Macsherry Library Minutes
February 8, 2023
Present: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Cecilia Thompson, Georgia Weathers, Denise Haddock, Debbie Schafer, Rich LeClerc, Gerri Newberry and Ceil Cunningham, Director
Absent: Darden Macwade.
Guest: Rob Campany
Minutes
· Minutes were sent via email and reviewed.
· Georgia moves to accept the minutes, seconded by Steve, all are in favor.
Financial Report
· The financial report was presented and reviewed.
· Nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Deb moves to accept the financial report, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
Bills to pay.
· Bills are reviewed.
· Our heating bill is discussed.
Deb moves to accept the bills to be paid, Steve seconds, all are in favor.
Heating
· Rob Campany from Fourth Coast is present to advise and give the Board an overview of the possibility of installation of a heat pump system. Rob has reviewed the library’s present heating system. Rob describes the two types of installations we could consider (in ground and above ground). Fourth Coast will be able to assist with application for grants. Rob will come back to the Board with a review and recommendation of how we might proceed.
· Discussion and questions follow.
Budget
· Steve advises that the budget numbers are coming together and will a full budget for the Board to vote on at the next meeting.
Programs
· There is a review of the upcoming programs for the month of February.
Town and Village Grant
· Ceil is working on the letters to be submitted to possibly increase the amounts that we will be asking for.
· Drafts of both the Town and Village grant letters were sent to the Board for review, via email.
Retirement
· Tom has set up a committee to review prospective candidates. The Board aims to have someone in place for knowledge transfer, approximately 6 months ahead of time, if possible. Requests for CVs has gone to NCLS as well submissions to newspapers. Tom will advise as soon as resumes arrive for review.
Soup’s On
· Discussion on our new community event, Soup’s On, we establish which Board members
will be bringing soup etc. Cecilia and Tom will not be in town on the day of the event, February 11, 2023.
Wi-Fi
· Ceil will contact NCLS and see if they have any suggestions.
Board Concerns
· None at this time
Staff Concerns
· None at this time
Respectfully Submitted by Cecilia Thompson
Macsherry Library
March 8, 2023
PRESENT: Steve Burns, Cecilia Thompson, Georgia Weathers,Denise Haddock, Rich LeClerc, Deborah Schaefer, Ceil Cunningham
ABSENT: Tom Mitchell, Darden Macwade, Gerri Newberry
GUEST: Cindy Demo
Meeting called to order at 7:02 pm.
Deborah Schaefer moved, seconded by Steve Burns to approve the amended minutes for the February meeting. M/S/C.
Steve Burnsmoved, seconded by Denise Haddock, to approve the financial report. M/S/C.
Rich LeClerc moved, seconded by Georgia Weathers, to pay the February bills. M/S/C.
Deborah Schaefer moved, seconded by Rich LeClerc, to approve the resolution to override the tax cap. M/S/C.
Cecilia Thompson moved, seconded by Georgia Weathers to approve the Annual Report. M/S/C.
Georgia Weathers moved, seconded by Deborah Schaefer, to approve the budget for 2023. M/S/C.
Steve Burns moved, seconded by Rich LeClerc, , to send a letter to the Alexandria Central School Board about getting on the school budget. M/S/C.
FRIENDS OF MACSHERRY: Nothing to report.
BLUEGRASS GROUP: Because of conflict with a special school-related project, the April open mic session has been cancelled.
HEATING SYSTEM: Rich will contact last month’s guest, Rob Campany.
GUITAR NIGHT: Steve has placed an ad in TI Sun, distributed fliers.
QUICKBOOKS: Quickbooks issues were discussed.
HIGH SPEED INTERNET: Library may be installing filtered High Speed Internet.
DINING OUT CARD: After discussion, Dining Out project was dropped.
SILENT AUCTION: Full discussion tabled until April meeting.
TRAVEL FUNDRAISER: Cecilia presented information on a travel fundraiser. Further discussion in April.
STAFF: Ceil Cunningham announced resumes for position of Head librarian have begun to arrive.
HEARTS FOR YOUTH: Cindy Demo presented plans for construction of shed and purchase of covered raised gardening beds.
Denise Haddock remarked that library events needed more publicity, especially including photos in TI Sun.
Georgia moved, seconded by Denise to adjourn.
