Approved Minutes
Ridgway Public Library
Board of Trustees Regular Meeting
January 13, 2023
Ridgway Public Library
300 Charles Street

(A Zoom link was provided)

CALL TO ORDER:  The meeting was called to order by trustee Sally Trapp at 1:03 p.m. noting that all board members were present and that this will serve as our annual meeting according to our by-laws.

PRESENT: Trustees Julie Duff, Alison Etheridge, Sandy Hennessy, Dickson Pratt, Sally Trapp and library director Amy Baer.  Trustees Jenny Williams and Jeff Pryor were present via Zoom.  Jill Hepp, co-president of Friends of the Ridgway Library and Plaindealer reporter, Klyea Henseler were also present. 

APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES: Acting secretary, Sandy Hennessy submitted the minutes to include a change in name to Lane Thomasson of Hockersmith and Whitmore, LLC.  Julie Duff moved to accept the minutes with the name correction and Dickson Pratt seconded the motion.  Motion approved.

NEXT MEETING: March 10^th at 1 p.m.  There will be a training session at 4 p.m. on February 2^nd with Sharon Morris.  Board discussion agreed upon regular meetings in March, April, June, September, October, November and December.  Meetings will be the second Friday in each month at 1 p.m.

PUBLIC COMMENT: There were no public comments.

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY UPDATE:  Jill Hepp, co-president of Friends reviewed their meeting dates and newly elected officers.  They plan to elect a new treasurer at their annual meeting on January 18th.  Friends sent out their annual appeal letters for support of the library.  Donations of approximately $20,000.00 were received.  Jill reported this as indicating resounding support from the community.  Jenny Williams will no longer serve as Friends representative for the board.

ACTION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS: Terms and board member roster was reviewed.  Amy will advertise to fill two board member vacancies. Dickson Pratt has officially resigned and will attend the March 10^th meeting as a member of the public.

Election of officers.  Sally nominated Julie Duff as treasurer. Sandy seconded the nomination.  Julie accepted.  Jenny Williams nominated Sally Trapp for president. Dickson seconded nomination. Sally accepted. Jeff Pryor was nominated for vice president by Sally and Julie seconded. Jeff accepted.  Dickson nominated Sandy Hennessy as Secretary and Jenny seconded the nomination. Sandy accepted.   Nominations were accepted unanimously. 

Board training will be held on February 2^nd at 4 p.m.  Ouray board members will join the session. Zoom will be available.

Trustee notebook was reviewed and necessary documents confirmed.

Library Director Employment Agreement.  Lane Thomasson reviewed the agreement with two changes.  Added that library director serves at will of the board and that salary can be adjusted annually. Sally suggested a sub-committee to create a director six-month evaluation document.  Alison, Sandy and Sally will serve on the sub-committee.  They will report back to board.  Julie moved to accept the contract with the attorney’s changes.  Sandy seconded the motion. Motion carried. Sally suggested a sub-committee to create a director six-month evaluation document.  Alison, Sandy and Sally will serve on the sub-committee.

Plan to make 2023 goals at March meeting.  Brochure will be discussed.  We also will work on email addresses for board members.  North side bathroom needs repair and Roto Rooter called.

Pergola update and we will receive another credit so that we can install it.  Richard will be lead installer and will be appropriately compensated.  Should be installed in April.

Library signage is complete and all signage in library is now in place.

Library history from Dickson who was contacted by Dan and Mary Solomon who began library.  Dickson will update the history to include the Solomon’s contribution.

TREASURER’S REPORT:  Julie presented the end of year budget, stating that we have more revenue than we had planned.  This helps us to build reserves and we currently have $78,227.15 in reserve. Therefor the reserve will not need to be touched.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT: Amy discussed library statistics and meeting room statistics.  She noted that meeting room usage is up to 727 meetings, noting that increasing this usage was one of our previous goals.  Community outreach includes continued work with Voyager and support of Uncompahgre Watershed by displaying their banners at the front entrance of the library.  Summer Reading Programs and reading incentives are being planned to include children, teens, and adult patrons. Amy intends to also work with the Ouray Food Bank and 2^nd Chance.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Julie recommends a staff appreciation party.  Item to be discussed as a future goal at next meeting.

MEETING ADJOURNMENT: Sally moved to adjourn and Julie seconded.  Meeting adjourned at 2:50 p.m.

Final Minutes
RIDGWAY PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Regular Meeting
December 9th, 2022
300 Charles Street

CALL TO ORDER:  The meeting was called to order by Trustee Sally Trapp at 1:07 P.M.

PRESENT:  Trustees Julie Duff, Sandy Hennessy, Dickson Pratt and Sally Trapp. Also present were Director Amy Baer and Plaindealer reporter Kylea Henseler.  Also present via Zoom, was board of trustees applicant, Alison Etheridge.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Acting secretary Sandy Hennessy submitted revised minutes noting corrections.  Sally Trapp moved to accept the corrected and revised minutes and Dickson Pratt seconded the motion.  Motion passed.

NEXT MEETING: Friday, January 13^th at 1 P.M.

PUBLIC COMMENT:  There were no public comments.

FRIENDS UPDATE: Director Baer had no further information to submit.

ACTION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS:

Interview and discussion with board applicant Alison Etheridge.

Alison spoke via Zoom answering questions from trustees and director Amy Baer.  Upon completion of the interview, Dickson Pratt moved to accept her application.  Sally Trapp seconded the motion and motion carried. Director Baer will notify Ms. Etheridge.

Approval of signage for Young Adult and Children’s Area. The total cost for signs is $304.90.  The cost will be paid out of line item in the budget for building improvement within capital outlay.  Dickson Pratt moved that the board accept the signage purchase and Sandy Hennessy seconded the motion.  Motion carried.

Board training update and discussion chose the following possible dates of January 30^th, 31^st and February 2^nd. Late afternoon time frame was suggested to accommodate work schedules.  The board agreed to open the training to other nearby library boards.  Trustee Hennessy will contact Sharon Morris who will conduct the trainings.

Email accounts for board members will be placed on the agenda for next board meeting.

Library director employment agreement is in the hands of Lane Thomasson of Hockersmith & Whitmore, LLC in Ouray.  Sally Trapp will present the agreement at next board meeting.

TREASURERS REPORT:

Julie Duff presented the Ridgway Public Library Operating Budget with two small changes.  Line item for Conferences/Schools/Travel was increased by $50.00 and Telephone increased by $219.78. Sally Trapp moved to adopt the 2023 budget. Dickson Pratt seconded the motion.  Motion carried.

DIRECTORS REPORT:

Director Baer asked that board members sign documents in triplicate for certification of the mill levy from Ouray County.  Baer covered statistics noting that patron numbers are increasing.  Inventory is 95% complete.  Ridgway Public Library is registered with FAMLIA.  Staff have been involved in workshops this Fall.  Community outreach is going well.

Meeting adjourned at 2:13 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Sandy Hennessy

Minutes
Ridgway Public Library
Board of Trustees Regular Meeting November 15, 2022 at 1:PM
300 Charles Street
(A Zoom link was provided for those who wished to join)


CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Trustee Dickson Pratt recognizing that a quorum was present.

PRESENT: Trustees Julie Duff, Sandy Hennessy, Dickson Pratt, Sally Trapp, Jeff Pryor, Director Amy Baer and Plaindealer reporter Kylea Henseler

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Acting secretary Sandy Hennessy submitted the revised minutes noting corrections. Dickson Pratt moved to accept the minutes and Julie Duff seconded the motion. Motion passed.

NEXT MEETING: Friday, December 9th, 2022 at 1:PM

PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no public comments.

FRIENDS UPDATE: Director Baer advised that the donor letter has gone out to the public and there has been a good response. The new treasurer is Abbey Lacey. Quarterly meeting times for next year have been set.

ACTION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS:
Discovery garden fencing has been placed for the winter. Little library has been well received.

Pergola credit of $500 has been received and manufacturers have been asked to store the pergolas until Spring when better weather is available for construction.

FAMLI-POLICY discussed. It was noted by Dickson Pratt that we need do nothing to opt into the program other than register. Enrollment begins December 5, 2022. Director Baer will investigate enrollment procedure and notify employees when program goes into effect.

Signage for children’s area was discussed. Julie Duff advised that the same signage as is used in the library will be used. Julie will communicate with Kristen to verify correct spelling. Once plaque is mounted, a photo will be sent to Kristen.

Employment agreement template will be sent to Hockersmith attorneys for review. The original agreement will be used and include Anna Szczepanski’s recommendations to refer to salary with a more generic phrasing as an amount to be negotiated with the library board annually, and acknowledging that Colorado is an at-will employment state.

Board training organizational meeting will take place on December 2nd at 1:PM.

Email accounts for board members are pending until the December meeting.

Board Applicant’s letters were discussed and both applicants will be invited to attend the December meeting.

TREASURER’S REPORT was presented by Julie Duff. Treasurer Duff acknowledged revenue from direct donations, property tax and the $5,000 grant secured through Director Baer’s efforts. Total grants awarded came to $10,500. Any additional revenues at year’s end will go toward building back library reserves. Expenditures were also summarized including personnel expenses and professional services.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT: Director Baer advised that AspenCat now has 158 members amounting to 1.83 million items to be shared. The art show was a great success with thirty three artists showing their work and 214 attendees viewing it. The seed sharing program trained five volunteers for the work of saving and cataloguing seed contributions. Amy has been active in community outreach connecting with the Ridgway Area Chamber of Commerce, Voyager Program, and Au Pair International as well as Tera Wick, Community Initiatives Facilitator for the town of Ridgway. Bar codes arrived and new additions to the collection have been catalogued. Weeding out items that have not circulated within three years continues. The horse sculpture outside the library has been sold and will be removed. A replacement will be pending. The Lego Club has grown and participation may be determined according to age and divided into separate weeks within the month. Finally, Director Baer asked for two trustee signatures for the Bank of America credit card application to put the card in Amy Baer’s name. Dickson Pratt moved that the document be signed by two trustees and Sally Trapp seconded the motion. Motion passed and document was signed.

