Library board meeting, teleconference
January 13, 2021
Present: Tom, Steve, Rich, Cecilia, Georgia, Chris, Georgia, Tom E
Ceil, Denise
Absent: Darden, Keeley
Present: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Tom Estes, Georgia Weathers, Ann Ward, Cecilia Thompson,
Chris Vaphiadis, Rich Leclerc and Ceil Cunningham.
Denise Haddock as a non-voting member Ex officio, representing Hearts for Youth
Absent: Darden MacWade, Keeley Prophet
Meeting called to order at 7:09
Minutes
- The minutes are reviewed, correction change Xmas cards we sent singing to signing Xmas cards.
- The staff signed Xmas cards on behalf of the Board
- The book sale, all shoppers are wearing gloves and masks.
Steve moves to accept the minute with changes, Tom E seconds, all are in favor
Financials
The final report for 2020 includes depreciation expense that were not there before. The accountant added it and this changes the expenses for 2020.
- Friends for Macsherry Library is down for 2020, the book sale numbers are up, direct mail is also up. All the revenue that we would have from behind the front desk is down by quite a bit.
- The electric bill is down since we are using primarily LEDs.
- Payroll is down.
- The bank accounts are reviewed, the money we have should last until March or April.
Bills to be paid
- Bills are reviewed and discussed and reviewed.
- The amount for the commercial insurance is an installment on the total bill.
- The withholding is high due to end of year retirement payouts.
Georgia moves to accept the financial, Tom E seconds, all are in favor.
Steve moves to pay the bills, Georgia seconds, all are in favor
Direct Mail
- We did well with the direct mail campaign this year.
- A note was sent stating the patron was upset that the library is not open yet, but we continue to follow NYS guidelines to keep everyone safe.
Book Returns
- Book return box placed in the lobby is generally working well. The system has recently changed where returned books are now coming into the library, but they will be in a holding area for a few days.
Staff Concerns or Board Concerns
- Discussion follows on Covid vaccines and where the staff stands.
- A question on the new air system, how many times is the air is cleaned? The UV lights run as often as the recovery runs, possibly a total of 12 or 15 hours a day. Chris will confirm. The new UV systems does not increase the electric bill.
Budget
- We will go back to P & L for this past year, we can probably safely assume that the town the village and the school ballot numbers will stay the same. Jefferson County we are not as sure about that funding. For the budget the Jefferson County funding will dropped down.
- Detailed discussion follows on adjustments or changes to the 2021 Budget.
- Discussion follows on fund raisers for 2021.
Tom moves to adjourn, Georgia seconds, meeting ends at 8:00
Respectfully submitted by Cecilia Thompson
Macsherry Library Meeting
February 10, 2021
Present: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Georgia Weathers, Cecilia Thompson,
Chris Vaphiadis, Rich Leclerc, Darden MacWade and Ceil Cunningham.
Absent: Tom Estes, Keeley Prophete, Denise Haddock as a non-voting member Ex officio, representing Hearts for Youth
Minutes
- The January minutes are reviewed.
- No corrections or changes are noted.
Georgia moves the accept the minutes, Steve seconds, all are in favor.
Financial Report
- The report presented is effective as of Feb 4th. We received monies from Jeremy Smith, he sent us $2500. He has donated enough to be a platinum member of FML.
- Linda Toomey will be sending him a thank you card.
- Petty Cash is not showing up on the report.
- Payroll might drop $15,000 if we keep the hours we have now through April. Come April we will work on expanding the hours. We are working 15 hours now. Payroll will be down certainly through March.
- The bills to pay are reviewed.
Georgia moves to accept the financial report, Darden seconds, all are in favor.
Motion to pay the bills by Darden, Georgia seconds, all are in favor
Budget
- The budget is presented by Steve and reviewed. The budget was sent to all via email.
- Last year’s numbers were an anomaly.
- Aug 1st, the book sale started in 2020. We will think about maybe a book sale banner, to keep money coming in throughout the summer months.
- Painting classes might be held outside this coming year.