8:28pm adjournment.
Respectfully submitted
Georgia Weathers
Secretary pro tem:
Macsherry Library Minutes
April 12, 2023
Present: Steve Burns, Cecilia Thompson, Georgia Weathers, Rich LeClerc, Deb Schafer, Gerri Newberry and Ceil Cunningham, Director
Absent: Tom Mitchell, Denise Haddock, Darden Macwade
Minutes
· Minutes from last month are not available at this time. We will include these minutes in the vote next month to formerly approve them, they will be available in draft format.
Financial Report
· The financials are reviewed. NNY community foundation funds have come in. Revenue from FML is down.
· There is nothing unusual in this month’s report.
· The annual report has been sent to NCLS.
· The annual payroll is reviewed.
Deb moves to accept the financials, Gerri seconds, all are in favor.
Bills to be paid.
· Bank account balances are reviewed. The Village monies are not in yet.
· Fuel bill is reviewed.
Georgia moves to pay the bills, Gerri seconds, all are in favor.
Fourth Coast
· Rich has been in touch with Fourth Coast and reports on the progress:
· Rob Campany (Fourth Coast) has done the heat loss calculations but has not arrived at a final decision on equipment. Conversation follows on the cost of air source heat pumps and the amount to be submitted for the upcoming construction grant.
· Geothermal requiring wells to be drilled would be more expensive but there are more subsidies available. For the construction grant $60,000 would be the recommendation.
· We will need an additional back-up boiler in the back room.
· .
· Solar panels or using a generator was not discussed with Rob at this time. Solar panels would be a separate project and help to reduce our electricity costs, as well as an on-demand propane powered generator would be another project.
· A projection for needs, until 2028, would be around $120,000. This should address most of our issues and costs and position the library with sustainability costs.
Construction Grant Update
· Ceil will get a SAM number which is a unique identifier number for grant application. This number is hard to get now, we had one and let it expire in 2017. Ceil will be reaching out to the Federal Government by phone.
· Heat and electricity are what we will focus on before this coming winter.
Friends of Macsherry library
· Our numbers are down.
Monthly Blue Grass
· There was no event this month. The gentleman who set up the equipment etc, passed away suddenly.
· May 1st is the next event, discussion follows on setting up the equipment, speaker, microphone.
Guitar Night
· Guitar Night has been resurrected in a different format, now it is every couple of weeks. There were fewer people who attended, about 5 people,
· The group will be split in two, beginners and more advanced, all will be in the same room.
Quick Books
· Quick Books requires a new license every year. It is $78 from Duck Soup which we purchased, and this brings us up to date.
Travel trip fund raiser
· The Board agrees for Cecilia to contact Denise for her feedback on feedback from the Book Club.
· Flyers were distributed on past trips through travel escort, Noreen Yost, and Celtic Tours.
Staff concerns
· The bench by the parking lot is deteriorating, the gentleman who helps with clean up would like to take it away, this would mean that there would remain a section of concrete on top of another top of concrete. Steve will have a look.
· We need to have an ad in a month or so regarding the hiring of a new director. 4 libraries in our area are presently looking for a director. Ceil will look for a job description. We have one person who is interested but is not qualified. Two other possibilities are discussed.
· A library employee who is a very hard worker made a telephone call to the village with a complaint on how they plowed the parking lot. Cindy Demo, our liaison with the village, came to the library and the plowing was brought up. The Village would be happy to provide phone numbers for contractors if the library is not satisfied with the free snow plowing, we receive.
· Discussion follows.
Silent Auction
· Date is discussed. The silent auction will be held either the 1st of June, or late August.
· Discussion follows on whether we should hold the silent auction this year.
· Is business restored enough that they will donate? Having the right person to go and ask for donations.
· Denise might do the catering and we would pay her.
· Issues must be discussed.
· We would have to tear down for the book sale. Signs must be put up, FML would need their invitations.
· At the next meeting Steve will have the structure of what is needed to make the silent auction happen.
Dinner and a movie
· It is doing well, 20 people attended.
Painting
· Acrylic painting is not coming back, the teacher doesn’t have time to dedicate to the program. We will see about it, maybe next year.
Staff and Board concerns
· No issues currently
· A question arises if Chris Vaphiadis will be returning to the Board. No update currently.
