May 11, 2022 | Librarian BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES Corrected & Approved Date of Meeting: Tuesday, February 16, 2022 @ 7:00 pm Members Present: Nancy Heckel (Chair); Jen Call; Emily Cooper; Nancy Glynn (Secretary); Marcy Vierzen (Treasurer); Elizabeth Geraghty (Library Director);Betsy Anderson (Alternate) Members Absent: None Note: This meeting was conducted on ZOOM for all present. Public Present: Roger Wells (Planning Board Chair); Glenn Pogust (Vice Chair) The Board met in person at the Sutton Free Library for their Board of Trustees Meeting. The public, per the Governor’s Executive Order 2020-04, Section 8, Emergency Order #12 Section 3, had the option to Zoom in to this meeting. CALL TO ORDER: Roll Call, Introduction of Guests The SFLBOT meeting was called to order at 7:02pm by Board Chair Nancy Heckel, and roll taken. Sutton Planning Board Members Roger Wells (Planning Board Chair) and Glenn Pogust (Vice Chair) were present at the meeting. Public comment: Library Director Elizabeth Geraghty reviewed the plans for an outside Bulletin Board, made possible by a SHARP grant, for Planning Board Members Wells and Pogust, per request of the Select Board. The plan is to install this one-sided, recycled plastic bulletin board near the book drop, adjacent to the bushes that flank this area of the library. The Select Board will set up an information session for the community at some point in the future regarding this matter. Once again, the subject of how to effectively communicate in ways that reach a larger Sutton population base was expressed. Planning Board Members Wells and Pogust then reviewed the responses to the questionnaire put forth by the Planning Board to Sutton residents to help direct a future vision of planning and development within Sutton. The questions asked of residents centered around three questions: 1.) What is most precious about Sutton to you?; 2.) What are the greatest concerns you have as a Sutton resident?; and 3.) What can be done that isn’t currently being done in Sutton? The most common responses to these questions were as follows: Maintain rural atmosphere; Nurture a sense of community; Support the historic village and aspects of Sutton; Provide more varied housing options; Improve the Sutton tax base. Wells and Pogust discussed these in further detail, along with some of the challenges, ideas and suggestions for addressing these concerns and goals. Review of Minutes: Board member Jen Call makes a motion to accept the minutes from the January meeting as written. Board member Emily Cooper seconded the motion. The motion was carried unanimously in the affirmative. Correspondence: Director Geraghty reports receiving bank statements for the Friends of Sutton Free Library. Director Geraghty reports no additional correspondence. REPORTS: Old Business Financial/Treasurer’s Report Board Member Vierzen noted the beginning balance of the Trustee Account for Sutton Free Library in January was $13,200.78. Board Member Vierzen reported that there was a $500 deposit made during the month of January and a total of $5,991.71 was debited from the account. $5,691.71 of these debited funds is the amount of funds deposited in November 2021 from the SHARP grant for the SFL outside bulletin board received from the New Hampshire Humanities Council. These funds were deposited into the Operating account where Geraghty has easier access to them for this purpose . The bank balance on the Trustee account at the end of January was $7,711.12. Board Member Vierzen noted the beginning balance of the Operating Account for Sutton Free Library in January was $4,105.62. Board Member Vierzen reported that the total deposits made during the month of January was $10,691.71 which includes the $5,691.71 which was transferred from the Trustee Account. $3,221.81 was debited from the account. The bank balance on the Operating account at the end of January was $11,577.25. Board Member Vierzen made a request to obtain a gift certificate for Jeff North as a sign of gratitude for all of his support in navigating QuickBooks. A motion was made by Board Member Marcy Vierzen to purchase a gift certificate in the amount of $100 to be given to Jeff North. The motion was seconded by Board Member Cooper. The motion was carried unanimously in the affirmative. Building and Grounds Board member Cooper and Director Geraghty report that they had attended a meeting with the Select Board in regards to the installation of a new bulletin board. They report that they were asked to take the next step in meeting with the Planning Board and after that interaction, Town Administrator Elly Phillips would schedule a public informational session about the bulletin board so SFL can move forward with installation. The SFLBOT has discussed the bulletin board installation with the Planning Board and Board Chair Heckel will contact Town Administrator Elly Phillips for next steps. Director Geraghty made a request to contact a plumber to repair the spigot to potentially be in working order for the spring. Board Member Cooper will call the plumber in the month of March. Board Member Call reports that in the spring the library basement floor will flood because of the lack of access to a drain. The floor was installed by Floorcraft about 6 years ago and when it was installed, flooring was placed over the existing drain. The SFLBOT discussed contacting Floorcraft and configuring a plan to move forward on how to remedy this issue. Board Member Cooper will contact Floorcraft and provide updates at our next meeting. Director’s Report Director Geraghty reports that two people have submitted paperwork to run for the two empty BOT positions. Director Geraghty also shared that the library has curated some displays for Banned/Challenged Books in light of recent events in Texas. There is continued work on creating the policies page on the library website, linking pertinent policies etc. This all stems from the need for security camera policy on website Director Geraghty will begin placing orders for the SHARP grant which included “Library of Things” backpacks. Director Geraghty shared some updated statistics on the library patronage for the month of January. She reports: January 2022 Stats: Programs: Storytime- 13 patrons Visits: 127 adults-80 children-47 Circulation 482 items (78 adult 404 juvenile) STORYWALK: The decision was made to keep the current display in Story Walk until the snow melts and more people have access to reach the boards. This was requested by community members who patron the library. Research has already begun for the next possible display “Sutton Free Library History”. Heidi recently borrowed some photos and frames from the Catherine Merrill Palmer collection to have on display at Muster Field farm during Ice Day. Mitze has offered to stay on as a substitute librarian. Board Chair Heckel will send an email to decrease hourly pay to the sub rate of $13. The SFLBOT had a discussion about running an ad for a replacement librarian. Director Geraghty mentioned a person of interest to share with the board. The applicant is a 16 year old from Sutton. Board Call asked about a policy that the town might have on age restrictions for employees. Board member Glynn makes a motion to go forward with the hiring process. Board Member Cooper seconds the motion. The motion was carried unanimously in the affirmative. BUDGET: There was a Budget Hearing on Thursday, February 10th. Alternate Board Member Anderson and Board Chair Heckel attended the meeting. They report that no one from the budget committee or the select board raised any concerns regarding the SFL 2022 operating budget request. Some residents in attendance had questions regarding: Saving money this past year from “being closed” Everyone turning to the internet, do we need books? Why do we need 3 employees? Library ran fine with just one employee Will there be a large jump in pay for the librarians every year? FRIENDS: Board Member Call shared that she sent an email to the Friends asking about the future of the group. The SFLBOT had a discussion of the Friends meeting more frequently to discuss some of the changes in the town. OLD BUSINESS: The SFLBOT will discuss modifying the MOU with the town at our next meeting. Elections are coming up and the discussion of “smooth transitions” was had in regards to new members cycling in and other members phasing out. The SFLBOT also discussed role changes for the future board. NEW BUSINESS: Board Chair Heckel shared that a dedicated office space for Director Geraghty would be beneficial. The SFLBOT discussed potential creative options with the limited space available in the building. Funding for this program could potentially be coordinated with the Friends. The next Sutton Free Library Board of Trustees Meeting is Thursday March 3rd at 7pm. Board Member Vierzen made a motion to adjourn the meeting, and this was seconded by Board Member Call. The motion was carried unanimously in the affirmative. The Board of Trustees meeting ended at 7:55 pm.