ADJOURNMENT: Julie Duff made the motion to adjourn. Sandy Hennessy seconded the motion. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 2:08 PM

Respectfully submitted by Sandy Hennessy

Minutes

Ridgway Public Library

Board of Trustees Regular Meeting

October 21, 2022 at 1:07 p.m.

300 Charles Street

(A zoom link was provided for those who wished to join)

CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by secretary Sally Trapp. Trustee Trapp noted that she has been asked to conduct the meeting due to President Richard Tucker’s recent resignation.

PRESENT: Trustees Julie Duff, Sandy Hennessy, Dickson Pratt, Sally Trapp, Jenny Williams, Library Director Amy Baer and Plaindealer reporter Kylea Henseler. Rosemary Esty, trustee Jeff Pryor and Alison Etheridge joined on Zoom.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Secretary Trapp noted correction of spelling and Dickson Pratt moved to approve the minutes and Jenny Williams seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 15th, 2022 at 1:p.m.

PUBLIC COMMENT: There was no public comment. See volunteer Rosemary Esty’s comments in action item number one below.

FRIENDS UPDATE: Trustee Jenny Williams reported that Friends will reveal their new logo during their upcoming meeting in November. They will mail out an appeal letter early November in the hopes of raising several thousand dollars. Friends is actively looking for a treasurer.

ACTION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS:
1. Long time library volunteer Rosemary Esty read and submitted a letter in recommendation of naming the children’s library for Kristen Moberg’s grandson, Benicio Chavez-Moberg in honor of Kristen’s request upon retirement. Trustee Williams expressed support from Friends and there is no conflict with other potential donors for this honor. Trustee Duff moved to honor Kristen’s request and Sandy Hennessy seconded the motion. Motion passed.
2. Discovery Garden maintenance costs and management will be discussed at next Friends meeting.
3. Pergola update. Director Baer reported email indicating damage to the pergolas in shipping which will delay receipt of the items until after Thanksgiving. The manufacturers have given the library a $500 credit due to the inconvenience.
4. FAMLI-POLICY options were presented by Dickson Pratt. Trustee Hennessy moved that Ridgway Public Library provide the employee share of the payment annually in the amount of .45% of each employee’s wages. Trustee Williams seconded the motion. Motion passed.
5. Hockersmith & Whitmore engagement letter was discussed. Once we engage them, we will not pay until we use their services. Trustee Williams moved to accept the letter of engagement and Trustee Duff seconded. The motion passed.
6. Hockersmith & Whitmore invoice of $200 was approved by a motion from Trustee Pratt and seconded by Trustee Williams. Motion passed.
7. Library Director employment agreement discussion concluded that Director Baer would submit said agreement to the State Library, specifically Anna Szczepanski, for review.
8. Records Retention and Request Policy was discussed regarding the need for policy to be used as a procedural guide. Sally Trapp moved that we adopt the Records and Retention Policy and Jenny Williams seconded the motion. Motion passed. Director Baer stated she would like help purging appropriate items as she has found several documents that have exceeded their required retention dates.
9. Trustee Jenny William’s letter to library supporters and community members was discussed and suggested it also be sent by Friends to their email recipients. Trustee Trapp moved to approve the letter and post it to the library website as well as send it to Friends donor list and post it on library bulletin board. Hennessy seconded the motion. Motion passed.
10. Board Training will be conducted for all board members December 2, 2022 at 1:p.m. by trustee Hennessy.
11. Library Trifold brochure presentation was placed on hold to be re-visited in a couple of months.
12. SB32-88 Sexual Accountability Act discussed and Amy will look into fees for finger printing as well as specific policy to be in place. Further discussion set for a following meeting.

TREASURER’S REPORT:
Treasurer Duff presented the 2023 draft for discussion and clarification. ( As noted on the agenda, Ridgway Public Library By laws section 4.10 requires a “Roll Call” vote during final approval in December.)

DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
Director Baer reported continuing success in all children’s programs. Bar codes are still forthcoming for many books yet to be released. Inventory will ensure that every item in the library is accounted for. There is a handwriting coding process ongoing to allow the library to make magazines available in the interim. COVID test kits are still available and a total of 500 have been given to the public in the past month. A Colorado Department of Education grant was awarded to Ridgway Public Library in the amount of $5,000.00. The grant money will be used next year for the children’s area. Staff member Kelly is providing ongoing community outreach to the elementary school.

Renewal of date for announcing vacancy for new trustee was extended.

Secretary Sally Trapp moved to adjourn the meeting at 2:50. Trustee Williams seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Respectfully submitted, Sandy Hennessy