Rich moves we adjourn we adjourn at 8:20, seconded by Georgia, all are in favor.
Respectfully submitted by Cecilia Thompson
Macsherry Library Board of Trustees
June 14, 2023
PRESENT: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Georgia Weathers, Darden Macwade, Deb Schaefer, Denise Haddock, Gerri Newberry, and Ceil Cunningham, director.
ABSENT: Cecilia Thompson, Rich LeClerc
GUEST: Cindy Demo
MINUTES:
There were no minutes taken at the May meeting. (No quorum)
FINANCIAL REPORTS:
Denise Haddock moved, seconded by Georgia Weathers to accept the May 2023 financial report as presented. M/S/C.
Steve Burns moved, seconded by Darden Macwade, to pay the bills as presented. M/S/C.
FRIENDS OF MACSHERRY LIBRARY: Ceil Cunningham stated that Linda Toomey is tracking any information on the Friends.
BLUEGRASS: Georgia Weathers reported that the June 5 session was especially enjoyable, with three musicians returning north (Diane Shepard, Phil Barrett and Tom Burr), and the return of singer Debbie Schaefer.
OLD BUSINESS:
Program Update: Denise Haddock reported that there were 13 for oil painting at the library, and that there would be a project of painting various paddles for Paddle for Betterment.
She also reported that Dinner and a Movie will start up again in the fall. The most recent movie was “Eighty for Brady”.
Steve Burns reported he was holding his guitar night once a month.
Ceil mentioned that projector no longer works. Darden Macwade moved, seconded by Debbie Schaefer, that Ceil purchase a replacement, probably a big screen TV M/S/C.
Book Sale:
Ceil reported that the staff has begun to unpack the books for the sale, which is scheduled to begin on June 21. There will be posters around town.
Silent Auction
After discussion, it was decided to abandon the Silent Auction for this year. Instead, the focus will be on one major item, with possibly a very few smaller items. During tonight’s meeting, Darden ordered a silver electric bike as the main item. Additional possible items might be looked into by Gerri (pizza), Debbie (TI Winery), Cindy Demo (Uncle Sam).The drawing will be on Wednesday, August 30. This will be a Friends of the Library event at 7 pm; drawing will be at 7:30 pm. Tickets will be $10; 3 for $25. “7:30 on 8/30” Cindy suggested a form letter for requesting donations.
Fund Raising Ideas:
Cindy Demo plans to order Gertrude Hawk candy bars, to be set for sale at $2. Gerri Newberry moved, seconded by Debbie Schaefer, that the candy be ordered for and sold in the library. M/S/C.
STAFF CONCERNS:
The need for a job description for library director was discussed.
ADJOURNMENT:
Steve Burns, seconded by Darden Mcwade, to adjourn. M/S/C. Meeting adjourned at 8:21 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Georgia Weathers
Secretary pro tem
Macsherry Library Board of Trustees
July 12, 2023
PRESENT: Tom Mitchell, Steve Burns, Georgia Weathers, Darden Macwade, Debbie Schaefer, Denise Haddock, Geri Newberry and Ceil Cunningham, Director
ABSENT: Cecilia Thompson, Rich LeClerc
GUEST: Cindy Demo
Netting called to order at 7:04 pm.
MINUTES:
Darden Macwade moved, seconded by Debbie Schaefer to approve the minutes as presented. M/S/C.
FINANCIAL REPORTS:
Darden Macwade moved, seconded by Steve Burns, to accept the Financial Report as presented. M/S/C.
Denise Haddock moved, seconded by Geri Newberry to pay the bills as presented. M/S/C.
FRIENDS OF MACSHERRY:
All the Friends will be invited to the August 30 reception at 6:30 pm. The raffle drawings will be at 8 pm. Denise is preparing the letter of invitation.
BLUEGRASS:
Georgia reported a satisfactory turnout for the July open mic.’
OLD BUSINESS:
Program Update:
Ceil discussed the possibility of presenting a program at Gordon Court; Georgia mentioned a presentation on Alzheimers held there today.
Book Sale:
Ceil reported the the sale was going well and that new books were being brought in very often.