- Steve will email Ceil a couple of questions that were brought up and will send the final budget for the next meeting, to be adopted at the next meeting.
- Ceil can send out the proposed budget as a PDF.
- Capitol Savings Account, Ceil has tried to cancel it, it now has a balance of around $6.00.
Boiler
- The boiler was looked at and a new primary control was ordered. There are no dramatic issues with it, no delayed ignition, seems to run fine when it is running. Seemingly random when it turns off, he doesn’t think that it needs a dramatic overhaul, the issue is intermittent, electric issues. Replacing a sensor will happen tomorrow. The boiler did shut off once last week and needed resetting. A boiler inspector is coming next Thursday, his annual visit. Chris will be sure all is ok for this visit and if there is something worrisome Chris will replace it.
Fund raising ideas
- A couple of fund-raising ideas were sent to all via email. An idea to consider, there are companies that will run a silent auction for you, high ticket items is the go-to. There is also a company that will run a 50/50 raffle again on-line. We need to put our heads together and come up with creative ideas. Motel rooms could be included as an auction item.
- The Board is asked to think about ideas for fund raising. We need to plan now.
Board Concerns
Steve moves to increase Tom Estes treasury position to the year 2025, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
NCLS Zoom meeting
- All libraries are asked to chip in for services that we normally have for free. Our budget, our circulation, our population and how many books are in our collection is the criteria.
- Automation fees are increasing. This increase is due to lack of funding for NCLS. If the funding comes back, then we would like the funds to come back to the library or update where the money is going.
- An email was sent encouraging the NCLS system to have a referendum to increase the school funding from school taxes. Schools are hurting this year and the taxpayers are hurting. Our question, is this a time to ask the taxpayers to increase their funding of libraries?
Staff Concerns
- All the staff is healthy.
- Keeley is going to take over managing the library website using Word Press. She will be our website manager.
Library Concerns
- We have lost two patrons due to Covid-19, Marilyn Jones and Loretta Siebert. Loretta’s children were often in the library. The suggestion is to create a Loretta Siebert Children’s book fund. Keeley could be put in charge of the project with an eye on diversity in the choice of books.
- Tom Folino wanted to donate his books on ceramics, it was suggested he call the TI Arts Centre since that would be a better fit for the books.
Motion to adjourn by Georgia, Steve Seconds, all are in favor.
Respectfully submitted by Cecilia Thompson
Macshery Library Teleconference
March 10, 2021
Minutes: Rich LeClerc
Present: Steve Burns, Georgia Weathers, Rich LeClerc, Cecilia Thompson, Tom Estes, Chris Vasiliadis
Absent: Ceil Cunningham, Tom M, Darden, Keeley Prophete and Denise Haddock
We have a quorum and can move forward.
Meeting opens at 7:09
Minutes
- The minutes are reviewed, the only change noted is to correct spelling.
Georgia moves to accept the minutes with change to Rich LeClerc’s name, seconded by Chris, all are in favor.
Financial report
- Financial report was sent via email, all have reviewed.
- Income is down, but expenses are also down, payroll as an example.
- Local funding, Jefferson county funding has not come in yet. We hope it will arrive next month.
Chris moves to accept the financial report, Georgia seconds, all are in favor
Budget
The final budget will go out next month, two numbers are left to be changed.
Bills to be paid
- The bills are reviewed, nothing appears out of the ordinary.
- Electricity and heat expenses are down.
- Verizon charges us for this teleconference line. There is a monthly fee and there seems to be another charge for the conference call itself. We have been using it for about 8 months. We will ask Ceil to look into this a little further.
Georgia moves to pay the bills, Tom E seconds, all are in favor.
Library Opening
- We will still require patrons to wear masks. Reopening will be easier since there is no indication that handling objects affects the Covid virus.
- Still a long way away from holding major fund-raising events.
- Discussion follows on who on the Board has received the vaccine. Easing of restrictions, we think won’t happen until possibly the month of May. Those that have had their shot is increasing all the time.
- Tops group is still meeting, they are weighed, and they leave. They go in with mask on and have gloves on as well.
