Printable Version: Library Board Meeting Minutes | January 21, 2010

TENTATIVE AGENDA
FOR REGULAR MEETING OF THE
EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL
MAIN LIBRARY
7711 GOODWOOD BOULEVARD
BATON ROUGE, LA 70806 JANUARY 21, 2010
4:00 P.M.

I. ROLL CALL

II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF DECEMBER 21, 2009

III. REPORTS BY THE DIRECTOR

A. FINANCIAL REPORT

B. SYSTEM REPORT

C. OTHER REPORTS

IV. OLD BUSINESS

A. REPORT ON DESIGN WORK FOR NEW MAIN LIBRARY

B. REPORT ON ROUZAN DEVELOPMENT – JTS REALTY SERVICES, LLC

C. PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY – MS. NIKKI ESSIX

V. NEW BUSINESS

A. ELECTION OF OFFICERS OF LIBRARY BOARD

B. BRANCH SERVICES – MS. PATRICIA HUSBAND

VI. COMMENTS BY THE LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL

ALL MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

THE PUBLIC IS ALLOWED TO MAKE COMMENTS RELATIVE TO AN AGENDA ITEM AT THE DISCRETION OF THE LIBRARY BOARD PRESIDENT. ANY COMMENTS NOT RELATED TO AN AGENDA ITEM MAY BE RECEIVED AND DISCUSSED OR DEFERRED TO A FUTURE MEETING UNDER PROCEDURES DIRECTED BY THE LIBRARY BOARD PRESIDENT.

Minutes of the Meeting of the
East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board of Control
January 21, 2010

The regular meeting of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board of Control was held in the auditorium of the Main Library on January 21, 2010. Mr. Dan Reed, President of the Board, called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. Members of the Board present were Mr. Stanford O. Bardwell, Jr., Mr. Donald Browning, Ms. Tanya Freeman, Ms. Kizzy Payton, and Ms. Beth Tomlinson. Also in attendance were Mr. David Farrar, Library Director; Ms. Patricia Husband, Assistant Library Director of Branch Services; Ms. Mary Stein, Assistant Library Director of Administration; Ms. Brenda Lovett, Library Business Manager; Ms. Rhonda Pinsonat, Assistant Library Business Manager; Ms. Liz Zozulin, Executive Assistant to the Library Director were in attendance. Ms. Nikki Essix, of the Parish Attorney’s Office; Mr. Dyke Nelson, architect with Chenevert Architects; Mr. Tommy Spinosa of JTS Realty Services, LLC and several of his pre-construction team along with the Library Branch Heads and several people from the community were also present. Mr. Steven Ward, reporter and Ms. Liz Condo, photographer both with The Advocate attended the meeting.

Mr. Reed began the meeting by noting that a resignation letter by Board member, Mr. Jamie Griffin had been sent to him today. Mr. Reed said that Mr. Griffin’s employment responsibilities and his enrollment in the Tulane Executive Masters of Business Administration program led Mr. Griffin to resign. Mr. Reed read the following from the letter:

“The work the Library Board of Control must do is both challenging and important. It is work that deserves the full attention of someone better able to meet the time commitments. Please accept this letter of resignation effective upon receipt.”

Mr. Reed thanked Mr. Griffin for his service and his candor in expressing his reason for resigning. Mr. Reed added that the acceptance of the resignation would be official when Mr. Brian Mayers, the Metropolitan Council Administrator receives the letter.

The minutes of the regular meeting of the Library Board on December 21, 2009 were unanimously approved on a motion by Ms. Payton, and seconded by Ms. Freeman.

Reports by the Director

Mr. Reed asked Mr. Farrar to present his financial and system reports. Mr. Farrar gave his reports noting that capital outlay for 2009 remains at $423,703.95. The Cash Collections report as of January 8, 2010 shows property taxes collected for 2010 in the amount of $24,911,994.96. The Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Encumbrances as of December 31, 2009 shows operating expenditures of $21,226,018.77 which is 78.66% of the operating budget for 2009.

Mr. Farrar said the Gate Count report remains steady and the Database Usage report

for December keeps the East Baton Rouge Parish Library in first place.

Mr. Farrar added that he has received several calls about the downtown branch library from those who want a new branch built and from those who do not. Mr. Farrar said that he wants to establish a committee of stakeholders on both sides of the issue in order to gather opinions and comments in a public setting. Ms. Freeman asked when the committee would be chosen to which Mr. Farrar replied possibly in the next week so that a direction to take could be determined.

Mr. Farrar said that he and several staff members attended the American Library Association’s Mid-Winter Conference in Boston this past week. He said that he attended various committee meetings and seminars. Of interest to him was a session on a product called Iguana presented by Infor, the company that provides the integrated library system, for our Library. Iguana is a social networking product that allows for information access while communicating with those on one’s contact list.

