Minutes
Coralville Public Library Board of Trustees
July 11th, 2007
 

Present: Deborah Hatz, Donna Epley, Lisa Martin, Jim Smith, Alison Ames Galstad (Library Director), Ellen Hampe (Assistant Library Director), John Lundell (City Council Representative).
Absent: X. Cretzmeyer, Keith Jones, Mike O’Leary.

President Hatz called the meeting to order at 6:10.

The Board considered approval of the agenda. Martin moved the agenda be approved. Smith seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The Board considered the minutes of the June 6th meeting. Epley moved that they be approved, Smith seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The Board considered the bills for June. There were two sets ~ the June 20th list was the final list for FY07, and the board had received and approved them via email. The second set was the remaining ones from June, to be approved at this meeting. Hatz moved the bills be approved, Smith seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The Board considered office furnishings contracts with Frohwein and Saxton. City Council previously approved moving forward with contracts with these companies with not-to-exceed budgets. Galstad has he Frohwein contract, and will fax it after the meeting if it is approved. The Saxton contract has not yet been finished, but she gave the Board a detailed description. The actual invoices will be on the council agenda for approval on July 24th. Smith moved that the Board accept the contracts, Hatz seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Epley gave a report from the Friends. The last book sale netted $1,433.11. This Friday and Saturday, the Friends will have a book sale, and will be trying to clean out their inventory. They are hoping to continue to receive book donations, but aren’t sure yet where they will be stored. They hope to have a book sale in December. Epley assumed that the Friends would be asked for help with the upcoming ILA conference. She also mentioned that Karen Dinsmore is contacting people about working the county fair booth.

There was no report from the Foundation. 

Galstad gave the monthly Director’s Report:

• Statistics:
  Circulation was only down about 6% from a year ago. As evidenced in the monthly reports, the programs are still attracting lots of people this summer despite parking constraints.
  Galstad emailed Rob McComas of MLC, the representative from the parking ramp project, Dan Holderness, and Vicky Robrock expressing frustration about the lack of parking and construction workers taking up what there is. Holderness has talked to them before, and MLC people will start parking in the area that was flooded but has been drained. Rob said he will watch this issue daily. Since the email exchange, parking has been much better.
  They are also scheduled to reconstruct the ramp right outside the library on the sidewalk leading to the front door, and to repair the sidewalk on 5th street.
  Despite these issues of getting into the library, there were 76 people in attendance at a summer reading program yesterday. People entering the library was down 12% from last July, but Galstad mentioned that the Summer Reading Program signup numbers are pretty consistent with years past.
• Budget:
  There was a check for $84.50 from the Christie Vilsack Foundation for the books for the book discussion she had here.
• Construcion:
  Things are going pretty well, but there are discrepancies between what is in the plan and what was asked for. It appears that KJWW lost some information at some point along the way.
  Currently, we are revising the data and electrical specifications for the offices. The server room that has been built is smaller than was programmed for. Dan Holderness is getting all change orders and change authorization requests. John Lundell mentioned tha Galstad may need support of other city staff (Holderness or Kevin Olson) if the meetings become contentious.
  Galstad mentioned that the contract with the architects specifies that they provide detailed minutes of all meetings, and this has not been happening.
  There is a meeting scheduled next week to talk about Phase 2 of the furniture, which is the furniture for the public areas.
  An RFQ was issued for the sculpture, and eight proposals were received. Galstad asked for a volunteer from the Library Board and one from the Foundation to be on this committee. Martin and Smith agreed to serve on this committee. Hatz offered to if needed, as well.
  Galstad said she assumes that things are moving along with the coffee shop. She is waiting for fit out drawings and a cost estimate, and is hoping to have all of this for the next City Council meeting.
• Meetings:
  Galstad attended the American Library Association meeting in Washington D.C. It was the highest attendance ever. She spent lots of time in the exhibits talking with key vendors. She participated in Library Day at the Hill, and met individually with Senator Grassley, and also with Dave Loebsack. She attended Senator Harkin’s constituents breakfast as well. All three were very positive and open about library issues.
  The Vision Iowa Board met today and discussed amending the contract for the Library’s CAT grant in order to extend the deadline. The consensus would be that it would pass.
  Galstad and Hampe met with George Lawson today to discuss how the building project is going.

Galstad received many positive comments about the library float in the 4th of July parade.

Hampe reported the closure of the old temporary lot right outside the library to connect the sewer line went fairly well. The entire lot had to be closed for the day.
Construction crews started the cut-through of from the existing building in the basement last Friday, and are still working on it.
There was some water seeping up around the Juvenile Fiction shelves that Saturday, after the heavy rains. The carpeting was cleaned, and Rob McComas came to look a it.

The next Board meeting will be Wednesday August 1st.

John Lundell mentioned that it was reported at the last City Council meeting that the hydroblasting on the parking facility is more than 50% finished. Two windshields have been broken.
Lundell also attended a meeting in the Iowa Writer’s Library with Senator Harkin about the Stories Project on the Sunday before July 4th.

Hatz adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:50p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Ellen Hampe
Assistant Library Director
(Subject to approval at the Wednesday, August 1st, 2007 meeting.)