Air Circulation
- Chris confirms the air circulation system is functioning as intended. He will be making one repair to the boiler this week and check the UV system to be sure all is on track.
NCLS
- There is a difference of opinion from member libraries and NCLS. NCLS expenses are being funneled down to the libraries. Charges for this and that, the librarians have objected saying the libraries do not have the income at this time. Ceil will advise on where things stand as time moves on.
- The Ogdensburg library is a Municipal library, their finances are discussed. They are finances through the tax base. Steve will speak to Ceil to reach out to them to see where they stand.
FML
- Jeremy Smith gave a donation to the library, a question on if a thank you card was sent. Steve will follow up.
Meeting ends at 7:32
Rich moves to adjourn the meeting, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
Macsherry Library Board Meeting via teleconference
April 4, 2021
Present: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Georgia Weathers, Cecilia Thompson, Rich LeClerc, Darden MacWade, Ceil Cunningham, Keeley Prophete and Denise Haddock (non-voting member).
Absent: Tom Estes and Chris Vaphiadis
Minutes
- Minutes were reviewed
Steve moves to accept the minutes are presented, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
Financials
- The funding from the Village has come in.
- Payroll expenses are down due to the limited opening hours.
- May 15th will be re-opening day and when payroll will start climbing.
Darden moves to accept the financial report, Rich seconds, all are in favor.
Bills
The bills to be paid are reviewed.
- No questions arise on the bills.
Darden moves to pay the bills, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
Library opening
- May 15th is the target date.
- We are getting request to reopen and as the summer people return it will become more so. There is no reason not to partially open. We will have the same hours as we have now. The computer room is open one night a week. Social distancing will be maintained as well as wearing masks, 3 or 4 people only in the computer room, no programs until everyone is vaccinated.
- Discussion follows on a grand opening.
- We will be putting an ad in the newspaper. Maybe a small gathering of the staff and the Board. The Board should be able to meet in person next month, then a picture would be in the Sun and that would help to get word out. A small group is suggested, the staff with masks and appropriate social distancing.
- A question on how the staff is to respond if someone does not wear a mask? The answer would be that they are not welcome in the library. It is a NYS mandate to wear a mask.
- We will transition to about 45 hours a week. Legally we are required to be open at a minimum, 20 hours by June 1st. At 45 hours there would be a savings on payroll expense, those monies could be put in a programming fund for adult and kids.
- We could keep a night or two open, Tuesday and Wednesday nights are suggested and cut Saturday hours, also cut a few morning hours.
- The suggestion is for Ceil to send out a proposal with the hours she thinks the library should be open. There is not a lot of traffic right now.
Programs
- Programs will have limited numbers and proper distancing. Discussion follows on if we can ask if they have been vaccinated. Most of the Board think we cannot ask. We will have to continue to ask people to wear a mask even if they have their vaccine. Social distancing and masks will remain, we will put a big sign on the door, saying please do not enter without a mask. State mandate that masks be worn.
- We will play attendance for programming by ear
- The book club folks come in during the day to get their books. Book Club is typically 15 to 20 members, they meet on Zoom. When they meet if they are 15, they can meet but 6 feet apart in the gallery.
Parking Lot
- Striping the parking lot, Wills’ did it the last time. Ceil will get some quotes, including asking Will’s. Granger in Watertown is suggested.
Summer book sale
- We are hoping to have the summer book sale start on June 21st, the selection of books will be topped up for the 21st. We have donations that keep coming in.
NCLS
- NCLS will be asking NYS to consider us for Bullet Aid for programming. Ceil sent the email. They will also be asking for grant money for our Zoom membership fees, we may get money from the library system to pay for that cost.
- There is a meeting next Tuesday morning, a discussion of the directors’ association on the Ogdensburg Library and funding. They are going for a school district library ballot. The library might have to cut their hours down to 40. Tthe city is saying that the library wants more money, but they are cutting the hours.
HFY
- Story time in person will be at the pavilion, after the story they do their craft and then go to the playground. The story is also on FB Live. This is linked to our FB page.