Mr. Farrar commented on recent editorials made in several publications about the dedication of the members of the Library Board. He responded that the decisions made by the Library Board members have been made with diligence. The Board members volunteer their time to serve on the Board, in addition to working full time as attorneys, or as staff members of Phoenix University or Louisiana State University, etc. He said that media outlets can obtain from him hundreds of pages of correspondence illustrating their dedication to fulfilling their duties as Library Board members.

Mr. Farrar asked Ms. Stein to summarize the events for this year’s community-wide reading program, The Big Read: One Book/One Community. The book chosen this year is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ms. Stein said that the kick-off event will be held on Thursday, February 4th at the Baton Rouge Community College in the Magnolia Performing Arts Pavilion. The evening will feature a 1920’s Soiree with music, mocktails and a showing of the movie, The Great Gatsby. Other events will include a “White Linen Party in the Rose Garden” featuring Zelda Fitzgerald to be held at the Old Governor’s Mansion, and a “Speak Easy: a Special after Hours Library Event” at the Bluebonnet Regional Branch Library. Ms. Stein added that the Library’s newsletter, The Source and the website, www.readonebook.org contain a complete list of events.

Mr. Farrar then said that WIFI is available at all but two library branches, but these should be WIFI accessible in the next couple of weeks. He also encouraged those present to drive to the back of the Main Library after the meeting to see one of the new outreach vans. He thanked Mrs. Gayle Smith, a member of the community, who was present at this meeting for her dedication to children’s literacy which was a contributing factor to the Library’s purchase of special vehicles to bring materials and programs to pre-school children.

Mr. Farrar concluded his remarks by announcing that in about three weeks it will be possible to view through the Library’s website approximately 1,000 images with descriptions. It will be possible to print the images that are not copyright protected.

Old Business

A. Report on Design Work for New Main Library

On December 17, 2009 the City-Parish Architectural Selection Board chose Chenevert Architects as the firm to provide a Commissioning Agent to supervise The Design Collaborative members as they work on obtaining a Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the new Main Library construction. Mr. Dyke Nelson will serve as the Commissioning Agent for the library project. Mr. Nelson was introduced to the Library Board at this meeting. He said his firm is very excited about this project and he looks forward to working with The Library Design Collaborative to construct a LEED certified library.

Mr. Farrar said that a contract has been finalized between the City and Chenevert Architects. Mr. Jim Frey, Special Projects Architect with the City-Parish Department of Public Works and Chenevert Architects completed the details of the contract last week which is the first contract by the City-Parish for a Commissioning Agent. Mr. Reed noted that now the architects can continue the design work. Then a cost estimate and the final design will be presented to the Library Board for its approval.

Mr. Reed commented that the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) between the Library and BREC would be completed once the design development work is finished.

Mr. John Berry, a member of the community, asked about the cost estimates for the LEED features. Mr. Bardwell replied that the cost estimates for LEED were deferred until the Commissioning Agent was chosen. Mr. Reed added that the cost estimates have been produced, but must be reviewed by the Commissioning Agent before they are presented.

B. Report on Rouzan Development-JTS Realty Services, LLC

Mr. Reed asked for a report by JTS Realty Services on the Rouzan development. Mr. Tommy Spinosa addressed the Library Board. He said that the City-Parish Planning Commission has approved the subdivision map which has been filed and recorded by the Clerk of Court with a legal designation. Mr. Spinosa said that Mr. Murray McCollough, an employee of Benchmark Engineering Group, LLC who is part of Mr. Spinosa’s construction team would answer any technical questions the Board might have.

Mr. Bardwell asked about the legal designation of the site for the branch library. Mr. Spinosa said that he had met with Mr. Farrar about the site. He explained that he is donating temporary access on Perkins Road to the Library for construction purposes until the building is completed. Ms. Freeman asked which part will be donated to which Mr. Spinosa pointed out the area on the subdivision map. Mr. Bardwell then asked for an explanation of the details of this process. Mr. William A. “Bushy” Aaron of the Parish Attorney’s Office will produce the documents.

Ms. Freeman asked if there is a timetable for access to Perkins Road. Mr. Spinosa said the design team is working on that issue. He added that he has produced an updated timetable which he distributed to the Library Board members. The updated timetable indicates that the library construction will begin in November of 2010 and end in October of 2011. Mr. Spinosa said in this timetable they have allowed for such things as a review by the City-Parish Department of Public Works.

