HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 1, 2001
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MINUTES
May 1, 2001
The meeting was called to order by Chair, Barbara Miller at 7:04 p.m. Those present were Patricia Sowada, Nancy
Hoium, Catherine Vesley, Julienne Wyckoff, Barbara Miller, and Becky Loader. The Board welcomed Bobby Williams
to the meeting as a guest.
It was moved, seconded, and passed to approve the minutes of the March 6, meeting as mailed.
It was moved, seconded, and passed to approve the minutes of the April 3, meeting as mailed.
It was moved, seconded, and passed to ratify the phone poll bill list of April 9, 2001.
The bill list of May 14, 2001, was reviewed. It was noted that there was no telecommunications bill for this quarter.
The RLTA money received through MELSA covered those costs this quarter and will also cover a portion of the cost for
the next quarter. It was moved, seconded and passed that they be paid.
The accounting was reviewed.
Special guest, Bobby Williams, was introduced. A dialogue between Board members and Mr. Williams centered on fund
raising and possible ideas that could be used for funding a new library building. Board Members stressed the point that
they were willing to do fund raising, but first a commitment has to be made by the City Council and a plan has to be in
place. Mr. Williams spoke about how he has raised funds in the past for different projects, and about the necessity of
building excitement in the community. City Council members have approached business owners in the 3800 block of
Central Avenue about being a possible site and all were willing to consider negotiating alternative possibilities. Bob
Ruettimann has been asked to chair a task force to set up a citizen group about a new library. Catherine Vesley expressed
an interest in being a part of the task force or citizen group. Mr. Williams said that he would talk to the City Attorney,
Jim Hoeft, in order to clear up some questions about legalities concerning public property and fund raising efforts. He
will report his findings back to Becky. The Board Members thanked Mr. Williams for his time, and he left the meeting.
Old Business:
1. The Automation Contract between Anoka County Library and the Columbia Heights Public Library was
passed by the City Council on February 26. This contract was then taken to the Anoka County Library
Board and was passed there also.
2. There are currently three new pages being trained. They will be tested next week. They will be assigned
hours using the current schedule for three weeks, and then there will be a page meeting to negotiate summer
schedule. The library will be recruiting during the month of May to replace graduating seniors. Training of
successful candidates will take place in June.
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3. Funding has been approved through CHASE and a 21 Century Grant, through the school district, for
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summer programming. There will be just one program involved, Libra, which is the teen reading program.
Alicia Andrews will once again be hired to work on the project.
4. Internet filtering information was reviewed and discussed. ALA and the Civil Liberties Union have both
filed suit against the Internet Filtering Law that was passed. The Board will be kept informed of
developments.
5. The guidelines for the Gates Grant were reviewed. In order to qualify your community needs to have a 10%
poverty level, Columbia Heights is at 8.27%. This would mean that we could only apply to purchase
equipment and are not eligible for grant money.
6. Tax season is over. There was considerable difficulty with the State not printing enough forms for
distribution.
7. The Capital Improvement Plan was discussed. This has been tabled for several months. After some
discussion the Board voted to go ahead and draft a plan to be discussed next month.
New Business:
1. The State version of the annual report was reviewed.
2. The Jamboree parade will be on June 22. The Board voted to participate in the parade again this year.
Board Members were updated on ideas that staff has been discussing. A flatbed is available for participants
to ride on, and those riding would wear storybook character costumes. Further discussion and details will be
covered at the June Board meeting.
3. New Clerk, Lee Johnston, started on April 16. She tendered her resignation on April 27, effective that day.
Becky has met with Linda to determine what the next step would be to fill the position. After reviewing the
other candidates, this position will need to be re-advertised. The ad will be in Sunday’s paper. Interviews
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will be scheduled for May 30.
4. The west wall in the Children’s Department sustained water damage. The alley needs to be repaired so that
water will drain away from the building. This project will be completed by Public Works this summer.
5. New cleaners started on March 20.
6. National Library Week was April 1 through April 7. The Heights Theatre benefit netted $630.00, which
was deposited into the Library account for Children’s programming.
7. Crossover statistics of January, February, and March were reviewed.
8. Linking Library Trustees article was reviewed.
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9. The possibility of changing the date of the July 3 meeting was discussed. Board members will decide on
this issue at the June meeting.
10. The list of gifts from the Friends of the Library was reviewed. All items have been received except for the
preservation items, which due to high shipping costs will not be purchased at this time.
11. On April 4, water was discovered in the activity room closet. A back flow valve on the sump pump
malfunctioned. Public Works was able to replace the part and make the repair.
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12. April 23 water came in the building through the front wall. The ground was saturated and the exterior drain
at the front of the building could not disperse the water it collected. No materials were lost and the carpeting
although wet was not stained. Public Works will work on the drain and the wall to repair missing mortar
between the blocks this summer.
13. Applications for Humanitarian of the Year are needed.
14. The Board was thanked for providing muffins for staff during Staff Appreciation Week.
15. An article about Irene Parsons and Columbia Heights from the Anoka County Union was shared with the
Board.
16. The Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast will be held on May 15. The cost is $15.00/person. Anyone interested in
attending should contact City Hall.
17. A Trustee Membership in MLA will be applied for.
18. Mary Kloss will be having knee surgery on June 6. She will be on leave for at least 6 to 8 weeks. Evening
Supervisors have agreed to help fill in by working some daytime hours.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeanine M. Schmidt Secretary to the Library Board of Trustees.
The City of Columbia Heights does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or
treatment or employment in, its services, programs, or activities. Upon request, accommodation will be provided to
allow individuals with disabilities to participate in all City of Columbia Heights= services, programs, and activities.
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