- Let HFY know what date they can come into the library. Kids do wear their masks but have trouble social distancing, now.
Face Book and Website
- Our FB page cannot be viewed remotely and cannot be accessed by computer, it is an issue with FB. NCLS has looked at it. The suggestion is to eliminate the present FB page and create another.
- Linda Toomey will do a line drawing of the library, then add watercolor which will be at the top of our website page. She should be sure and sign her name to the image.
Staff Concerns
- None
FML
- It would be good to solidify what the FML committee does and what the staff does
- The next meeting will be May 12th.
- We will ask Chris if he has had his vaccine.
Georgia moves to adjourn Darden seconds; all are in favor.
Macsherry Library Minutes
May 12, 2021 in house meeting
Georgia, Tom E, Ceil Cunningham, Darden on the phone, Tom M, Steve Burns, Me, Denise is doing virtual,
Absent: Chris, Keeley, Rich.
Meeting called to order at 7:04
Minutes
- Minutes are reviewed
Steve moves to approve the minutes, Tom E seconds, all are in favor.
Financials
- The financial reports are reviewed. Total income up by $3,000.
- Expenses are down by almost $20,000. Payroll expenses continue to decrease. A little income came in from Ambit.
- We review the bank balances and hope to maintain or finances so that we do not have to dip into our UBS account.
Georgia moves to accept financials, Tom E seconds, all are in favor
Bill to be paid
- Bills are reviewed
Darden moves to accept and pay the bills, Steve seconds, all are in favor.
Driveway
- We review proposal for striping the driveway from Tim Clement’s. We also received a proposal from Will’s which was $900 more
FML
- FML brought in extra money this year, the FML revenue is up.
Reopening
- We closed March 18, 2020, last year.
- Reopening is planned for May 17th, we will open with masks, social distancing, stickers on the carpet, with access to the bathrooms. We do have the information on what the State requires. Discussion follows on reopening.
- The staff is comfortable with reopening on May 17th, 2021. The hours will stay the same as they are now which is Wed, Thur, Frid, Sat 9:00 to 2:00 Tuesday 9:00 to 7:00 for a total of 30 hours. The new schedule is 40 hours previously we were open 56 hours. The new schedule of 40 hours will start on Memorial Day weekend. As time goes by will we return to our 56-hour week.
- Monday will be a soft opening. The pay period starts at the end of this week, new pay period starts next week.
- Chamber of Commerce will put our reopening on their FB page, Lauren. It is suggested to send the information to Denise and she can get it out to “Parents Square”.
Steve moves to accept reopening dates and time, Tom E seconds, all are in favor.
Tops
Summer Book Sale
- Computer room is ready with boxes of books to go out for the first day of summer, June 21st, everything will go out to the big room, gallery room.
- Banner for the wi-fi came from NCLS, if we purchased a banner for book sale it would be around $275
- Two quotes were received for coating and striping the parking lot $2600 from Greg Will’s the second $1700 from Clement. Ceil will work with them regarding timing of the project. Once we have a date, we should put the lack of access in the paper saying the parking lot is not available. We can use orange cones to mark off areas.
Tom E moves to buy a banner that says, “book sale”, Georgia seconds, all are in favor
Steve moves to accept the low bid for the parking lot ceiling and painting of the lines, Darden seconds, all are in favor.
Program attendance, occupancy
- Tops group now come in on Wednesdays for a weigh in a at 2:00, 7 people come on a regular basis, when summer people are included there will be 10. A question is raised on whether it is ok for the Tops Group to meet on Thursday, going forward.
- Book Club and painting club would like to come back. Book Club has talked about meeting on Thursday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 in June. Ceil is good with the plan. Denise will open the library for the book club, and they will maintain social distancing using either the book sale room or the meeting rooms.
- Denise would like to bring one class a month from the school to the library to introduce them to the library and how it functions.
- Story hour continues but it is held outside. Every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Pavilion. It is difficult to keep little kids apart, so inside the library is problematic for social distancing. The school is doing an enrichment camp this summer and offered to all kids 3 days a week. Denise thinks they can piggyback on that to include Story Time.
