Parks & Recreation Committee - Regular Meeting

Thank you, Brenda. Alright. I am calling the Monday, June 23 library board of trustees meeting for the city of Manitoba to order at 05:01. We will start with any request to amend the agenda. Any requests going twice?

Three times.

And we have no request to amend. So move on to public comment. Members of the public are invited to speak at the Manitowoc Public Library Board of Trustees meeting each month on any matter related to the oversight of Manitowoc Public Library. The comments from each speaker shall be limited to five minutes in length unless extended by action of the Manitowoc Public Library Board of Trustees.

Do you

have anyone present for public comments in person or online? Going twice. Anyone for public comment? Last call, public comment? K. Seeing none then, we'll close public comments and move on to approval of the minutes. So we have minutes from our April 28 regular board meeting and June 10 nominating committee meeting. Looking for motion to approve.

Motion to approve.

Okay. Motion to approve, both minutes by trustee Powells? Yes. And second by trustee Abel. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? K. Passes. Then moving on to financial reports, I will send that over to you, trustee Abel.

Thank you. You have financial reports in front of you for April and May. That'll be fund twenty eight ten, 2015, and the check register. So I would move for us to accept those reports as presented. So moved. Yeah. I just Well, you moved. All seven for a second. Sorry. I'm sorry. I thought you said look, but I you did say move. Sorry. Alright.

Motion by trustee Abel, second by trustee is it Pucco? Pucco. Pucco. Thank you. Uh-huh. Any discussion? All those in favor?

Aye. Opposed?

Alright. That passes as well. Thank you. Moving on to correspondence. We do did have three, since our last meeting. Did anybody not get a chance to review that at once to?

I just wanted to make a comment. Typically, we don't respond individually because it's just, like, public comment. I did we did try to reach out to for the drug therapy. Okay.

Well, yeah, that was an invitation.

Yeah. Yeah. So in that case, just because I think they filled out the wrong part form. But, otherwise, people may typically individually respond. So you

Yes, sir.

Not speaking to any particular one, but overall, I would say they were both helpful and thoughtful. So appreciate all of them getting in touch

with the board.

I really love getting positive. I think it's really nice to hear what the library is doing well, getting that feedback what people really enjoy. So I was very thankful we took the time to do that. Yeah. Me too.

I think the feedback about the is good too. Any feedback is good.

Yes.

Any further discussion about correspondence? Alright. Then moving on to administrative reports. I hope everyone got a chance to read through those as well. Is there anybody that read through them has any questions, comments? I just

You go right ahead.

You're I

just wanted to really publicly again think know I it wasn't April,

but everybody was involved in working so hard on that library fundraiser. I only worked for months and even just getting the brochures together, getting the stuff together to hang up at the stores. I mean, so many people did stuff behind the scenes, and it was really great to see the community standing at a library like that do something for for us like that. Think it was really good. And the people that took the leadership roles, that was very, very nice to see.

And a lot of positive feedback just about the library in general and, you know, just to be known a nice event. Yeah. It's good. There's a

lot of work that goes into

this.

I was I was curious. I enjoyed your report. Thank you. I'm wondering if you could include like, when you go to those seminars and stuff where they're they're talking about, you know, library science and those types of things. Right? Like, your takeovers are.

Okay.

What do you find? I'm just I'm very curious about what you found useful for our library. Yeah. And if whether there was anything or whether it was, you know,

certification, I have to attend so many in their hours. So attending them typically, even if I don't get anything specific day to day out of them, it still counts for me.

Yeah.

But, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Because I I know those places tend to be fonts. It's good to see them. New ways of doing things and just what are you bringing back from that Yeah. To keep developing our mind.

Yeah. Absolutely. Thank you. Yeah. I think that one one thing.

One to one Literacy Awards. Yes. I thank everybody that is involved in that and also to Patty Ellis for coordinating, working with all that and helping those people with their reading and all their work. And I think that's really.

It is. Yes.

Yeah. I agree. I I did attend the Literacy Awards. It's very inspiring. Mhmm. Deborah did a very great job.

I

mean, people who spoke to the catering to I mean, the number of businesses in the community that then donated different things to be given to everybody there was wonderful. And I'll just say I'm having a very hard one. So

For June?

K. Manager highlights were here as well. Did anyone have any questions right for our?

Enjoyed Stacy's promise of more jokes coming down the pipeline. We all look forward to that.

Karen, are you seeing a a general trend? Just looking at the statistics, it's interesting. I know that these are ultimately small numbers. Right? But, like, books are a small decline, but then audiobooks, is that is that happening, like, just more and more? Are we gonna start seeing because right in the audiobooks are

That's the national trend, I would say.

I'm looking for Meredith. Yeah. I'd say that's a national trend and especially even electronically. Yeah. The e audiobooks are Yep. The rise. I think just the mobility of those is speaking to that.

How's the

how's it doing?

Yeah. The usage process? Active. Yeah. I think more and more ever since after COVID Yeah. When we've been able to wrap that up again, we've been doing slowly but surely because you kind of need smaller classes for those. You know, it's not like doing a costume character and having 200 people with your program. So it's, you know, five to 10 people at a time. So they're smaller, but Yeah. We've been actively growing how many we do throughout the year Yeah. Of all the different types. So the three d printer, they're sewing. There's the glow forage, and people are using the sound.

