Board of Trustees March 3, 2020 Regular Meeting

Corrected and Approved Minutes

Board Members Present: Dinah O’Neil, Chairperson; Nancy Heckel, Treasurer; Jen Call; Yvonne Howard; Diane Lander; Betsy Anderson, Alternate.

Board Members Absent: Elizabeth Geraghty, Library Director.

Public Present: Wally and Cathy Baker, Sutton Residents

Public Comments

Regarding construction of the ramp, it was noted that $20,000 has been used for the design of the ramp, but with nothing physically accomplished.  Most of the originally allocated money went to pay the Town architect, but, as of right now, we do not have plans for the construction of the ramp that have been approved by a civil engineer.  Other issues concerning cost were commented on.

Mr. Baker was on the committee for the new Town Shed building project.  North Branch Construction prepared plans for the new Town Shed and even constructed the building below cost.  It was suggested that we contact North Branch Construction for a free consultation and discussion of the cost regarding the ramp plans.

It was noted that, although the cost for the ramp seems very high, the cost for the bathroom seems within reason.

Call to Order

Chairperson O’Neil called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm and then called the roll.

Minutes of a meeting need to be posted within five business days after the meeting.  Draft minutes need to be sent to all Board Members and the Library Director before the next month’s meeting so they can be reviewed for corrections ahead of time.

Correspondence

A note from Becky Harrington, maintenance person for the Library, is regarding the purchase of canister vacuum for $275.59.  Board Member Heckel will issue a check.

Reports

Treasurer’s Report

The February bank statement is not yet available.

Library Director’s Report

No Library Director’s report as Director Geraghty did not attend the meeting due to illness.

Buildings/Grounds Committee Report

The contractor has provided a bid for the main-floor ADA compliant bathroom.  Town council has drawn up a contract for construction of the main-floor ADA compliant bathroom.  The contract has been signed by the Selectmen but stills needs to be signed by the construction company.

There was concern that the timeline for construction of the ADA compliant ramp will be extended beyond a reasonable time.

There was discussion about having a lift rather than a ramp.  Thoughts are that a lift is expensive and needs continual maintenance, interior lifts were frequently out of service, the people who use the lift cannot be singled out, and whatever we put into place needs to be for everybody.  Also of concern was if the power were to go out.  So generator would be needed.  Given these concerns, the Board decided a ramp would be more practical.

Further discussion ensued regarding accessibility of all parts of the building.  The choices are start over on the ramp, ask for a bond for the ramp, or seek consultation as to how to proceed.  Maybe we need to have another committee to suggest how to proceed.  Board Member Lander will follow up by the end of the week on checking with the State if a State ADA consultant could be asked.  Also, we could ask Wally Baker to contact North Branch for a free consultation regarding the cost of an ADA compliant ramp.

Moving on, Board Member Call received a call that there was water in the basement.  The water seemed to be coming up from a floor drain.  The concern is that drain was blocked.  The water was cleaned up.  Also, as the drain is covered by flooring, there was concern regarding warping.  The question is if this was a fluke or an ongoing issue because of the difficulty in locating the drain.  Board Member Call will call Ken at FloorCraft in Wilmot for a solution.

The start date for construction of the main-floor ADA compliant bathroom is March 15th.  Significant moving of materials needs to be done.  Board Member Howard will check at Town Hall for available storage space for the materials. 

Old Business

The Board reviewed the starting pay grid guidelines previously developed.  Chairperson O’Neil had consulted with the Town Bookkeeper regarding breaking down of grid for pay based on experience and title.  There are four categories: Substitute $13/hour, Assistant with no additional relevant degrees $14/ hour, Assistant with additional relevant degrees $16/hour, Director $19/hour.  Substitutes do not receive cost of living adjustments.  This pay grid is to be used by the Trustees and is subject to change with a change of position.  A motion was made and all agreed to adopt the starting salary pay grid guidelines and that they would become effective after Town Meeting (March 12, 2020).

A suggestion was made to add the starting pay grid guidelines to the Library Bylaws as an appendix.

New Business

The Board discussed the Master Plan Review, and the Library’s portion of a revised Master Plan, and decided that the Board needs to provide input to the Planning Board.  The current Master Plan is on line (https://www.sutton-nh.org/forms/).  The pdf is searchable and the Library portions can be found by searching on “Library.”  Each Board Member and Library Director Geraghty is to consider what she would like to see going forward and review the Library’s vision statement.  It might then be useful to invite the Planning Board back to another meeting.  Also, Board Member Lander will contact Roger Wells, Chair of the Planning Board, tomorrow regarding the timeline for the Master Plan Review.

The Library’s signage regarding hours needs to show the actual open hours.  Perhaps the Board should revisit how to do this, especially as there are different summer and winter sets of hours.  A suggestion was made to temporarily block off the incorrect hours on the outdoor sign.

Board Member Lander mentioned some ideas she heard at a Fall NHLTA Regional Meeting.

Board Member Lander suggested the Board of Trustees should be added to the “Boards and Committees” drop down tab on the Town website, and thus have a Board of Trustees information page.  We are the only Town board not included in the “Boards and Committees” drop down tab on the Town website.

Adjournment: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm.