Springtime on the library grounds

Springtime on the library grounds
Library gounds

Saturday, July 31, 2010

STORY TIME JULY 31ST, 2010


Merrill Freeman, retired educator and puppeteer, entertains children at Chazy Public Library on a beautiful summer Saturday.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

July 24th Story Book Illustrations


Jennifer Giambruno Welch and her illustrator, Jennifer Spash, were helping children at the Library create their own books with illustrations.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Minutes of the June 30th Trustees' Meeting

Chazy Public Library Trustee’s Meeting
June 30, 2010, 5:00, Town Hall

Call To Order:
Pat Neverett, President, called the meeting to order at 5:05 pm. Also present were: Trustees Emily Castine, George Brendler, Debby Powers, and Tina Trombly; and Library Director, Francie Fairchild.

SECRETARY’S MINUTES:
The minutes of May 26th, 2010 were accepted as read. Debby (M), George (S). Passed.

TREASURER’S REPORT:
The report was accepted as presented. George (M), Tina (S), Passed. Pat requested a few checks for the property transfer. Recording and filing fees will need to be paid. Deb wants to meet with Pat to have her name added to the checking account and George’s name will be removed. George also will need money for Richard’s Tree Service once the work is complete.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT: The most recent story hour had 10 children and 8 adults present. We were charged $100.00 for the services. Francie reported that only 10 children have signed up for the summer reading program. She is unsure if we will be able to get any funding from The Betty Little Grant. CEF sent information about a retention of records policy, the committee will need to review and propose a policy for our library. Francie asked if we (the Board) were still interested in supporting the Net Library subscription for e-books. Tina (M) to donate $100.00 to CEF for the Net Library subscription. Emily (S). Passed.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Policy- George reported that the policy books for the board and library are ready except for the Friends’ agreement and new retention policy. These will be added once adopted.

CORRESPONDENCE:
Alcohol Tobacco Free Network sent us information on creating a no smoking policy for the outside space at the library. George will review the materials.
A woman in the community sent Pat a letter requesting help for her hospital bills. Tina took the letter and will call her. The library cannot help her but Upper Hudson Enrollment Services can.
George received an e-mail from Carolyn Harding (Friends’ president) that once the CD matures; the Friends’ will give the construction fund the $5,000.00 they pledged.




UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
George gave me the FEMA letter to keep with the secretary’s minutes.
Rosenbaum appraisal has not been received as of 6/30/2010.
The understanding policy between the Friends and the Board is still pending. Emily (M), Debby (S) to table until our next meeting. Passed.
Latremore’s Insurance update; the bill for our annual Selective policy is due. Emily (M), George (S) to pay these bills, $1,3460.66 for the building and $270.00 for workmen’s comp. Passed. The Peerless policy will take effect once we receive the deed.


NEW BUSINESS:
The Gifts and Donation policy was presented by Emily. Emily (M), Debby (S) to accept the policy as presented. Passed. It will be added to the policy book.
It was decided that we pay the $10.00 for inclusion on the map for the Town Wide Yard Sale. If we do not receive the property by the end of July we will have to adjust.
Two new light bulbs have been ordered for the lights in the Children’s Room at a
cost of $17.00 each.
TD Bank has donated a typewriter to the library. George asked the secretary to send a thank you to them.

PROJECT MANAGER’S REPORT:

Grant Committee update; Emily handed out a summary of progress from May to the present. The most exciting news was that with the forthcoming budget the match may change from 50/50 to 75/25. The handout summary will be included in the secretary’s binder. Emily found that the Target Grant focused on school libraries and on a particular geographic area. Thus, it would be of no use to us. The USDA loan program requires quite a bit of accounting expertise; Debby will ask Pam Keable if she might be able to work on this now that tax season is over. George will call Renee about the grant. SHPO will not be a problem.

