Parks & Recreation Committee - Regular Meeting

All right, we're going to call the meeting to order. So are there any requests to amend tonight's agenda? All right. I don't see any requests, so we'll go on to public comment. Members of the public are invited to speak at the Mantua Public Library Board of Trustees meeting each month on any matter related to the oversight of the Mantua Public Library. The comments from each speaker shall be limited to five minutes in length. unless extended by action of the Manitoba Public Library Board of Trustees. Do I have anyone here who would like to speak for public comment? All right, let me go ahead and stand.

Can I begin? Sure. I had agreed with the library's organization and I even polled the library director and my supervisor, that I supported it. That was before I realized the reorganization money-saving plan to hire a new position included targeting and harassing employees. One employee that quit on his own prior to my termination experienced some of the same treatment as me. Employees at management used their tactics on to harass me, experienced extreme fear. These tactics used to target these employees and myself consist of creating a fearful, hostile environment, retaliation termination, unethical, unprofessional statements, and behaviors. Management even polled a non-library employee into the mix of this harassment how unethical and unprofessional the resistance of the board to handle these poor management and harassment tactics lean towards the board's approval of employment employee harassment and points towards the board as a compliant puppet i would hope this isn't the case a board member said They do not get involved with personnel problems. But this involves serious management problems. When two management members target certain employees by asking what their conversation with the specific co-worker was, it creates a fearful, hostile working environment. A co-worker told me that two managers together approached and her for questioning. This is an intimidation tactic creating a hostile workplace. Sneaking around to ask what employees are talking about breaks psychological safety. It demonstrates a lack of leadership skills, maturity, and emotional control. A management member that stands outside an office To listen in on a conversation is considered a form of micromanagement and shows excessive monitoring of employee tasks and interaction. It causes a toxic environment by creating a culture of fear, suspicion, and anxiety. It is a form of surveillance management by treating employees with distrust by constantly auditing their movements and private discussions. Micromanagement destroys trust, kills morale, and lowers productivity. Unemployment contacted me, and I quote, employer failed to provide information during a fact-finding investigation. Discharge. No misconduct. End of quote. No specific incident or incidents was given for my termination which points to reorganization and retaliation termination. Termination papers said I was not committed to organizational goals, but yet I had an organization donate money to the Great Decisions Program and the Friends of the Library. Management told me all my responsibilities would be divided among other employees. i would be transferred into a new department being formed obviously my termination was in the libraries or reorganization plan to save money management can fire whomever whenever they want but the harassing unethical and unprofessional tactics used to reach their goal causing a fearful hostile working environment for employees they target and a difficult environment for work collaboration should be stopped. I strongly believe Manitowoc City residents should be aware of these harassing, unethical, unprofessional management tactics being used. I was told that my personal jump drive would be returned to me. Therefore, I want my jump drive returned to me immediately. IN GOOD CONDITION WITH MY DOCUMENTATION IN CARE. SO I THINK MY TIME IS UP. I THINK. ALL RIGHT. YES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT.

WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. I NEED A MOTION. MOTION IS APPROVED. MARGARET? I'LL SECOND THAT. PERFECT. MEGAN'S GOING TO SECOND THAT. ANY QUESTIONS? Sorry.

Mr. Abel? Are we approving all three sets of minutes in one?

Yes.

Okay.

Approval of all the minutes. Approval of all the minutes. There's no comments or any concerns for good? Okay. We're going to move on to the financial. Oh, yes, in all favor? Aye. Very good, aye. Opposed? Perfect. All right, let's move on to financial reports.

Okay. Financial reports, you should have them for you. You should have the budget status for Fund 2810 and for Fund 2813 and the MPL check register. So I would move for acceptance of the reports as presented.

Second.

Any discussion at all on the financial reports? OK. So we're all in favor of accepting the financial reports?

Aye.

Perfect. All right. We'll move on to correspondence. Did everyone get a chance to read the letter?

I thought it was very nice. I was impressed with all the actual details in it of like, this is what gave me a clear picture of how I evaporated. These are the people that were helpful. That was very well done.

I'm glad we're investing in our future workforce. Any other comments about the correspondence? OK, we'll move on to administrative reports. And Karen, you can take over. Sure.

I've seen a lot of you this month at the committee meetings, so I think that in this time, especially with correspondence right there, I might as well mention that the online form for correspondence is for the public to correspond with you guys as Board of Trustees members, and if at any time for any correspondence you can spam that you do get all the time, if you would like to make it a part of our agenda, for a discussion, you are allowed to do that. You would just tell the president and myself to make sure it gets on the agenda. But they're not going to be on the agenda anymore? Without a board member actually wanting to discuss. This other correspondence is ones that I get and want to share with the board. Does that make sense? Any other questions about myself or the other Manager highlights.