Silent Auction/Raffle:
Raffle tickets should be ready next week. Debbie said she would talk to TI Winery about donation, and Geri planned to talk to Cavallerio’s. Darden gave the “Tale of the Bike” narration on the purchase of the bike. As a result, there will be a second e-bike already on hand to raffle off next year
Hiring Progress:
Reaching out through publicity about the Director position was discussed.
NEW BUSINESS:
Fund Rising Ideas:
Other than the raffles for the August 30 reception, there were no new fund raising ideas discussed.
STAFF CONCERNS:
Ceil reported that Spectrum will be installed soon. Verizon costs should drop by about $100 per month.
Ceil stated that there was a need for a cash register to accommodate all the cash transactions (candy, book sale, etc.). Darden will check online.
Tom Mitchell moved, seconded by Denise Haddock to adjourn the meeting. M/S/C. Meeting adjourned at 8:05 pm
Respectfully submitted by
Georgia Weathets
Secretary pro tem
Macsherry Library
August 9, 2023
Present: Steve Burns, Cecilia Thompson, Georgia Weathers, Debbie Schafer, Gerri Newberry and Ceil Cunningham, Director
Absent: Tom Mitchell, Denise Haddock, Darden Macwade and Rich LeClerc
We have a quorum.
The meeting is called to order at 7:09 p.m.
Minutes
· Minutes are reviewed.
· A change to the previous month’s minutes: a cash register to accommodate the fund-raising activities is needed for next year.
Geogia moves to accept the amended minutes, Debbie seconds, all are in favor.
Financial report
· The report has been reviewed, our finances show we are in the red again this year, but slightly less than last year.
· Friends of Macsherry Library receipts are down, summer book sale numbers are like last year, Direct mail campaign will be addressed later in the meeting. Our fuel oil level is fine for now.
· Refunds and rebates from the IRS are addressed, we don’t expect a refund this year.
· The operating funds are reviewed as well as an update on money taken in from the E-Bike fundraiser and the November fund-raising trip to Tuscany.
· A suggestion is brought up that we should be selling E-Bike raffle tickets at the Big M this weekend. Georgia and Gerri offer to take this on
Gerri moves to accept the financial report, Georgia seconds, all are in favor.
Bills to be paid.
· Our electric bill is correct, but high. On demand is what we have with National Grid. A conversation follows on National Grid’s process for “on demand”, the Board is advised that NG doesn’t consider what we use it is more what they expect us to use.
· Insurance payments have all been addressed.
Georgia moves to accept to pay the bills, Debbie seconds, all are in favor.
Friends of Macsherry
· An ad has gone to TI Sun for the August 30th “meet and greet”, invitations envelopes have been addressed.
· Ceil wrote the invitation inviting the Friends to stop by for a glass of wine.
Blue Grass report
· There was a good turnout this past month. John Comstock came a little later. The music wasn’t very loud due to an issue with the speaker system.
· There was a picture in the Vacationer of the Blue Grass Open Mic at the Reformed Church.
Program update
· We don’t have very many programs running now, except for Book Club. When the gallery opens, after the book sale, we will be able to have more programming.
· Georgia discusses a program at Gordon Court on Alzheimer’s that could also be held at the library. Ceil suggests a program for seniors on scams, possibly the bank would do a presentation. Ceil will call the office of the aging and see if there is someone who could do a presentation. Discussion follows on scams.
· A program on alternative healing is something Ceil will investigate.
Book Sale
· The book sales are moving right along, we stand at $200 or $300 above last year. The quality of books we are selling is good. We have had many donations including puzzles. Labor Day is the end of the book sale, the Saturday before Labor Day. No bag sale this year.
August Event
· The one-dollar raffle tickets on the baskets are not selling. We start selling them at the beginning of the summer and pick the winning ticket on Labor Day.
· The E-Bike raffle tickets were sold a few weeks ago for a day at the Big M. Tickets were sold at the Dingman Point Studio Tour and are for sale downtown at Bay House Artisans. Steve plans to move more tickets this week. The ad is in the paper this week.
· Discussions follow on the night of the event; Denise will do a charcuterie board, adding a little panache. Ceil will buy the wine and soda. We will be setting up in the conference room. Denise has the background on set up, Keelie will be here and help with arrangements. Around the middle of the evening someone will need to draw the ticket.
Fundraisers
· Kim Kernahan created a fund raiser and donated monies to libraries around the North Country.