Fund Raising Committee update; The Book “Em for the Library is in full swing. Packets of information have been delivered to the participants. The next meeting is 7/7/2010 at 6:00p.m. at Angela Swans’ home. The letter that we have been using for our campaign will remain the same, no change of officers. Pat felt that George was the President at the start of the campaign so it should stay the same. Everyone agreed. Emily presented a check, from a patron, in the amount of $20,000.00 with a room naming designation. Pat presented a check, from a patron, for $10,000.00 for children’s room furnishings.

Legal Aspects update; once we receive the deed there was a question about the survey, is it certified and do we need title insurance? Pat will find out.


On site construction team;
Once we have the deed, the first order of business is to clean out the basement. All items will be grouped into these categories; keep, throw out, auction, yard sale. Jeff Rigsbee will be asked to give his opinion as to the value of certain items.
Emily (M), Pat (S) to hire Richard’s Tree Service in the amount of $3400.00. Passed.
Pat (M), Debby (S) to have NYSEG move the power pole in the back of the building to create better access at a cost of $3500.00. Passed.
George will service the lawn mowers that are stored at the building and start mowing. Up to this point the estate has had someone take care of the lawns. A dehumidifier will need to be purchased once we receive the property, as the basement is damp. George will contact John Polewchak to look at and possibly repair the furnace, again once we receive the property.

Review of minutes and motions complete.

Next meeting will be 7/28/2010 at 5:00 at the Town Hall. It was suggested that if we have the property we might meet there. Emily (M) to adjourn at 6:45.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tina Trombly
Secretary

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Minutes of the 5-26-10 TRUSTEES' MEETING

TRUSTEES MEETING
CHAZY PUBLIC LIBRARY
MAY 26, 2010

CALL TO ORDER: President George Brendler called the meeting to order at 5 PM. In attendance were: Trustees, Emily Castine, Pat Neverett, Debby Powers, Tina Trombly, and Library Director, Francie Fairchild. Guests were: president of the Friends of the Library, Carolyn Harding and Friends’ liaison, Ken Burger.

MINUTES:
The minutes of April 28, 2010 were amended as follows: under the Estimators Walk-Through of April 30th, delete last two sentences and add “The disposal of the items in the basement area will be at the discretion of the Board. “ Also, under the Project Progress Report, Fund-Raising Committee, #2.) The names of the individual donors will be removed from the minutes because of privacy concerns.
M (Neverett), S (Powers), PASSED

TREASURER’S REPORT: The April 2010 and the CD Report were both accepted as presented. M (Trombly), S (Castine), PASSED

DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
Director Fairchild’s report was accepted as presented. She explained that the Betty Little Patron Grant 2010 of $1,000.00 would demand attention to non-fiction titles and non-print media.

CORRESPONDENCE:
President Brendler showed a copy of the new magazine ALTAFF, a publication for trustees, Friends’ members and advocates. It will be in the library for perusal by interested persons.

Director Fairchild was contacted about TABOB, the Annual Battle of Books competition. Jackie Viestenz, Port Henry Library Director, has asked for volunteers to serve as judges and trainers for the event that is set for July 17.

FEMA Letter:
President Brendler heard from FEMA that in 30-60 days we should receive notification concerning our status. This comes after our elevation survey of last month.

2010 Library Trustees Handbook
President Brendler stated that this handbook is on line. He has made a hard copy for himself. CEF has sent a hard copy of the 2010 Handbook for our library’s use.




Deed
Attorney Heather West notified President Brendler that once the pins have been placed on the property, she will be setting up a transfer date for the Board. She will be contacting us soon about the deed. In the meantime, the pins have, in fact, been placed.

NYSED Group
An e-mail from NYSED and graduate student Tim Gavin was sent to President Brendler informing him that there was a policy development group at work to “codify” all library policies throughout the state.

Historic Window
Sam Fairchild gave President Brendler information about preserving historic windows. Apparently, replacing them would not be worth the cost.