- NCLS is sending us our own sanitization station.
- We have talked in the past about musicians playing outdoors, at the next meeting we should talk more about it. Sound equipment being transported outside might be an issue. Music cart to transport 4 big speakers and a sound board. We would possibly need a shelf that can hold a heavy weight. We can put it off a year or so to see how our finances go. There is no one to do the set up at this point, the cart would cut the workload. Ceil will check into it and get ack to us.
- Our present garbage shed is being used as a little library and is extremely popular, a conversation follows on getting another shed for our garbage cans.
UV system
- Tom will touch base with Chris on outstanding work to be done at the library
UBS
UBS statement is reviewed. Our balance increased in April.
No staff concerns and no Board concerns
At 8:15 Georgia moves to adjourn, Darden seconds, all are in favor.
Respectfully submitted by Cecilia Thompson
Macsherry Library June 9 2021, Minutes.
Present: Tom Mitchell, Tom Estes, Georgia Weathers, Cecilia Thompson, Darden MacWade, and Ceil Cunningham.
Absent: Denise Haddock as a non-voting member Ex officio, Chris Vaphiadis, Steve Burns, Rich LeClerc,
Keeley Prophete.
Meeting starts at 7:11 pm
Minutes: Changes to minutes: The permanent schedule is 3:00 on Wednesday for TOPS motion to accept the amended minutes by Georgia, seconded by Darden, all approve.
Financials: Payroll continues to decrease, this will help clear out any deficit that happens on the budget. Darden moves to accept the financial report, Tom E seconds, all are in favor. Bank balances are reviewed, these funds have to last until Labor Day. NCLS bill is quite large, past years we paid in segments, this year we made a lump sum payment per their request.
Insurance: Insurance is an installment payment.
Darden moves to pay the bills, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
Reopening: The reopening is going well, our library patrons are happy to see that we are open. The reduced hours are working fine, no negative comments have been received.
Summer book sale: The book sale will start a week from Monday, the 21st. The set up will be the Saturday before at 1:00 in the afternoon, the 19th. Bag sale will be offered after the book sale ends, this is a new idea.
AC: The AC in the meeting room is not working properly and making the “Trane” work harder. The AC has been down for a year. There is a UV unit for the meeting room that we are waiting to have installed. Tom will talk to Chris.
Program: We start programming in house, book club will be at the end of the month, then TOPS and that is it for now until more directives come in from NYS.
HFY: HFY is offering 3 story times, we will pay for the craft supplies as we have done over the years.
Blue Grass: Equipment cart is for the Blue Grass group equipment, for the power source there are two plugs outside. Georgia will ask the performers if anyone is interested in starting back up, we would section off a part of the parking lot for the audience’s chairs. First Monday of the month is the time frame.
Donation: Good dog Charlie’s called to offer a donation of a couple of fancy dolls, they are art objects. We would not be able to value them for a donation receipt and the donor was advised. No response has been received.
Staff concerns: An idea has been brought forward to buy a couple of NY State Thousand Island park passes, they cost $80 each. Should one be lost, it would cost $17 to replace. We would have two and we would loan them out. It is a Monday to Friday pass we would lend it to the library patron, and they would bring it back. Cecilia moves that we go forward with this idea of a TI Park pass, Darden seconds, all are in favor.
Garbage shed: The Amish are terribly busy, so the suggestion is to contact Danny Zuck. Food waste could be an issue and should be monitored when we have events. The suggestion is to stop in and speak to Danny Zuck to get on his list.
Covid Policy: The pandemic guidance policy, Ceil reads it to us and advises what policies are in place. The plan is reviewed and is agreed to.
Employee: One employee was underpaid for about 5 month’s that has been remedied. NYS salary is not going up this year, they will announce the rate in October, normally it is an increase of .70 cents per year. We will try and stay above that rate and will review. Payroll is now at 80 hours instead of 96 so we will have some savings there.
