Parks & Recreation Committee - Regular Meeting

Alright. It is 05:00, so I am calling the Library Board of Trustees meeting to order for Monday, February 23, starting with requests to amend the agenda. I would like to make

a motion to amend the agenda and remove number three. Adam Wachowski informed me that other details of the event could not be worked out, so Oh, okay. We have a motion.

Do you have a second?

I'll second.

K. Is that okay?

Alright. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Remove number three from the agenda. Any other requests to amend? Alright. Then we will move on to public comment. Members of the public are invited to speak at the Manitow Public Library Board of Trustees meeting each month on any matter related to the oversight of Manitow Public Library. The comments from each speaker shall be limited into five minutes in length unless extended by action of the Manitow Public Library Board of Trustees. Do we have anyone here for public comment? Public comment going twice? Last call for public comment. Alright. No one for that.

So we'll move on to approval of minutes for the regular board meeting from January 26.

Motion to approve.

Second. Second

by trustee Abel. All in favor?

Aye. Opposed?

Alright. Minutes are approved. Then we move on to number six on our agenda, financial reports. So, trustee Abel, I will hand it over to you. Okay.

You have the the report and the summaries for fund twenty eight ten for December, fund 2813 for December, fund 2810 for January, and, of course, the public library check register through to February 20. You have those in front of you, so I would be at this time moving for acceptance of those reports and hoping to get a second.

I'll second. Thank you. I just wanna point out. So the December ones are for the full year. So that's year end 2025.

We don't have a fund balance yet for twenty eight thirteen for this year because, hopefully, we are going to approve the allocation, and then you will have money in it. Right. So that's why we're not reporting anything yet for that. And then I did include our fund balance summary, which is not part of the summary, financial summary, just to give you guys a look at that I had the finance department already take out the amount that we are gonna pay for the HVAC project. So that was a 140 some thousand dollars, but we landed at the '25 in the green of about $11,000, which is why it was only 129.

Mhmm. Okay. Sure. Yeah. So that's where the current fund balance is for 2026. And you'll see that again at budget time. That's all. So Alright. Motion is yep.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

Besides that. Besides

alright. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Okay. So thank you. Anything else on financial, trustee April?

Nope. That's all I have. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you. Then moving on to number seven, correspondence. We have one from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Hope everyone got a chance to look that over.

That is the letter that came with the check of $10,000, and just wanted to make sure that everybody saw this is a gift freely given without conditions or expectations. So as we talk later about the allocation and things, I thought we could bring that up then. But it's correspondence. So

Mhmm. So do we write a thank you? Do you write

a thank you? Who thanks

these people for this one?

As a donation, we always respond with a letter.

Oh, okay. Good. That was fine. That's good. I

like people playing sports.

Moving on to administrative reports, did anyone have anything, any further discussion for correspondence? K. Then moving on to administrative reports. We have our director's report, manager's highlights, monthly statistics, our CV for news articles, and jobs around the library. Was there anything that you wanted to highlight or anything that

I did wanna ask if there was any questions about patron belongings and coming into the library. I did just talk with a couple of you before the meeting. We did clean out some of the old soiled furniture, fabric chairs, furniture, and new new chairs that are vinyl and easier to clean and withstanding some use will be coming in early March. So we'll see more chairs available. But, strategically, we did make the decision of more tables and hard chairs for people to be able to sit in just for cleanliness and safety.

This code of conduct helps. It's meeting

your needs. Everything's good. It's just we're the way I read it is we're just enforcing it more. Or Correct.

Yes. I would say we yes. It it has to do with enforcing it. Definitely more to the way that it's written. I will say it's on our list to review this year, and I will go into more changes if needed when we review the whole policy. I didn't wanna just change one sentence. Mhmm.

Okay. Good. So you're just informed. Yeah.

Informational. Yes. That happened in January. And, of course, if you didn't see page two with the business center, and if you haven't walked by there, you can just come up the stairs and come up here. Please look over there. Yes. Lots of compliments and lots of usage as well. So it is working the way we wanted it to. Any other questions or anything that the managers have written in statistics?

I was very impressed with the huge increase of library program attendance. I mean, to go up 89% from January 2026 January 2025. Sorry. January 2026, I think, is great. And just nice job you guys for having that happen. It's really good.

And I would like to introduce Sam Lucas. This is e jobs around the library. I thought it was a great time to introduce Sam.

And I've kind of dabbled in hospitality and food service and the likes of and property management. So I know a little bit about a lot, but the job basically is

think that's it. Unless anybody has any other questions, let's see.

Yes. Anybody anything further for Stacy or Sam or any of our managers or Karen? Okay. Alright. Then we will move on to our next, agenda.

