Kankakee Times

Kankakee Public Library Board of Trustees met May 16.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

The meeting of the Kankakee Public Library Board of Trustees met as scheduled at 5:30 p.m.

Roll Call:

Present: Bruce Conway, Sheila Donahue-Kramer, Mike Gall, Alia Lockett-Faulkner, Matt Olszewski, and Dr. Beth Patrick-Trippel.

Absent: Bob deOliveira.

Also present were: Stephen Bertrand, Library Director; Allison Beasley, Assistant Director; Teresa Cline, Business Manager and Peggy Mayer, Spotlight Meeting and Events.

Review of Minutes: The April 2017 minutes were reviewed. Ms. Donahue-Kramer motioned to approve the minutes and Ms. Lockett-Faulkner seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments: There were no public comments.

Communications: Mr. Bertrand presented the April 2017 statistics.

There were several thank you notes from community organizations thanking staff for their service, as well as a thank you note from the Doris M. Davis for the memorial contribution.

Dr. Steven Epstein submitted his letter of recognition via email to Mr. Bertrand. He is retiring after 30 years of service to the Board. There will be a reception thanking him for his service June 29, from 5:30-7:00 in the Gallery. The administrative staff will be sending invitations.

Bills and Invoices: The bills and invoices from April 2017 were reviewed. Dr. Patrick-Trippel motioned to approve Bills and Invoices; Ms. Donahue-Kramer seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Financial Report:

The library’s accounts were reviewed.

Director’s Report:

Budget: The library budget was reviewed.

Building and Grounds: Heritage is in the midst of replacing the concrete in front of both entrances.

We are in the process of arranging for the repainting of the public spaces on all four floors.

Home Appliance provided the lowest quote for the Youth Services pier and the Teen Zone. The pier carpeting is being replaced, while the Teen Zone will be re-carpeted with tiles left from the first/third floor. Camille Rose, Youth Services supervisor, is looking into yearly professional carpet cleaning for Youth Services, to help maintain the bright colors and reduce staining.

Mr. Bertrand is investigating adding security cameras on the fourth floor that will tie into our existing web-based system. He will report back to the Board once those plans are solidified. This would be covered by the Supplemental Services and Items money.

Policies: See Unfinished Business

Personnel: Autumn Hawkins and Helen Hines have both resigned from the Youth Services department. There are no plans to refill those positions at this time.

Programs: Christopher Benson, professor at University of Illinois, spoke about his new play based on the documentary “Inheritance.” The talk was well attended and is available on the library’s YouTube channel.

Other: Mr. Bertrand has not yet been contacted by the new administration, so a replacement for Dr. Epstein’s place on the Board will remain vacant temporarily.

Unfinished Business:

Revised room pricing: Ms. Mayer was in attendance to discuss the new pricing for the Auditorium and Gallery. Rather than a “First hour/Additional hours” structure that we have had in the past, pricing will be flat rates for 1-4 hours, with a charge for additional hours after the first four. Renting the both together has a set price for 1-6 hours, with a charge for additional hours past those six. These prices are for events held past library hours and on weekends. Special discounted pricing for both the Auditorium and Gallery would be offered for weekday events booked from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. A nonrefundable deposit is due with booking and the remainder of the fee will be due 30 days prior to the event. The motion for this pricing structure was combined with two others discussed in New Business.

Sick and flex time: A rewording of the policies regarding use of employee sick and flex time was presented to the Board. Mr. Conway voted to accept the rewording; Ms. Donahue-Kramer seconded it. The motion carried unanimously.

New Business:

Spotlight Meeting and Events contract: Ms. Mayer presented her contract for Spotlight Meetings and Events. She will be handling the after-hours and weekend Auditorium and Gallery rentals, as well as any complicated weekday rentals of those rooms. Spotlight already manages rentals for the Depot and the Wright House in Kankakee. The Library would pay an hourly fee to Spotlight for the planning and running of events held during the contracted times. The Library would not be required to staff or set up these events and would receive the full rental fees from the renters. It is hoped that Ms. Mayer can increase the usage of the space, thus providing a wider income stream from room rentals. The contract runs from June 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017, at which time the Board can determine if they would like to continue using her services. After some discussion and minor wording and punctuation changes, Dr. Patrick-Trippel motioned to accept the contract; Ms. Lockett-Faulkner seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Staff Room rental: Due to the changes in pricing structure for the fourth floor rentals, the policy regarding staff room rentals was amended. The recommendation from Administration and Ms. Mayer was that staff may rent these spaces at 50% the usual rate, subject to availability. This rate can be used no more than twice a calendar year beginning June 1, 2017, per staff member, and must be booked at least 6-weeks in advance or at the discretion of the Administration. The staff member must be present at the event and cannot be clocked in during the event. Staff members can book additional rentals, but must pay full price past their two-per-year reduced rentals. This policy was combined with the revised room pricing and the food preparation policy below.

Food preparation: Ms. Mayer recommended to also change the wording regarding food preparation for rented spaces, to limit Library liability in the event of a food-borne illness stemming from an event. The revised policy wording specifies that only pre-packaged foods or foods prepared at an off-site commercial kitchen can be served at rented events. This policy was combined with the revised room rental pricing and staff room rental for motion. Ms. Donahue-Kramer motioned to accept all three policy revisions; Ms. Lockett-Faulkner seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Executive Session: Executive session was not needed.

There being no additional business, Ms. Lockett-Faulkner moved to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.

http://www.lions-online.org/minutes.pdf