Board concerns: None
New business: Request to use the parking lot on Saturday evening for overflow parking for a local event. The event and any issues for the library are discussed. We all agree and give the ok for the use of the parking lot for this event.
Meeting adjourns at 7:53 pm
Darden moves to adjourn and Tom E seconds.
Macsherry Library Minutes July 14, 2021
Present: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Georgia Weathers, Tom Estes, Darden MacWade, and Ceil Cunningham Director.
Meeting called to order at 7:03.
Minutes: Minutes of previous meeting were reviewed. Two pages on page two, Georgia will ask the performers…. NYS Empire State Passport (instead of “TI Park pass”). Steve Burns moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to accept the minutes with said changes. M/S/C.
Financial Report: Darden MacWade moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to approve the financial report as presented. M/S/C. Tom Estes moved, seconded by Georgia Weathers, to approve bills as submitted. M/S/C.
Friends of Macsherry Library: There was a discussion about mailing letters to platinum members. An acceptable phrase was considered: “because of friends like you…” Letters to those members must not be “dunning” letters, but more like a thank you and progress report.
Monthly Bluegrass Group: Georgia reported that first Mondays of both August and September had been scheduled (August 2nd September 6th). She was in the process of contacting musicians.
Old Business: Reduced hours of operation. Ceil reported that there have been no complaints about the current hours.
Summer Book sale: Ceil reported that the sale was moving along, and some prices had been lowered. The plan is to pack things up Labor Day weekend, with a few spots around the library for some books for sale.
Install UV in the gallery: This is just about ready.
Program attendance: Ceil indicated that she needed ideas for speakers. She was considering having the Atkinson bluegrass band in the spring. Jake Tibbles was recommended as a good source of programs.
New business: Good dog Charlie’s raffle, the library has received no word on this.
NYS Pandemic Plan: Ceil points out that Macsherry Library has already implemented most of the suggestions, which are to be followed in the event of another break out.
Staff Concerns: Ceil would like to reimburse Kelly Downey $75 to cover the cost of her using her own cleaning materials. There was agreement to do this.
Board concerns: There were no Board concerns.
Miscellaneous: Ceil mentioned that several items have been donated to the silent auction.
Tom Estes moved, seconded by Georgia to adjourn the meeting. M/S/C. Meeting was adjourned at 7:43 pm.
Macsherry Library Minutes August 18, 2021
Present: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Georgia Weathers, Tom Estes, Darden MacWade, Ceil Cunningham.
Meeting called to order at 7:03 pm.
Minutes: Steve Burns moved, seconded by Darden MacWade to accept minutes as presented with one change: Change “Claire” to “Ceil” on second page. M/S/C.
Financial Report: After discussion, Tom Estes moved, seconded by Darden MacWade to accept the financial Report as presented. Georgia Weathers moved, seconded by Darden MacWade to authorize payment of bills presented.
Reports: Friends of Macsherry Library: No report.
Bluegrass: Georgia reported first session was excellent with close to 200 pickers and singers.
Old Business: Summer book sale books will be removed as quickly after Labor Day Weekend as possible. UV in Gallery: Darden will stop by to install tiles if possible.
Program attendance: Ceil reported that TOPS and Bluegrass have met so far.
New Business: Pandemic plan: Ceil says we are good.
Maintenance work: Tom M has a possible contact for this position.
Operations savings account: All present agreed that Ceil should cancel this account.
Stuff DMC envelopes: Monday August 30th at 7 pm.
Staff concerns: None
Board concerns: None
Adjournment: Steve Burns moved to adjourn, seconded by Darden. M/S/C. Meeting adjourned at 7:48 pm.
Respectfully submitted by,
Georgia Weathers
Secretary pro tem
Minutes
Macsherry Library Board of Trustees
September 8, 2021
PRESENT:
Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Georgia Weathers, Tom Estes, Denise Haddock, Rich LeClerc, Ceil Cunningham,
director
Meeting called to order at 7:15 pm.
MINUTES:
Steve Burns moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to accept the August 18 minutes. M/S/C.
Steve Burns moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to authorize payment of bills as presented.