Mr. Bardwell asked Mr. McCollough if the Library’s parcel is in Tract F-1 and F-2 to which Mr. McCollough said yes. Mr. Bardwell also asked Mr. McCollough to point out the site dimensions. Mr. Spinosa then told Mr. Reed that this property is what the mortgage company will sign off on, and it will not have a lien on it. Mr. Spinosa added that the Parish Attorney can give the Library Board any additional information on this property. Mr. Reed asked if the temporary road is a new feature to which Mr. Spinosa said yes.

Mr. Berry was recognized and commented on the timetable and said another deadline has been missed. He said that this is the fourth missed deadline and he wondered why the Library Board allows this to continue. Mr. Berry said this is not serving the citizens of the parish properly and is not responsible behavior. Mr. Reed replied that the Board does have integrity. He does not see how they can build a branch on the Rouzan site. He said he spoke to Dr. Kirk Patrick, one of the donors of the Burbank site. They are willing to extend the donation deadline, but he does not want to say they will build a branch on the Burbank site because some of the other Board members do not want to build on Burbank. That would be unfair to the donors of the Burbank site.

Ms. Freeman said she would like to continue discussing this as a group and not just as a debate between Mr. Berry and Mr. Reed. Mr. Berry replied that the process with Rouzan is very unethical. Mr. Spinosa said he would like to refute what Mr. Berry said by pointing out that Mayor Holden did not sign the Act of Agreement to Donate until December of 2008. He added that they have only had this signed document for one year and have made real progress. Mr. Berry said that his dates came from the official minutes of the Library Board meetings.

Mr. Farrar then said that a Board member has asked him to read the following from the minutes of the November 19, 2009 Board meeting:

“They [The committee] moved that the committee recommend to the Library Board that: the Board proceed with plans for the construction of a branch at the site on Perkins Road as part of a development known as Rouzan; that the Board request the Parish Attorney to prepare an addendum to the Agreement to Donate and Accept for execution by the parties setting forth the rights of the City/Parish and the obligations of the Rouzan developer in the event a final judgment in favor of the plaintiffs in the case styled, “Bob Welch & Daniel Hoover vs East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council, Defendant, and 2590 Associates, L.L.C. Intervenor, #563,619, 19th Judicial District Court” results in the nullification of the TND approvals for the Rouzan site; that the Board seek an extension of 18 months from the donors of the Burbank site not to commit to build on that site but to add a possible option of an alternate site in the event that Perkins Road becomes unavailable.”

Ms. Freeman then asked what where the Board’s intentions. Mr. Reed said they would ask for an extension of the deadline for the donation of the Burbank site only if the Board were really going to build on that site and if they might build on that site. Ms. Lovett, Library Business Manager, said that there is no question of an ethical nature. Six million dollars was budgeted for a southern branch by the Finance Department, but it did not specify where the branch should be located. Mr. Berry began to comment on Ms. Lovett’s statement, but Mr. Reed closed discussion on this issue.

C. Public Comment Policy-Ms. Nikki Essix

Mr. Reed said that Mr. Griffin had asked that the Board address the public comment policy that is currently in place during Library Board meetings. The current procedure restricts comments to items on the agenda. Mr. Griffin has asked that the Board consider making two changes; those being a time limit on comments by the public, and an identification of the group and proof of the authority for anyone speaking on behalf of a group.

Ms. Essix of the Parish Attorney’s Office was asked at the December meeting to draft a policy for the Library Board members to review and discuss. Therefore, Mr. Reed asked Ms. Essix to report on the draft policy. Ms. Essix said that the proposed policy has been written. She summarized the law regarding public meetings by saying that the public has a right to be present and to hear what the Library Board says. But the public has a limited right to make comments and remarks. She said that the Board needs to set forth more concrete rules. Mr. Farrar asked if the Parish Attorney has approved Ms. Essix’s draft policy. Ms. Essix replied that lead Parish Attorney, Ms. Mary Roper, was reviewing the policy. Mr. Reed asked Ms. Essix to present a copy of the draft policy at the next meeting so that the Board can take action.

New Business

Election of Officers of Library Board

Mr. Reed opened the floor for the nomination of officers for the Library Board for 2010. Mr. Browning made a motion to re-elect Mr. Reed as President since Mr. Reed has five more months before completing his term on the Library Board. Mr. Browning also nominated Ms. Freeman for Vice President and Ms. Payton for Treasurer. Ms. Tomlinson seconded the nominations. Mr. Reed, Ms. Freeman and Ms. Payton were unanimously elected as officers of the Library Board for 2010.

B. Branch Services-Ms. Patricia Husband

Mr. Farrar asked Ms. Husband, Assistant Library Director of Branch Services, to summarize the activities of her department. She asked the Branch Managers to stand as she noted that library services and programs are brought to the various communities of the parish through the branch libraries. She said that the total square footage of the twelve branches is 260,757. The branch that is closest to the Main Library is the Eden Park Branch at three miles and the farthest is the Pride-Chaneyville Branch at twenty-six miles.