Oh, wait. Where

are we? Yes. Number nine, new business. So our 2025 annual report.

I think everybody here has seen at least one of these before, so pretty standard. And as always, I would like you to page four. Double check people in there from I had, like, 15 names in there. I thought I'd be like

He just

wants to

be first.

That's just a joke.

Thank you.

Good question. Is always first. So

I do have a question about Outlook. Outlook. Oh,

so what's You were not hearing that. I wasn't. So Yeah. Can I address that after Of course? Yeah. Whenever. I'll address that. Thank you. I have an update. Okay. I was

like, wait. No. It's not even on there?

Yes. Yes. Okay.

We'll talk

about that later. Yeah. Alright. But any if you have any questions about stats, all the numbers, that's basically what the end report is. So this will go to the state and the official.

If you I also included our fancy impact snapshots hand delivered by Amy Fricki today. So it's in the press form. Nice. So we thought it would, for 2025, be good to highlight the strategic plan that work on, especially those of you in the room. And then, of course, our programming and, you know, visitors, cardholders, attendees, our volunteers, items checked out.

We wanted to highlight some of those numbers, but we know pictures are what people liked. The library, that looks good. Yeah. Yeah. You recognize? Yeah. I do. The students I will say on the front page, Stephanie. Oh, Ben Peters is featured in the values and roles picture. So

Thank you.

Yes. When you volunteer at the library, you could be in a picture. I was gonna say Chris is in here. Chris is the picture. Yes. The picture. You've never looked better in a photograph. Since

I was eight, I would say that's true. I got the hair right on the picture you were. Thank you. Okay. And

then the back would be standard what we have reported on the past few years of revenue and expenses and the value of everything that you get out of your public library. So it's taking all of those numbers from the annual report and making it pretty, and we will have these available to the public as well and on our website. Also, say a big thank you to the managers for helping me with the annual report and Karen Hanson for making our impact sink shop look the way that it does with her design eye. Thank you for that. Any kind yes?

Could I add a thank you,

Juan, to the Manor Public Library Foundation and the Friends of the Public Library Yes. For the the 111,000 extra dollars that helps us do so much more. That's also

a comment.

Yep. Yep. Always. Yep.

So I would like a motion to approve the annual report so it can go to the state. Can

we have a motion by trustee Abel? Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. That was rude.

Do we

have a second? I second. K. Second. And then any discussion?

Does your name get corrected before it's sent? Sorry? Does your name get corrected before it's sent?

Yes. Yes. I told her about it.

Oh, okay. Sorry.

But thank you. K. Looking out.

Seeing no discussion, then all in favor? Aye. Opposed? Alright. Then moving on to b 2026 foundation allocation.

It's there for you. It's a good year of investments. So the total is 116,000. And I did wanna give some details about the big update that we would like to do to the Volkansky community room is in desperate need of technology upgrades. Some people in this room have used room and has have experienced the pain of the outdated technology there.

So that's where we'd like to put our money. I will say that it's hard to get we I think last year, we did get a quote. And because of the business center and some of the other furniture needs downstairs, we didn't go with Belkansky and put it off. And now we're not 80,000 isn't a set number. It depends on technology and hardware.

You know? It's very fluid of what those numbers are going to be. So but it really involves completely kind of gutting the system that's in there and replacing everything to be very similar to in here. We are still gonna go with a big projector screen because in there, people want things big. Mhmm. Yeah. Very similar with a sound system, and it will have its own tech room in there. Questions? Questions? So who

decides, like, what the projects are? Do you just do you decide that or does

the state do that or just

With staff. Yes. We talk about it, and then I come to the board with suggestions. Yeah.

Okay. And we could decide this thing just by bubble gum machines. Yes.

You could.

I do know thousand dollars.

Yes. We could celebrate Christmas every month.

Yes. Oh,

we could celebrate And very much. Yeah. Of course. Love it.

What is Star Readers Trusting?

Star Readers is the second grade program. All second graders of public schools and or go schools come here, so it's providing busing for the schools to get here. So it doesn't have to come out of the school.

And then the electronic resources, that's different than Libby and all that, or what are those?

Correct. That is the electronic databases that are extra it's ancestry.com Oh, last name. Okay. New York digital Mhmm. Mango languages and reference. Long

are you anticipating that the technology is going to last in the Locanti room?

How long will

it last? Like, how

what are you what are you averaging the lifespan's gonna be for that?

Hey, Karen. Do you wanna I mean, go ahead.

Happened well before me, those upgrades, those initial upgrades.

I was gonna say what's in there has been over a decade. Say it's

at least fifteen years old in here.

