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Burlington Library AssociationRegular Meeting Minutes - 2008-09Go to: 12/9/09 11/18/09
10/14/09 9/2/09 5/15/09 4/8/09 3/11/09 2/11/09 1/14/09 Regular Meeting: Dec. 9, 2009. Called to order at 2 PM following the group's assembly of the year-end mailing. Attending: Berton, Eberhard, Small, Miller, Mazeau, Krewalk, Walluk and Library Director Hasskarl. Mantel, Winter and Merriman were unable to attend. Berton announced that Diane Mahoney took a job which conflicts with our meeting time. Correspondence: none. Secretary's Report: A motion was made by Small and seconded by Miller to accept the minutes of the November meeting. Motion was passed. Treasurer's Report: Income for the year has been very good. The end-of-the-year letter (which was prepared for mailing previous to this meeting) will hopefully bring in another $2 - 3 thousand. Mazeau moved $3000 to the capital reserve for 2009. The capital reserve fund might be used for funding a set of preliminary architectural plans for an expansion. Marie could order computer(s) since bill would arrive in January, putting the expense in the 2010 fiscal year. Assets are up and we should be getting dividends from the Main Street Foundation. Walluk moved that the report be approved, Small seconded. Motion was passed. Library Director's Report: The Director and the Board are in the fist stages of preparing next year's budget. Donations are being accepted for the mitten/hat/scarf tree as well as food for the food pantry. Dec. programs are going very well…you can get your presents wrapped for a donation by the LSM field hockey team. Our library will participate in the Farmington Valley "one book" program next fall. The Tender Bar will be read. Webmaster's Report: Berton posted the Nov. minutes and loaded a few pictures from the Open House. Program Committee: Nothing new to report. The committee is trying to coordinate a Dec. meeting. They will be planning for the annual meeting program. There will also be a discussion on having the "Chocolate/Cherry" bake sale in Feb. Old Business: none New Business: none The next meeting will be held Wed. January 13, 2010 at 1:30pm. Walluk will be out of town and Berton will appoint substitute minute-takers for the next two meetings. Adjourned: 2:25 PM Respectfully Submitted, Anne Walluk, Secretary Regular Meeting: Nov. 18, 2009. Called to order at 1:31 PM. Attending: Berton, Winter, Small, Miller, Mazeau, Krewalk, Walluk and Library Director Hasskarl. P. Michael Ragaisis, President of Library Board, attended as a guest. Eberhard, Mantel, and Merriman were unable to attend. Correspondence: none. Secretary's Report: A motion was made by Miller and seconded by Winter to accept the minutes of the September meeting as corrected. Motion was passed. Treasurer's Report: Book Sales and Bake sales for the year netted $7139.47 including $1,786.84 made from the used book sales upstairs. We are nearly $4000 over our projected budget for member dues with the end of the year letter going out soon. It is also interesting to note that at this time we have more money but fewer donors than we had in 2008. A motion was made by Small and seconded by Miller to accept the treasurer's report. Motion passed. Len will draft the year end letter and volunteers will help stuff and label them. Walluk will check on BLA envelope supply. Library Director's Report: High speed internet and TV are being installed. Marie is still working on paperwork for the congressional grant. The second program in the Bill Donovan travel series has been held. The 5 Yr. Plan for the library is in the final stages. Bev Doty is watering the plants since Steve has moved. The library staff held a nice going away party for Steve and we presented him with gifts. The anniversary open house was a success. Webmaster's Report: Berton posted the results of the pie and book sale. Also posted the Sept minutes. He will load a few pictures from the Open House, credit to go to Ray Olsen. Program Committee: Nothing new to report. The committee will meet in Dec. Thank you notes were sent to those individuals and groups who made the Open House such a success. Old Business: Pie sale: Winter reported that it was the most successful sale ever. Profits of $783 for 68 pies made by 33 bakers. 2008 made $706 for 59 pies & 29 bakers, 2007 made $576 for 53 pies & 24 bakers, and 2006 made $498 for 48 pies and 21 bakers. Nancy has written thank you notes to all bakers. Berton read Mantel's report on the book sale. The traffic was very steady especially Friday and Sat. Not many book dealers come early bird night anymore. The sale made $2001.15. A discussion about the bag sale will be tabled until Jenny returns. New Business: Mike Ragaisis initiated a discussion about 2010 BLA budget. The Library Director and Library Board will be submitting their budget for 2010-2011 fiscal year by Feb. and want to be prepared for the new administration that will take over in Jan. The next meeting will be held Wed. December 9 at 1:30pm. Adjourned: 2:25 PM Regular Meeting: Oct. 14, 2009. Called to order at 1:32 PM . Attending: Berton, Winter, Small, Miller, Mazeau, Mantel, Krewalk, Merriman, Walluk and Library Director Hasskarl. Diane Mahoney attended as a guest. Eberhard was unable to attend. Correspondence: Berton reported that he had received letter of resignation from Kecia German. Secretary's Report: A motion was made by Small and seconded by Miller to accept the minutes of the September meeting. Motion was passed. Treasurer's Report: The
total income levels have held steady this year if not a little better. We are
overspent in the area of "special events". A travel program was held
in Sept. with the funds from the Bill Donovan Memorial Fund. Len will transfer
$2000 into the checking to help cover expenses for the open house on Oct. 18.