I think further on administrative reports? Alright. Then moving on to new business. First is the nominating committee update. Megan was not able to be here today, but I will, the minutes are in your packet.

So next month, ultimately, we will be voting on that new slate of officers, the nominating committee met, and president, vice president, treasurer, currently, both I and Pam said that we would be happy to continue. It would be our last term for each of us should that be the case. And then treasurer Chris Abel also said he would be willing to continue should that be the vote of the board. And he would have two terms, yeah, for the treasurer. So this is something that will be on our meeting on our agenda next meeting.

So if there's anyone that is interested and wants to potentially have one of those roles, they could be nominated as well. But, ultimately, the nominating committee's recommendation, is, during, myself as president, Pam Frick, vice president, Chris Abelas Krashkar. But like I said, next month, well, that'll be on the agenda, and anyone ultimately can be nominated.

Are they on your terms as officers? Yes. Yes. Point of order. You you can even nominate yourself. Right.

Yeah. Yeah. Just saying. So if they're interested, feel free. Yeah.

Putting that out there.

Any any questions, discussions about that kind of just update? K. Then moving on to parking lot use for, like, for Balloon Glow on 08/15/2025.

Okay. I'd like just to find a little bit of this. Why is the board of trustees involved?

Because they're asking to use our parking lot.

Oh, why can't you tell them to go ahead and use the parking lot? Is it because it's government? I'm really I'm just so curious because this seems like such a minor thing. Actually, the two reasons are, one, that's the board's role is if we're not going to have it set up to be used by our patrons and allow the use of it, the board officially are the ones that are supposed to approve that. Okay.

And and and the second reason really is because of the very fundamental importance of public access to public libraries. When we turn it into, it can only be used for something else, we need to make a clear and public decision. We're doing this. We're letting you know we're doing it rather than people coming and go, well, you're supposed to let me use this because by law, I'm supposed to have public access to my public library. So for those two reasons, you would

Sure. As a body.

Does it take does it take place from the library itself?

Yes. Okay.

So the setup start time is 8AM,

and so we would have to walk on. It's a long day.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I just wish it scared away seagulls.

We'll have an update on this later. Okay.

So you're looking for a motion to approve this, I'm thinking?

Yes. Thank you.

You must.

Okay. Oh, did you wanna say something else?

No. I was going to move it a few more.

Go ahead. I'll sign it in.

Okay. I I move as we have done every year Yeah. To provide the opportunity for the chamber to use.

Alright. We have a motion to approve.

I second it.

Letter's taken. Alright.

And a second from trustee Peters. Any discussion further discussion on this? All in favor? Aye.

And

opposed? Okay. That passes.

True.

Alright. Then next up, we're on c under new business. Prorated ten year lump sum payments, part time employees. So we do have a memo.

From the

city director?

Yes. Yep. From Jesse, the HR director.

This was passed at the June city council meeting. So, officially, it will be part of the employee policy manual, and any changes to that come to the library board as well.

I propose a new library policy. The city's new policy on.

I had a question.

Wait. I'm second doctor.

Point one.

I'll start. Okay. So, motion by trustee Bucherko, second by trustee Abel. Now discussion, Margaret.

Okay. So this, they only get this at ten years.

I was trying to figure out. They don't get it

at twenty years. They don't get it at thirty years. It's just like a onetime thing. Yes. Is there a logic to that? Because the city tell us

You're gonna

have to go to the city house.

Yeah. You have to know why. I I I mean, I genuinely don't understand why if someone gives ten years of service, I mean, we're gonna give them this. And that that's that's understandable why wouldn't you

They want to reward what?

Right. But why wouldn't you

do that after twenty years?

You can run for the common council and ask that question, Margaret.

Well, I think that we should well, I think that we should as a

library, I want people who have worked here for twenty years. If the part time people worked here ten years get this, then we need to also give it to people who worked here longer because they didn't get the opportunity to do it in ten years. So we're kind you see what I'm saying? Like, someone worked here eleven years, they aren't gonna get it.

Yeah. Ten year

If they worked here eleven years, they worked here ten years, and they got it.

Ten years. Yeah.

No. But they they didn't get it. They were part time. Isn't that what this is? Or Evening bad. Not understanding.

The first year we do this, you put you hit everybody.

Okay. That was my concern.

Yep. Yep. Okay.

Just like we did when this was approved ten years ago for the full time people.

Okay. That's what I wanted to

It's the same concept.

Get that. Alright. So everyone's gonna get this once in their career with the library.

If they are here at least ten years.

Okay. Alright. I get it now. I didn't. I I didn't put that together with all the.

I will point out since we have discussion. We and with permission, it was a library employee that wrote Mhmm. The letter to the mayor. So that was all because of a

library employee who brought it forward. Mhmm.

They're very impressed with

Original. So two years ago or just now? This one?

For the

part that I. No.

That letter. I missed the letter.

That's The handwritten.

That's awesome. It came from an the

library for her. That's me.