RMS Survey
Treasurer Powers reported that she had paid the RMS bill of $1200.00 for the recent elevation survey.

Pointing of Stones
Secretary Castine was asked to write a thank-you note to Richard West who had donated his expertise as a stone and brick mason to point up the stone on the current library building on his own time. We are most appreciative of his efforts.

Friends’ Donation
At the same time, the Friends’ donation of $5,000.00 to our fund-raising effort was noted by President Brendler. The Fund-Raising Committee will send a letter of thanks to that group upon receipt of same.

President’s Overview of the Year
President Brendler referred to the paper trail of all committee meetings, walk-throughs, and communications he has kept which he has copied and sent to all of us in a timely manner this past year.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: The vote on the Library Budget was held on May 18 at CCRS. The results of the vote were: 228 yes, and 86 no.
Treasurer Powers, running unopposed, garnered 284 votes. There were 396 voters.

Vision Statement
A motion was made to add the Vision Statement worked on by Trustees Brendler and Castine and Grant Committee member Lorna Forster to our Planning Document. M (Neverett), S (Trombly) PASSED.

SHPO
President Brendler had e-mail contact with Lynn Garofalini on May 25th to learn that our papers are in the hands of Jim Warren. We are awaiting SHPO notification that we are not historically significant. This decision is critical for our Public Library Construction Grant application.

Latremore’s Insurance
Chris Latremore is working on a policy through Peerless Insurance Co. that will insure the two buildings and includes coverage for any volunteers we may have on the premises for a cost of $1,178.48. When we take possession of the new building, the agency will prorate the cost of our coverage.

West and Leroy Estimates Status
These men did a walk-through of the building and exterior on April 30th. They are to give their total cost estimates to Project Manager Brendler ASAP.

Hubbell Building Appraisal
Rosenbaum Associates will do an appraisal of the Hubbell building on June 2, 2010, at 10 AM for a cost of $350. -$500.00.

Friends of the Library Meeting
All trustees attended the Friends of the Library Meeting held on May 15, at The Station CafĂ©. President Brendler spoke on the “Understanding between the Board of Trustees of the Chazy Public Library and the Friends.” President Harding has gone over that agreement, but her group must discuss it before final approval.

NEW BUSINESS:
Trustee Powers made a motion to abide by the American Library Association’s recommended statements about: The Library Bill of Rights, the Right to Read and View, Freedom to Read Statement, and the Free Access to Libraries for Minors.
M (Powers), S (Neverett) PASSED

Material Selection and Collection Development Policies
The trustees approved a motion to accept the Material Selection and Collection Development Policy with the understanding that we take out the Restricted Access Statement.
M (Trombly), S (Powers) PASSED

Town- wide Yard Sale
President Brendler will run a sale of the library’s stuff on July 24th. Trustee Neverett said we should obtain an auctioneer. Steve Martin had told us that we have a few items in the office of value. Trustee Trombly suggested Jeff Rigsbee to auction the things we have decided to get rid of from the basement of the new building. Trustees Trombly and Neverett will work with him to get someone to appraise what we have.

CCRS Yard Sale
The school will give us three low wooden kindergarten tables and some chairs that were left over from their yard sale.


Grants Workshop and Webinar
Trustee Castine had sent a brief report on the Glens Falls workshop findings to all Board members, and George, who attended the local Webinar, described his 3-year phases: I. Occupancy; II. Finishing Rest of Building and the Basement; III. Embellishment (landscaping and patio).

HAZMAT
Grace Kelly of the State Division of Library Development said each entity should have an allowance for HAZMAT removal in the budget.

Construction Narrative for Grant Application
The Construction Narrative, part of the Library Grant application, is being worked on by Lorna Forster, Trustees Castine and Brendler.