· Ceil would like to place book plates in the books purchased with the funds ($400), recognizing the fund-raising efforts.
· The trip to Tuscany has sold out and there will be 27 people travelling in November. There are 5 from the North Country and the balance are from the Albany area. A suggestion is made to place an article in the paper, possibly send a picture to show this is a trip supported by the library.
Direct Mail
· The campaign letter has been rewritten by Ceil. She will send a copy to the Board for review.
· We will have our evening of “assembling” for the direct mail campaign on Wednesday the 23rd of August at 7:00p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
· Bringing friends, as many people as we can get, is a good idea.
· A discussion follows on our process and to ensure we have all the components we might need.
New Library Director
· When the new person is hired, Ceil will stay until February for knowledge transfer and help with the financials.
· We will be running ads starting this week. Discussion follows on where to run the ad and what the ad should say.
· Suggestion of names for possible candidates are put forward. Finding someone with experience might prove to be a challenge. The importance of Quick Books and the integral part they play in the everyday routine for the candidate is discussed.
· The closing date for accepting applications, Mid-October, we should bring the person on in November is the suggestion.
· The committee, so far, to review and do the interviews is Tom, Cecilia and Denise.
NYS Grant
· Ceil is having trouble getting an entity ID number, to get into the program to write the grant. Two weeks ago, the NCLS rep from Watertown was here, they worked on it together.
· They found out that a notarized letter is needed to indicate that Ceil is in charge and can write the grant. This was done on last year’s template they wouldn’t accept it, then on the 28th, they tried send the letter, unfortunately since it was being sent on the 29th, and the date said 28, the letter was not accepted. We now must start over and the deadline if next Friday.
· A suggestion is made to call our representative.
Heat Pump/Generator
· We have no news or update on where things stand with Fourth Coast. A suggestion is made to also get in touch with E & V who also sell heat pumps. We should have a second estimate.
· Rich LeClerc is the one to ask about handling the estimates.
· The ground out back where the generator would go, the ground is settling and burying a heat pump is a concern. Another concern is that there is a possible helicopter landing site in the parking lot of the fire hall, these landings might also contribute to the land issue.
· We also need to know if we need one gas boiler and not two.
Library concerns
· A fiber optic cable will be installed at the behest of NCLS. The financing will be out the NYS Construction Grant. We will have a fee to pay for the installation, but we don’t know how much now.
· We will ask Tom to contact Doug Strough, the building needs pointing and grout repair.
· The windows will be cleaned, and we will pay our regular guy who does odd jobs.
Network policy
· Our Network Policy is read aloud and then discussed; amendments are suggested.
Debbie moves to accept the revised Network policy as of August 4th as discussed, Gerri seconds, all agree.
Staff concerns
None at this time
Board Concerns
None at this time
Gerri moves to end the meeting at 8:36, seconded by Georgia, all agree.
Respectfully submitted by Cecilia Thompson
Macsherry Library Board Meeting
September 13, 2023
Present: Steve Burns, Cecilia Thompson, Georgia Weathers, Debbie Schafer, Gerri Newberry, Tom Mitchell, Denise Haddock, Darden Macwade, and Ceil Cunningham, Library Director.
Absent: Rich LeClerc
Guest: Cindy Demo
Meeting called to order at 7:06 p.m.
Minutes
· The minutes have been sent via email and a copy is distributed to be reviewed.
Darden moves to approve the minutes, Steve seconds, all are in favor.
Financials
· The financial report is reviewed.
· Book sale did somewhat better
· Petty cash monies and the income for the e-bike are reviewed. It is agreed that we should do the e bike raffle next year.
· Our monthly telephone bill will be decreasing due to using Verizon for phone, fax, and security. We will have a free national calling service. The total should come in under $100. We don’t need a DSL line, just an average phone line.
Darden moves to pay the bills, Gerri seconds, all are in favor.
Friends
· We received a generous donation out of the blue from Port Charlotte, FL. A thank you note will be sent.
· We have had an increase in checks to the Friends since we sent out the reminder.
· The get-together at the end of August which replaced the silent auction and announced the winner of the e-bike had about 15 people in attendance. We spent $1200 on postage; the friends received a special invitation to arrive half an hour early. For next year, the suggestion is to change the time to 4:00 in the afternoon. Possibly include in the advertising that there will be adult beverages.