Cool. I just wanted to say thank you very much to Charlotte and Erin for their work while they were at the library and wish them all the best in the future. Wonderful. Sweet.

Ready to move on? OK. OK, next is me, personnel committee update. So the personnel committee, we met and we talked about we, Erin, presented all of the changes going forward that are going to be COMING INTO EFFECT IN JANUARY. IF APPROVED. IF APPROVED. YEAH. AND WE APPROVED, YOU KNOW, IT TO COME HERE, SO. OH, AND I NEED A MOTION TO ACCEPT. THE NEW STRUCTURE. THE NEW STRUCTURE. ABSOLUTELY.

ALL RIGHT. SECOND?

I'LL SECOND IT.

PERFECT. LITTLE MORE SECOND. ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. All right, so we'll go to Chris this time again, the Finance Committee update.

Yes, the Finance Committee met. It looks like we didn't do as much as the Personnel Committee did, but that's because they have so many blue things on here, and we only had a few. But we had more numbers, so we were working really hard. So we looked over the proposed budget. We also had the budget. We were grateful for it. that the director put the budget together under the new structure and also under the current structure to show that it can work either way. And the finance committee unanimously approved recommending to the full board to approve the 2027 budget. So I would therefore move to approve the 2027 library budget.

I will second that.

Thank you.

And further discussion?

All right, we can go ahead and vote then. I wanted to make clear that we're approving this, but we don't know some of the numbers from the city yet. Correct. For the health care or for whatever. So it might change, but we're just approving what we have control over. Is that correct? That is correct. Absolutely. All right, I just wanted to put that out there so everybody knows.

Right, when those come in, then we amend the budget to fit those. Perfect. All right, good.

All right, then all those in favor?

Aye.

Wonderful.

I was just going to say, just so you know, there were no changes to the operating. We kept things as close to what we did this year as possible. Perfect. All right, now new business. Exciting business. Bathrooms. OK. Exciting business. So I included the tabulation. We got three bids. And for city policy, we closed the lowest. And I'm looking for a motion to move forward with that.

Oh, wait. I'll wait for discussion. So moved. Second. The city says you have to take the Willis-Bitt. It doesn't matter what they put in. It doesn't matter how good they are. It doesn't matter what the materials are.

I mean, I don't think the policy says that. But there's safeguards in place with they have to meet. certain standards, then you can make amendments to WBID along the way if needed. But yes, it is policy to take the lowest limit. So we put the project out, and the companies come back and say, we will do your project for this amount of money. So we come together with an understanding that they are going to complete the project the way we want. And that they've met the requirements along the way.

Otherwise, they're not considered.

Right. Or they fail to meet the contract.

I didn't know that policy. I'm a little concerned that one of them is $120,000 and one of them is $197,000 almost.

What was the differences between those? I can't tell. This is the information I got. Oh. They say they will do the project the way we want them to with that money.

I just wondered, because that's a huge difference. You know what I mean? For a company to say, I mean, that's almost double.

They're basing that, I apologize, Karen. They're basing it, when someone puts a bid in, they're basing that off of their company and the work that they can do and what they price things at. I've seen a lot of these. I've seen some be very close. I've seen it where one has been way often. That could be that this company that bid way less, maybe they have a lot of very well-trained people who excel at exactly what we are asking for versus another company that maybe excels in different things. And so it will cost them more, they believe, to do what we are asking for. You know, companies kind of set their own prices. I think even if you go to a grocery store, if you go to Walmart to buy a box of cereal that you go to Rob's for, it's usually more expensive at Rob's, even though it's the same box of cereal.

I don't know enough about these companies, but if this were my home and I were looking at this, I would be very concerned of what the differences were. as to why it's such a huge discrepancy.

It's no different than when you are building a home, though. When you do ask different contractors, they can vary very much like that, I feel.

Depending on how many employees they have, how much access to resources. If they are able to buy things in bulk versus the other company who can't, they're going to get a better rate. Lumber is really expensive right now, so if they have a bigger Right, it depends on what they have. And it's a lot of variables that you're not going to have.

I would just really want to know why before we. That's a huge difference. That's not how this process works. We don't get to ask for what they're actually saying or anything like that or why. Or like, you see what I mean? City policy is the lowest bid.

Yes. That's how much we are going to pay them. Right.