Ms. Husband said that she is assisted in her department at the Main Library by Ms. Mercedes Cobb, Assistant Head of Branch Services, by Ms. Lori Juge, Librarian II and by Ms. Charlotte Pringle, Librarian II. Ms. Cobb supervises the Bluebonnet Regional Branch, the Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch, the Jones Creek Regional Branch, the River Center Branch and the Zachary Branch Libraries. Ms. Juge supervises the Carver Branch, the Central Branch, the Delmont Gardens Branch, and the Pride-Chaneyville Branches. Ms. Pringle supervises the Baker Branch, the Eden Park Branch, and the Scotlandville Branch Libraries and the Library Technician floaters. Ms. Husband said that she is also assisted by Mr. Tim Bankston, Library Facilities Manager and Mr. Claude Lindsey, Operations Manager. They maintain the physical plants ensuring that all systems are in good working order.

Ms. Husband then introduced each Branch Manager and spoke briefly about their branch library. The first branch in the Library system to open was the River Center Branch in 1980. Ms. Dianne Lewis is the Branch Manager. Besides the circulation, reference and youth services departments, the River Center houses the grants collection, the Career Center and the Baton Rouge Room. Ms. Anne Nowak of the Career Center and Ms. Melissa Eastin of the Baton Rouge Room have spoken to the Board about their work.

The first regional branch library to be built was the Jones Creek Regional Branch Library in 1990. The Head of this branch is Ms. Yvonne Hull. The most southern branch library in the parish is the Bluebonnet Regional Branch built in 1993. The Head of this branch is Ms. Melinda Newman. The third regional branch is the Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch Library built in 1997. The Branch Manager is Ms. Geralyn Davis.

In 2001 a new Baker Branch Library was built. It is located across from Baker High School. The Branch Manager is Ms. Becky Andrews. Also in 2001 a new Scotlandville Branch Library was constructed. This branch contains the Black Heritage collection and is located near Southern University. The Branch Manager is Ms. Allison Cooper.

In 2002 a new Central Branch Library on Joor Road was opened to replace the old building on Hooper Road. The Branch Manager is Ms. Heather Harrison. The former Central Branch is now the Recycled Reads book sale facility.

The Library’s outreach to senior citizens in assisted living and nursing home facilities is managed by Ms. Brenda Irvin and assisted by Ms. Rosalind Morgan. A bookmobile travels to these seniors on a rotating schedule and provides a portable branch with reader’s advisory services.

In 2004 the new Zachary Branch Library opened replacing a two-room building. Ms. Lula Pride is the Branch Manager. Mr. Farrar mentioned that Ms. Pride is the former Director of the Audubon Regional Library.

In 2005 the Delmont Gardens Branch Library opened after the completion of a renovation and expansion of the original building. This facility had the largest gate count in 2009. The Branch Head is Ms. Melissa Bradley. Also in 2005, one week after Hurricane Katrina, the new Carver Branch Library opened. A large number of residents of the community use this branch headed by Ms. Cynthia Watanabe. In 2005 the Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library opened replacing a T-building. Ms. Jeanne Mixson is the Branch Head of this most northern library branch. In 2007 a new Eden Park Branch Library was opened. It is located across from the Northeast Middle School.

Ms. Husband then noted that 298 people are employed at the branches. In 2009, 1,752,273 people visited the branch libraries; in 2008, 1,448,133 items circulated in the branches; 572,556 reference questions were answered; 1,232 programs, not including story times were held and 33,904 people attended programs.

These statistics mean that children receive free tutoring, adults learn to use computers for free, and teens take practice ACT tests for free. Patrons can borrow items from a branch near where they live again for free. Through the branches the library system delivers materials, programs, and services to all parts of the parish seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00, 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. The branches fulfill the mission of the Library to serve all residents of the parish as an educational, informational, recreational and cultural center through a wide variety of resources, services and programs.

Comments by the Library Board of Control

Ms. Freeman commented that the library staff does a phenomenal job serving patrons. The Board members agreed with applause. Mr. Reed said that the Board deals with building construction while the work of the library is done by the staff. Mr. Farrar noted that Ms. Stein and Ms. Husband are outstanding leaders of their respective areas.

Ms. Kathy Wascom, a member of the community, said she is a former reference department member. She said library staff answer many “911” type questions. People want to be greeted and also ask for community and social services information. The library staff listens and provides assistance. Ms. Freeman agreed saying that Board members experience the staff’s assistance.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned on a motion by Ms. Freeman, seconded by Ms. Tomlinson at 5:30 p.m.

Printable Version: Library Board Meeting Minutes | January 21, 2010

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