000. Additional discussions will be held once estimates are received.
Bruce reported that Heartland Community College updates are progressing well and are reviewing bids for updating walls and replacing old carpet.
Finance Committee – Nothing to report.
Old Business:
Serving Our Public 4.0 Review – The board is reviewing the whole book this year as required by the per capita grant. Kristin went over chapters 8-13 with the trustees. Checklist related to those chapters were specifically reviewed and discussed. A few areas for future improvement were noted during the review and highlight for future discussion.
Annual Library Tour – The tour tabled until next year.
New Business:
COVID-19 Response – Kristen discussed options for handling increased COVID cases and anticipated mitigation efforts expected from the governor. Should the region move to tier 2 or 3 the library will switch back to curbside pick-up. If the governor were to issue a shelter at home order, the library would then close entirely to the public.
Library Bylaws – A draft copy of the Bylaws was provided to Trustees. There were several areas highlighted for Trustees to review. Additional discussion will take place next month.
Trustee Closing Comments: None
Kathy McLean moved to adjourn the meeting. Lisa Martin seconded. All voted in favor, motion carried.
https://www.pontiac.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_11092020-776
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