Okay. So we Yeah.

Just gonna it's just gonna depend how fast the technology advances. Right?

We would hope that at least a decade, if not more.

Low end five and Low end. Yeah. Okay. It's time.

Unless something just time.

Unless something just goes kablut. Right? You can have a projector that just goes, you have to replace it. And

Which the ones in there now have to be like, they can't even be serviced anymore. The parts don't exist. So we have to replace them.

Yeah. No

worries. Anything to work better. Mhmm. Which we do. Makes sense. But, yes, I would like to see at least fifteen years Okay. More, but it depends on technology changes. If you could predict that, Margaret, that would be Well, no. I was just wondering

in terms of, like because that's a big investment. How long are you expecting it to I mean, is this something we're gonna have to do again in three or four years or what your general plan was? That was my point of asking.

But Yeah. Yes.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just jump in. But if we get five years out of it with the amount of use that that room gets, that's still a good investment only because that room is so heavily used and the tech in it is used all the time. That's why now it's frustrating for people is because they wanna do things in there that are just really not meant to be

able Yeah. It takes a lot of staff Yeah. Time. Mhmm. Okay. No. I I think I just Yeah. Thank you. Good.

So you're looking for a motion to approve? Yes. Okay. So we'll

Okay. We have a motion to approve in a second. Is there any discussion? I know it seemed like you wanted to say something before.

So No. I'm I'm I think it's it's you can't predict it. I think anybody who's upgrading technology hopes for 10 to 15. And the speed of AI and speed of different things, you you can't really, you know, predict the needs of what I think realistic is 10.

I will say that speaking to that, we try not to go on the total cheap end, though. You Right. Keeping that in mind, we're gonna make decisions that hopefully will fit the need of five to 10 Yeah. A year. That makes sense. Pricing is just a little bit out of our control right now. Well, ever. Yeah. Yeah. Right.

I guess. But

looking at a quote from last year doesn't really

tell you, you know,

things are gonna be currently. So that's why we went above what we thought. And then we can come back and say we had some extra at the end. We can come back and see where we can use it. We don't mind extra. Exactly. We won't say no to Any

further discussion?

I I

updates with Stacy. That's Thanks, everybody.

I want to thank Sam for being here to come tonight

and introducing yourself. One of the nice things I found out about Sam, I know where she's from and what she does. Her biggest one of her favorite things to do is organize. So I said,

you're gonna

love it here. I love stuff to organize. So out of everything, I mean, they're just starting fresh and getting new organizational map. It's been a good set. So, yeah,

I think it's actually Great.

Next up would be the HVAC project. If you've been walking through the library,

you can see the guys

in the ladders. Probably, those are the guys from energy control design. They're doing the control side of it. So everything that we have that's controlled by the interface, they're rewire rewiring to a different interface. And now Shouse is also on board now doing doing the mechanical side of it. So he's gonna start talking to each other. You might notice that it might be a little more windy in here today. That's because of Chris.

Oh, yeah.

So we calibrate everything. So you'll notice it for the next week or so as they get everything meshed together. And then we talked about family restroom. It was one of the foundation projects we had set up. We finally got everything kinda meshed out with what our budget was and how we wanna design. So we've got a number of vendors. They've got all the schematics that we've digitized for them. So they're going through right now how we want to set up. So right now it looks like it's gonna be four individual lock stalls, floor to ceiling walls. Each one will have its own sink and its own toilet.

You also have the two larger 80 ones in the middle, which would be much bigger than what 88 requires. You'd be able to get a stroller in there. Probably some more cabinet or cabinets with stuff on top, shelving units. So it'll be very real self contained. It's own lighting, upgraded toiletries, heated sinks. So

I was gonna have changing tables in there.

You bet. Stainless steel, recess into the wall so that hanging off. So it'll be just like pulling out a drawer out of the wall.

And it'll still much easier to keep clean. Yeah.

Go ahead.

Plastic has a tendency to have a shelf life. It's not very long. So

So some of the thought is if there is extra money left over from any

of these pieces, it can

go towards towards this this bathroom bathroom renovation. Renovation.

And miss the seagulls are back. Just to say hi. They're not

nesting. So Not

yet. Yet. It's a warm days.

It's less chance of hitting one. Because when you hit them and all of a sudden they go over the edge and somebody might see that, they're like, why is your seagull that's damaged?

So we try to keep them. And it's racking. Just knock them in the curb.

I

We're just joking.

We I think with my twenty years here, we had one bat. One bat, two snakes, couple raccoons.

Two snakes.

We have a motion.

Second.

And a second. All those in favor?

Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye.

Guys.