REPORTS:
Friends of Macsherry: Ceil reports only two had been returned /no address.
Bluegrass: Discussion about holding bimonthly sessions. Georgia stated she would not be comfortable with
twice a month session.
OLD BUSINESS:
Summer Book Sale: Ceil reported it will be shutting down this week.
UV in Gallery: Not done yet.
Program Attendance: Denise reported going very well; wearing masks.
NEW BUSINESS:
Shelves: Darden needs volunteers to help.
Maintenance Worker:Tom Mitchell stated Albert Faubert plans to help out as needed.
Mask Restrictions: Rich LeClerc moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to reinstall the mask mandate. M/S/C. This
would include singers during bluegrass; if there is a problem, will have to cancel bluegrass.
Steve Burns commented that we should begin to plan ahead for 2022. Rich added that “We will just have to
continue to watch the data.”
Steve Burns moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to adjourn the meeting. M/S/C. Meeting was adjourned at 8 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Georgia Weathers
Secretary pro tem
Macsherry Library Minutes Oct 13, 2021
Present: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burn, Tom Estes, Georgia Weathers, Darden MacWade, Ceil, Darden and
Present on the phone: Chris Vaphiadis, Cecilia Thompson
Absent: Rich LeClerc, Keeley Prophete and Denise Haddock
Meeting is called to order at 7:01, we have a quorum
Minutes
All have read and reviewed the minutes except for Tom and Cecilia.
Georgia moves to accept the minutes, Tom E seconds, all are in favor.
Financials
The Board reviews the financials and total income. Payroll expense is down.
FML fund raising is better than last year. Book sale is now going on all year. Direct mail fund
raising is holding its own.
The school ballot money was received early last year, this year it is back on the old schedule and
will be received in October or early November.
Bills to pay are reviewed with a note that the oil bill is low
Darden moves to accept the financial report, Steve seconds, all are in favor.
Georgia moves to pay the bills, Darden seconds, all are in favor.
FML
Linda Toomey will send a fund-raising postcard to the FML members, the wording will be sent to
the Board for approval.
Programs
Blue Gras group has been advised that masks are required, and this information was sent to the
musicians. The group got together at the Plessis church so they wouldn’t have to wear masks
while performing and the turnout was good. They are waiting to see what the instructions for
the library are going forward. The problem is the singers’ wearing masks while performing.
November 1 st is the next Blue Grass get together.
The Covid-19 numbers for Jefferson County are staying up, masks being required will probably
continue. Discussion follows on local Covid case.
Ceil would like the Board to tour the new shelving in the electrical closet. Everyone is very
impressed. Albert Faubert did a great job; he is happy to do work at the library. Tops were easily
able to access their items on the shelving.
There is a program booked with TILT, which is a story time for kids.
All the UV is working.
The quilting group is meeting, but there are only 8 of them and they are all respecting social
distancing.
Regarding the library mask mandate there is only one patron who did not approve and left in a
huff, he will not renew his membership at this time. He refused to enter the library because he
had to wear a mask.
Staff Concerns
We will have to determine, going forward, any changes in staff wages. During lock down, we cut
hours. We review individual wages.
Ceil will send a recommendation for hourly wage increases.
Old Business
We will be sending out Xmas cards they will need singing in November. The suggestion is to sign
at the November meeting.
Discussion follows on the post office and delays.
New Business
The Governor is going to require Trustee training starting 2023, two hours per year, one class.
NCLS will set It up, it will be virtual. We will wait for the information to follow. It must be an
approved class. They will keep a record. The classes have not been announced yet. The class
through NCLS, will be virtual and they keep the records.
Chris would like to come in to give the boiler an end of year cleaning.
A question is asked on preparedness for the anticipated fuel shortages and possible increase in
costs. The answer is the savings in payroll will offset an increase.
A discussion follows on solar power for the library. Chris will investigate incentive programs for
installation of solar panels.
Stat Communications has been sold. There might be an increase in price. We now pay $360 a
year which is reasonable.
Discussion follows on old paint cans and how to dispose of them.