It was very well written and

very impressive to the to the

council. Yeah.

Yeah. Any

further discussion? K. All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

K. Yeses.

And then onto letter d under new business accepted sorry. Excuse me. Acceptance of renovation funding. So we did already approve the, you know, library looking for a different funding source after the grant that was applied for was not awarded. So that happened.

We then met again, collectively approved looking for further funding, and, ultimately, we were able to find that funding. So in the packet, goes through the breakdown. Again, something that we have seen before. So we would be looking for a motion.

Yeah. It

would be a motion to accept.

Yeah. To accept the spending proposal for that one.

Yep. Yeah.

Yeah. Good job. Yes. I'm getting that one. Yes.

Yes. So moved.

A motion from trustee Abel.

Second.

Second from trustee. And discussion on this?

Only kudos.

So the management team as well Yeah. Definitely help.

We're putting it together and chasing down everybody.

Making sure we got all the pieces.

That I needed. Also, cushion for a little inflation.

Well, yes. And that's what's gonna happen.

Oh, we know what's gonna happen. You're gonna experience inflation. So Yeah.

That's awesome. Very exciting.

Yeah. So

good things to come. If it passes

Yeah. Yes. I'll call the question.

Alright.

Then we have the yeah.

We have

the second party. So then, all in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Alright. Passes as well. Then moving on to old business, facilities, and building updates with Stacy.

Single cam. Single cam.

Good evening, everybody. Thanks for having me again. We'll end with the goals, but we'll start with the thanks to Karen. We were kinda looking at our situation with the custodial staff, our maintenance technicians. We got hooked up with Send, and they gave us some buffer to help out during the week. We had some meet and greets in the beginning with some of their representatives. And then this past two weeks ago, we had one of their candidates. And we walked through duties and what a schedule would look like towards building at me. We had a good time. That seemed like we're nice before.

So I was, like, positive. I guess they're gonna be going right through HR now and starting the hiring process. So I expect that they have the next couple see, within the week. Nice. We'll be starting. Daytime only. Basically, custodials, so we'll have just the basic stuff just to keep us on our each each and every day because sometimes you fall behind some certain days. So that's a plus. Thanks, Karen. Thank you.

HVAC, we finally updated all the modifications, upgrades, all the schematics, blueprints that we had to change over the last four or five years. We've had new parts, new power supplies, certain parts of the HVAC. We got those all together just in case that once we start the bidding process, if there's any questions because we want the apples to apples rather than, you know, one saying, you know, we'll put this in and somebody else is not doing it. So so, basically, the bidding process is a little bit smoother. And then we'll be starting the necessary documentation with the city's science department shortly. They have a I think it's called Quest. So we have some pretty process with that. So I think we have all our ducks on our own. We'll go fast. Lights.

Now that we're closed on Sundays, intermittent Saturdays and some of the Sundays we started last week and Father's Day in the afternoon, doing a lot of rewiring all the basic fixtures. So now that Sundays are closed, we'll be able to shut down all banks of lights, raise the scaffolding without having to worry about people trying to climb up there. So it'll be a lot safer, lot smoother.

So thanks for sunnies being closed in summer. That helps.

Last but not least is the Gulls. I did get confirmation from the city, the Billion Grounds superintendent or manager, and we are part of their gull control system

or plan.

So that includes oiling eggs. We also have the yep. We also have the chance to if inadvertently, we would go more lethal routes, we can do that. We're choosing not to do that right now. But right now, it's just basically just trying to keep the egg population down, keep the nest population down at varying resources. We use the air horn, which is about a 144 decibels. So when you go up there, you know, they they say singles can't hear very well. They can hear this. So we got tons of raincoats. So here's the big big cat.

We go up there, and we take care of the nest. We have we only took care of two eggs. For us, for some while, they were more hardy than we thought. We were using Pam. I don't wanna give it a shot to Pam. The med spray doesn't work very well, but it was fast. So you wanna go as fast as possible before they all come at you. And if I don't get all these seagulls to come after you, they actually can swoop down and they go for your face for some reason.

For some reason.

Well, they they learned you love it.

So once I put the poncho on, it was fun. But now that they could come out back this night, wear a big hat.

So Yeah.

So if you see somebody up there, which some people have. Hell as all this

time. So It's

a problem in this area. It's not just our.

It's a problem in the Great Plains.

Yeah. Yeah.

Every can see. Know.

Burger boat just across down a little further. They have some that are

And if

they're bigger and the herring dolls.

And the only thing that scares herring dolls is guys in vision suits.

For some reason, I couldn't book that guy anymore. I was I was I would've gone up there. I think

a pair. Think a pair.

Could I get that pigeon suit?

How How do you know? Any questions

on any of the things you've seen? Or

Okay. Well, I just wanna thank you for

all your work on this and this extra gold thing, especially with the library because of that resignation, dealing with all these getting all these people. You're doing a lot, and I see it, and it's appreciated.

Yeah. It's this golf that give you a full time job. Okay. Early about expanding the trustee wants

the job. He wants the job. That

does conclude our agenda. Unless anyone anyone has anything further, I will be looking for a.