So. I'm assuming there's someone else in the city who actually works on these contracts and goes over all this and liaises with the company. Yes, the engineering department. It's not just Karen going like, hey, can you give me, yeah, there's a whole department of people who've already looked this over and vetted the company and all the things.

And looked at why there's this discrepancy and what the differences are in materials and is it going to take longer and why are they doing it like this? Okay, so those questions have been asked.

We assume that they have done their job so that they can present it to us.

This is part of the city's public bidding process. Okay. So any department in the city that would need to go through this process, that's how it would be.

If the project's over $15,000, you'd have to do it this way.

Okay. I'm sorry. I would have asked earlier. I just didn't know until right now.

Any other questions? So we've got a motion, we had a second, so we can go ahead. All in favor of accepting the bid for the new bathroom project?

Aye.

Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. I'm going to abstain because I don't think I know anyone. Margaret abstains. Okay. Are you good, Olivia?

Karen, you're still talking? Sure. This, there was some revisions. all come through the city HR department with city attorney's suggestions that you saw there. So that brings the next step on the approval list for employees. I hope you don't have any questions because maybe you didn't do this policy.

We're just doing this so we match the city. This is another one where like when they add the extra day, we're just doing this so we're in line with every other department.

Yes, that's why all the information you can see here. Move to approve.

Second.

Vote on this June. All right, all in favor? Aye. Opposed? None, okay. We look by policy.

Okay. So you kind of did the now the committee chair just because it was so soon. Did you want to put another person in place for the personnel committee? I'm sorry, the personnel committee. Chair.

Oh, typically does that, it is typical for someone else to be the chair? Yeah. Okay. Gotcha. So on the personnel committee, Lynn's on there, Darian's on there, Stephanie, and you are too, right?

Yeah, right. Would anybody like to be chair? I will say that we do. I think you were chair last year, right, Stephanie?

I was, yeah. I didn't even do that. Oh. Go for it.

Are you sure stuff? All right. And I'm happy to help out. Thank you. Yeah. Perfect. That's what we need. Perfect. It's a very interesting chair. It's Chrissy's by default here. The treasurer is the chair.

Okay. Right.

Wonderful.

Stacey. All right. So we're going to old business. Anybody else is in business?

We had some of the rest of the smaller, older infrastructure on the roof. Actuator motors that were not done when we did the HVAC, which kind of were part of it, but not. We got them all upgraded, so everything pretty much in the infrastructure of the building with HVAC or exhaust fans is all So whoever comes after me will have an easy 20 years. We had the city lifting last week. We got all the parking lot lights upgraded to LED, and new bulbs, cleaned them all out. Got all those spiders in the hornet's nest out of there. So those are nice. We also got some of the wayfying signs that we got on the old poles. Took those down. Thanks to Karen for patching and painting. We got those off the walls. So in anticipation for new signs that will be coming. Most of the old banners that we had, if everybody saw those faded old banners out there, they're all gone. I saw everything on Franklin, Parkland, they're all gone. But the holders are still there, so if we ever have new banners, we have some nice to put on. I want to thank everybody for Balloon Glow. I was not here for that. We had very capable people. So, Karen and Sam and... We did our best. We did our best. We had some snafus, but you guys took care of them. It was beautiful weather, I heard, so... We'll be doing the bedding for new juniper bushes around the tea rotunda on Huyen Day. And then also changing over for the fall flowers. So all the pots will have new flowers coming up, most likely mums. So if you like mums, you'll see those. And we're also getting ready for the all staff in September. So we got some ,, jeopardy escape rooms, all that good stuff. And also we have a volunteer day coming up. We have a local area business that's going to be part of our volunteers. some of the funnest tasks for them to do and stuff that we don't really have a chance to do. Sidewalks, cleaning up the benches, cleaning up the solar chargers outside, windows, also landscaping. So we look forward to that. That's it. Any questions? And we did the bathroom, so I don't have to talk about that. Unless you've got any more questions about that.

I just want to say thank you. That was probably a lot of work to get everybody through to have run everybody through to do all the information.

So thank you. Well, actually, that's the easiest part of it. Vendors and contractors, especially the general contractors, are very good, very nice people, very professional. They do a lot of the stuff that you wouldn't have really asked what questions to ask. They tell you what to ask. It's an easy process.

OK. All right. Thank you very much. Ready for concerns, sir? OK. If there's nothing else, we're ready to adjourn.

Move to adjourn.

All right. Second. All in favor? Aye. Officially adjourned.

523.

Okay, hold on.