The TI Sun has stopped sending copies of the paper to the library and no more microfilms either.
We used to keep old copies of the newspaper until the microfilm arrived.
Board concerns
None currently.
Motion to adjourn
Georgia, moves to adjourn, Darden seconds, all are in favor
Meeting is adjourned at 7:35
Respectfully submitted by Cecilia Thompson
Minutes
Macsherry Library Board of Trustees
November 10, 2021
PRESENT IN PERSON: Steve Burns, Tom Estes, Georgia Weathers, Ceil Cunningham
PRESENT BY PHONE: Tom Mitchell, Rich LeClerc,
Meeting called to order at 7:03 pm.
MINUTES: One error; “singing” should be “signing”. Georgia moved, Steve seconded, to accept the October
minutes as presented with the aforementioned change. M/S/C.
FINANCIAL REPORT: Steve Burns moved, seconded by Tom Estes to have the financial report as presented
be accepted. M/S/C. Steve also moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to pay the bills as presented. M/S/C.
FRIENDS OF MACSHERRY: Ceil reported no news, but totals for this year were above last year by $77.
BLUEGRASS GROUP: After discussion, Rich LeClerc moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to continue mask
requirement for singers as well as others. M/S/C. Georgia stated that the December open Mic would be canceled
because of covid uptick, and the impending holiday season. She also indicated possibility of moving open mics
from evening to afternoons.
OLD BUSINESS:
Staff Wages: Steve Burns moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to raise wages of current staff by 6.5%. M/S/C.
Trustee Training: Ceil will inform Trustees of date/time/location when she receives the information.
Solar Panel: Chris Vaphiadis not present; tabled to next meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
Sign Christmas cards: Done during meeting. Those present signed for those not present.
Joint donation to NCLS: Georgia Weathers moved, seconded by Steve Burns to donate $50. M/S/C.
Staff Christmas bonus: Georgia moved, seconded by Tom Estes, to offer the standard holiday bonus to staff.
M/S/C.
Staff “retirement plan”: Ceil will contact Greg Couch.
STAFF CONCERNS: Ceil pointed out monitor not working on boiler, and handicapped toilet needed checking.
ADJOURNMENT:
Meeting adjourned at 7:33
Respectfully submitted,
Georgia Weathers,
Secretary, pro tem
Macsherry Library
Minutes December 8, 2021
Present: In person Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Chris Vaphiadis, Georgia Weathers, Rich LeClerc, Ceil
Cunningham. Cecilia and Darden via telephone.
Absent: Tom Estes, Denise Haddock, Keeley Prophete
Minutes
Meeting comes to order at 7:05
Minutes have been sent to all. A small change for clarification, “roughly 6.5% on the staffing
increase”.
Rich moves to approve as amended, seconded by Steve, all in favor.
Financial report
Finances are in a similar position as they were last year. We withdrew much less money in 2021
from the investment UBS account than we did in 2019.
FML donations were up this year. Payroll expense was down this year.
Payroll for 2022 wages is reviewed
Darden moves to accept the financial report as presented, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
The bills are reviewed
NG bill is discussed. Ceil is asked to check on the NG bill for a small clarification
Chris moves to pay the bills, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
FML
Donations were up slightly compared to last year.
Blue Grass
They are meeting at the Reformed Church.
Georgia is the coordinator
Old Business
Grant money for solar panel purchase and installation is discussed, Chris says we might get
funding from a couple of places, and he is looking into it.
Library Board
Renewing board member’s terms is discussed. We will proceed with the renewal in December as
opposed to January 2022. Terms are up for Steve Burns and Tom Mitchell.
Discussion follows on possible new board members. We are allowed to have 11 Board members
in total.
Rich moves to renew the terms for Tom Mitchell and Steve Burns, seconded by Georgia, all in favor.
Hearts for Youth
Hearts for Youth update, the boomer’s program was held in the fire hall, ten people attended. This
program is intended for seniors.
Meeting adjourned, Rich moves at 7:29 pm
Respectfully submitted by Cecilia Thompson