The Pilot News - Library board approves, previews children’s room renovation

She said that she and young adult assistant Ali Schuldt decided to create a countertop bar with barstools or high bistro chairs even with the room’s windows for use with library computers.
Jackson also explained that a series of paintings commissioned by the library and painted by local artist Kerri Bash would be framed behind the children’s circulation desk in lieu of the new mural that had originally been planned.
She showed samples of acrylic decorations that will hang from the ceiling and two different carpet samples which will replace the existing carpeting, one orange and one purple. Jackson also described a four-panel privacy screen that will be added to the young adult area.
Jackson, in response to a question from board member Rita Lawson, clarified that the room will retain a portion of the existing tile floor for use in a craft area, making that area easy to clean up after children’s programs. She also affirmed that teen and children computers would have internet access in answer to board member Phil Mallory’s question. Mallory expressed concern that spillover from the downstairs computer lab into the children’s area might “squeeze out” non-internet use of that area.
Jackson also said that the Troyer group would return and do a separate bid for furniture for the area.
The library board had already voted, in a Feb. 18 meeting, to approve the plans and go ahead with the renovation work, which will be handled by an as-yet undecided contractor at a cost of $100,000 (Jackson told the Citizen that the library intends to keep the cost between $100,000 and $150,000). Jackson reported that advertisements had been run one week apart in two area newspapers for bids for the project, and that bidding will close at 6 p.m. on March 18. The board will hold a 6:30 p.m. meeting at which it will announce the chosen contractor.
In other news, Jackson also raised the question of going to a contract cleaning service to meet the library’s cleaning needs, a topic she said had been discussed a year earlier. “I think it’s something that would probably give us a better break on our budget,” she said. “It’s something to look into and see where the numbers come in.”
The library’s cleaning and maintenance work is currently handled by a part time employee, said Jackson, who added that she would like him to continue to perform outdoor maintenance tasks at a reduced number of hours.
During the public input portion of the meeting, employee Rick Baker – who currently handled the cleaning and maintenance of the property -- expressed frustration. “I’d like to know, why are you trying to get rid of my job,” he asked. “I’m already cut down to almost no hours…any less, (I’d) be doing it for nothing. That’s including the outdoor work, and it’s been a lot this year…the story I hear is, the board’s out to get rid of me anyway. Somebody’s not telling the truth.”
Board member Phil Mallory replied that “if the board is out to get rid of your job, it’s news to me.”
Baker later told the Citizen that, at an earlier date, the library director had indicated to him that the board was planning to hire a contracted cleaning person to handle that portion of Baker’s duties.
Jackson also reported that Indiana’s Department of Local Government Finance, or DLGF, which distributes monies to the library for its Rainy Day Fund, contacted her and said they had done some miscalculations. “They said, ‘don’t spend the money,’ that they’d get back and let us know if we’re over or under,” said Jackson. “We had to cut a check and send it all back to them and they said they’d straighten it up. This is a payback on a mess-up that the auditor did.”
Library attorney Eugene Chipman asked if the DLGF stated a time frame before the matter would be resolved, and Jackson replied that they did not.
Board member Mallory asked why there were still negative numbers showing up in the February budget report, and asked if money was not getting into the right account. “Things have come up with technical controls and things like that,” said Jackson. “I don’t know why there are negative numbers in the dues and supplies (accounts). There’s plenty of money in those accounts for what we’ve been spending…there should be no negatives here, because the money is there.”
Board member Carol Saft asked if the board’s minutes – which are viewable online at www.culver.lib.in.us – typically include the public input portion of the board meeting. Saft referred specifically to the Feb. 5 minutes, which she indicated did not reflect public comments made at the meeting. Jackson replied that the comments were not in secretary Rita Lawson’s notes, so they weren’t included in the published minutes. Mallory commented that meeting minutes “must include all motions and vote counts, but the rest is a matter of what we want to include.”
Saft inquired, “So we don’t need a record of what the public is asking?”
“Not unless action is taken,” responded Mallory.
Jackson also informed the board that a new employee, Sue Niekirk, has been hired by the library to work evenings and weekends in the computer lab and assist with generalogy research queries through the website. Niekirk, said Jackson, is from Grovertown and will work part time.
Jackson also requested board approval for herself and library staff members Linda Thorne and Colleen Carpenter to attend a three-day public library conference in Columbus, Ohio, on topics concerns library downsizing, consolidation, and elimination. The board approved the request.
The board also approved an accounting and bookkeeping conference in Brown County, Indiana in May focusing on library accounting software Computrain. Jackson and library bookkeeper Jim Faulkner will both attend.
Jackson asked the board to consider a $22,023 proposal to replace the existing heating and air conditioning system in the library, citing an expectation that the system’s current actuators will begin to go bad before long, and the fact that the software running the system is considered obsolete and only functions on a Windows 98 computer platform. She said the present actuators were installed with the renovated library building in 2001. Phil Mallory questioned the $22,000 price tag for the system, noting that actuators are fairly simple devices. “Even if you could jack (the price of) one of those up to $500, I’d like to know how, but $22,000…it would be nice if they would break (the pricing specifics) down a little.”
Jackson noted that the library has instituted a “new releases” category for its DVDs in order to allow more patrons to view popular, new titles in a timely fashion. DVDs designated with the “new release” label will check out for three days, as opposed to the one week allowed other titles, said Jackson.
The director also updated the board on the progress of creation of a new meeting room space in the lower level of the building, saying that the custom made doors for the room – as well as fire doors for the back mechanical room -- are on their way. There will also be woodworking to complete for display cabinetry and carpeting to lay. She said the room is expected to be completed by the end of March.
In previously unreported Culver library news, the library board also approved the spending of up to $40,000 on Jan. 22 for new computers for all stations at the library, a total of 16 to 18 new public machines and eight to nine staff machines. The funds would also cover software packages for all the new computers. Funds were derived from the Library Improvement Resource Fund.