Burlington Public Library Meeting Room

The Burlington Public Library Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 in the Burlington Public Library meeting room. Present were Penny Torhorst, Yvonne Braunschweig, Ken Jaeger, Scott Johnson and James Beardsley. Excused was Pat Hoffman, Kay Pockat, and Barb Beere. Also present were Gayle Falk and Linda Berndt.

Torhorst called the meeting to order at 4:02.

Minutes of the July 18, 2006 meeting were approved. Jaeger moved, and Braunschweig seconded. Motion passed.

The August General Fund Bills, Prepaids, Reimbursements and July General Fund Deposits were approved. Braunschweig moved and Jaeger seconded. Motion passed. The August Trust Fund Bills and the July Trust Fund Deposits were approved. Jaeger moved and Braunschweig seconded. Motion passed.

Old Business:

Booksale Update: This year’s booksale brought in less than in previous years. The weather was very hot. Last year we had a larger than usual number of books and we had perfect weather.

Strategic Planning Update: Falk asked if the Board preferred to deal with the budget before beginning a new round of strategic planning. The Board agreed.

Porch/Ramp Update: The pillars on the ramp were replaced today. They will be working on the project this week.

New Business:

Budget Update: There was no news on the budget information yet. Falk will report when she gets some information.

SRP Update: The adult summer program had 24 participants. They made 145 entries and turned in 31 book reviews. Judy was very pleased. Ruhama reported that she had about 300 children that participated.

Director’s Report:

The walk-in count the past few months was incorrect. The basement counter was not working. The monthly totals have been off.

The Parks Department has drawn up a proposal to replace some plants and trim back the existing bushes as requested by the Board. They will also draw up a plan for the courtyard area. Torhorst suggested that a bush called the low growing sumac is a good choice for this area. Braunschweig moved and Jaeger seconded the motion to move forward with the project within the current budget as discussed. Motion passed.

Falk reported that used replacement bookdrops had been purchased from another library at a very reasonable rate. Falk will contact the Historic Preservation Committee and the City for instruction on how to proceed.

Falk showed the Board the bendable animal figures that have been in the news lately because some similar toys had a high lead content in the paint that was used. The company that we bought them from has assured us that there is no lead in the paint used in our batch. They will be sending a written publication to that effect. If a patron complains or wants to return their animal, we are substituting something else in its place.

Eunice Streiff’s mother passed away last week. Eunice is our employee who has worked here the longest.

We had a request to use our meeting room, to train caregivers and parents in a special technique of teaching. There was some concern that the informational meeting might be advertising. Falk reported that the group was given the application to fill out and as yet has not responded. Falk wanted the Board to be aware of it.

There will be three Certificate of Deposits coming due. There will be one in October, November and December. Falk wanted to know if she could have the rates for the CD at the September meeting and get some guidelines from the Board so that when the rates change she will be able to make a decision based on those guidelines and not have to call a special meeting of the Board. The Board decided that she should go ahead and get the best rate for no longer than an 18 month term. She would then report to the Board at the October meeting as to what action she took. The Board would then give her guidance for the next month.

BPL in the News –There were three articles from the newspapers.

Meeting was adjourned at 4:31 PM. Jaeger moved and Braunschweig seconded. Motion passed.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 26^th at 4:00 PM at the Burlington Public Library.

Respectfully submitted,

Yvonne Braunschweig
Secretary