· A suggestion that we should put this event, the August Get-Together, on the Direct Mail
Direct Mail
· The Direct Mail Campaign has also been doing well.
· A question is raised on whether new people who receive a library card are placed on the list? Yes, we do add new people to the list.
· We should consider including events that are going on each month in the Direct Mail Campaign letter.
Fund Raisers
· We should consider updating our advertising. Pictures would have been a nice addition for promotion of the baskets.
· Next year, for the e-bike, we should start promoting the raffle with a picture of the bike in April and start promoting it then. This will increase our chances of selling tickets. We should publicize the raffle for a longer period and more often. We could use a picture of our August 31st event with the bike.
· The gift baskets should be out when the book sale starts. We could have a date of May 1st as a deadline for the baskets. They need to have traffic walking by to see them, to increase raffle ticket sales.
· A suggestion that next year, each Board member could create a gift basket for the raffle. We should get them to the library by May 1s.
FML
· A question is raised on who from the Board is helping with FML? It is Free floating, no one is in charge.
· Linda Toomey sends out Thank Yous to the Friends.
Board Concerns
· We would create a list of areas that need Board members to help or check on.
New Library Director
· We have received applications for the position. There are 2 real considerations, 3 other resumes are less applicable to the position, and one is from someone who is moving up from Hudson New York but appears to be overqualified.
· October 1st is the deadline for applications, after that date we will gather to review the resumes.
· The committee consists of Tom, Steve, Cecilia, and Denise.
Blue Grass
· Last month there was a good turnout from the public, and an excellent turnout of musicians, it all went well.
· The audience has grown at the Reform Church; the last time went well.
· Heuvelton has been holding a jam session which might be ending, possibly some of those musicians will come and join us.
· Georgia would like to work on an article for the TI Sun with pictures. All agree.
Programming
· Story time is going well.
· Dinner and a movie will be starting this month. It will be held the third Thursday of the month, starting September 21st. The 28th of September is Book Club (14th year) there are usually 10 people who attend. During the months of November and December, they go out to dinner, since the library isn’t open.
· It would be helpful to have this program advertised in the TI Sun – Dinner and a movie at 5:30
· Quilting is back and Steve will start Guitar Night again this fall.
· Oil painting will start in October.
· Other programs are discussed. Ceil will contact the Office of the Aging to see about programs.
Hearts for Youth
· Discussion follows with a review.
Construction Grant
· We were missing our Unique Identity Number, which we now have. Our share will be used to pay for the new generator and installation.
· Generator bids are reviewed: W D Mechanical has submitted a quote for a generator of 45-kilowatts. There is a typo on the quote showing a date of 2022 and not 2023. The Generac estimate did not include connecting it to the gas etc. and is for a 38-kilowatt generator. Generac’s price is higher than W D Mechanical.
Steve moves to accept the lower bid from W D Mechanical for the generator with the larger kilowatt, Debbie seconds, all are in favor.
Library Concerns
· Ceil has looked at the price of 75” televisions, for use as a screen for projections. A Samsung would cost over $1,000 including a sound bar. It will be installed on the far wall to the gallery, which will change the available gallery wall space. An 85 inch will be roughly $2500.
· Maybe a new projector would give a better viewing experience and would be portable. Steve will do some research on the projectors available with a sound box, a DVD player is what we plug in to it.
· A screen is discussed.
Denise moves that we purchase a projector with a budget of $1,000, Debbie seconds, all are in favor.
Book Sale
· Donations are coming in daily for the book sale.
Xmas Show
· 1st Saturday in December, the 2nd. Cecilia has been in contact with vendors and will create and send to all for review, the application for the show.
· Discussion follows on what we charge. A suggestion that we could make charge less for the reading room and open it up to young entrepreneurs, teenagers. We could emphasize in our PR that we will have young entrepreneurs exhibiting and selling their wares.
River Santa
· The date is the 16th of December is River Santa
Internet/Computer
· We have better internet now with Spectrum.
· There were 4 people in the computer room at the same time this morning, summer people and one local person. We must decide if we want to add an additional computer.
· We will need to replace the staff computers and think about replacing the computers in the computer room.
Steve moves to adjourn at 8:18 pm, seconded by Georgia, all are in favor.
Respectfully submitted by Cecilia Thompson