Fund-Raising Committee
This committee meets on the first Wednesday of each month. At the last meeting, Angela Swann described the fund-raiser entitled “Book ‘em for the Library.” Ten local notables will be arrested for overdue books. They each have to raise their $500.00 bail.
There will be a VIP tent. One gains entrance to the VIP tent with a donation of $25.00 or more.
Library Director Fairchild remarked that Mrs. Pam Schafer, donor of the quilt in the Children’s Room has volunteered to create another quilt that will be raffled off for the benefit of the library on Old Home Day.
So far, the committee has received $8,085 in donations. The committee asked that donations be in by July 1, 2010.
There will have to be a way of displaying donors’ names such as the tree in CVPH, plaques, etc. The ceiling could also be used. All checks go to Trustee Neverett and then to our Treasurer, Powers. Trustee Castine showed pictures of the Chateaugay Library including the wall of donors in their entryway.

Trustee Trombly mentioned that her committee member Angela Swann asked about having a specific Pay Pal account for all fund-raising efforts based on the Construction Fund Checking Account. This would be for the donors who prefer to send money via Pay Pal. Thus, a motion was made to do so.
M Trombly), S (Neverett) PASSED

Legal Aspects Team
Our transfer is imminent. We are only getting a deed description, not an abstract. We need to have the survey certified.
Terrorist insurance coverage was mentioned, but trustees agreed that it was not necessary at this point for the old building.
The trustees agreed to ask Attorney Robert Kagan, our attorney for the Clark building transfer, to look at the original deed for the Hubbell building. It is a possibility that this building could be used as a memorial to the Hubbell Family.
Would the Hubbells be interested in buying the old building from us? George Hubbell will ask the family at their big gathering to be held very soon. The building is an asset to us at this point.

On-Site Construction Team
Trustees will need keys to the building.
The basement will be cleaned out first. There will be three categories: things to be kept, thrown out, or offered for sale.

Tree Service
Trustees agreed to go with the Richard’s Tree Service to get rid of specified trees.

Furnace
Project Manager Brendler will have John Polewchak look at it to decide if it is worth or able to be fixed. Otherwise, bids will have to be put out for replacing the furnace.

NYSEG
If the pole is moved, we must give the company a month’s notice. If it is done prior to the tree removal, it will definitely help the tree removal process. The cost will be $3500 or less to re-locate the pole. Agreed by consensus.

Mower
The mower needs new blades. President Brendler will do the mowing for now. He will get the servicing done for the mower at a cost of about $100.00. The trustees agreed by consensus.

Dehumidifier
We need to buy a dehumidifier for the old section of the building. Trustee Neverett said she had one she doesn’t use. Brendler will check hers out. Otherwise, the trustees will purchase one at a cost of around $150.00. The trustees agreed by consensus.

Dumpster
Generally, the contractor for the project will have a dumpster ready for use when the project begins.

Deadwood at Back of Building
Brendler would like to clean up the back yard of limbs, branches and other debris as soon as possible. Our line, if extended down the middle of the driveway and beyond the property, points to the middle of the trailer in the background.



Yearly Organizational Items:
Bank:
Our bank is the TD Bank. Our insurance carrier is Latremore’s Insurance, and we will have a policy with Peerless Insurance Co.
Upcoming Fiscal Year
President Brendler presented a calendar of meeting dates for 2010-2011. After making the November meeting optional, the Board was in consensus about the calendar.

Swearing In of Board Member
Treasurer. Trustee Debby Powers has to be sworn into office at the library, and the signed document must be filed with the Town Clerk.

Slate of Officers for 2010-2011:
President – Pat Neverett
Vice-President – Emily Castine
Secretary – Tina Trombly
Treasurer – Debby Powers
The secretary was asked to cast one ballot for the slate as presented.
M (Brendler), S (Trombly) PASSED

Trustee Castine was joined by all the trustees in thanking immediate past-president, George Brendler, for all his efforts these past two years.

The meeting was adjourned at 7 PM.
M (Trombly)

Respectfully submitted.


Emily Flachbart Castine
Secretary