Winter inquired why we don't keep a running balance in the checkbook. Mazeau
says he balances with the monthly statement and copies of the checks that Berton,
Winter and Walluk sign. Walluk suggested that we review this request again if
and when we start having overdrafts on a regular basis. Winter made a motion to
approve the Treasurer's report. Mantel seconded. Motion passed. Library Director's Report: Meet the Candidates will be held at the library Oct. 29, 7pm. New hand held microphones will be used. Tom Farrey from ESPN will moderate. Parenting workshops continue with funding from the Parker Trust. Caryn Davis will give presentation on Portugal as part of Bill Donovan Travel Series. Webmaster's Report: Berton has done extensive updating on the website. Pictures from Mazeau's award luncheon at Mantel home, Tavern Day pictures, Winter's appeal for bakers, Walluk's write up about the open house, removed German from the Board page, and posted the April & May minutes following approval. Program Committee: Walluk reported on invitations, Kids in the Middle volunteers, DVD (done by Paul Rochford), Gerilynn Kysar, book characters. Winter and Hasskarl followed up with details about refreshments for the anniversary party, and Lewis S. Mills Band. Krewalk will buy cider. Old Business: Pie sale: Winter reported that there are 7 pre-sales and 40 plus pies pledged for sale. Book Sale: Mantel reported that the volunteers are on target. The books from the Canton donation were very good for the sale. Library staff and volunteers are trying to go over them before the sale. Landscaping: Merriman mentioned that his son had removed dead burning bush(s), replaced with 5 smaller ones, and fertilized. He recommends pruning of trees in the spring. Mort Dunning is going to help with cleaning out invasive weed in lily bed. Jackie Krewalk will weed before Sunday's open house. New Business: Winter announced that Steve Romanzi is moving to Canton. Steve has been a long time library volunteer coming in two to three times a week. He has truly given each plant in the building new life and energy with his tender loving care. He will be missed. The next meeting will be held Wed. November 18 at 1:30pm. The library will be closed on our regular meeting date in recognition of Veterans Day. Adjourned: 2:19 PM Regular Meeting: Sept. 2, 2009. Called to order at 1:50 PM at the home of board member Jenny Mantel following a luncheon in honor of Sanford Mazeau, recipient of the Friends of CT Libraries award for individual lifetime achievements. Attending were Berton, Eberhard, Small, Miller, Mazeau, Krewalk, Merriman, German, Walluk and Library Director Hasskarl. Winter was absent. Visitors were Doug Lord of the CT State Library, Ann Mazeau, Alice Taricani and Trudy Coleman. Departing gifts were presented to Kecia German and our fondest wishes as she moves to Gloucester, MA. Her service to our Board will be greatly missed. Correspondence: a) Library staff sent a certificate and thank you letter for sponsoring Library Family Night and supporting the very successful summer program b) Berton received a request to renew our $35 annual membership to the Friends of CT Libraries. A motion to renew was approved. He asked Mantel to fill out their book sale questionnaire. c) A letter from the United Way requesting a W-9 statement and federal non-terrorist form were passed on to Mazeau d) Walluk reported that the Inc. papers and $25 fee has been filed with the State of CT e) Walluk received a notice from the U.S. Postal Service that bulk mail rates are increasing Secretary's Report: A motion was made by Small and seconded by Miller to accept the minutes of the April and May meetings. Motion was passed. Treasurer's Report: United Way donations have contributed greatly to our income and with end-of-the-year donations and a fall book / bake sale, we should comfortably meet our budget. Sandy also projected that with a good end of the year campaign we will not need as much from the "accumulated income" as budgeted. Library Director's Report: Summer programs were very successful. IMLS has received the final application for the federal grant. The first Donovan Travel program will be about Italy, Sept. 24, 7pm; Tavern Day Sept. 13th ; October 18th Open House; 2 book discussion groups. Since there is only $1200 left in the equipment budget the Board has approved the purchase of one new computer before Jan. not three (at $2772) as requested. The library will be purchasing 6 new laptops with the federal grant money when received. A request of $670 for track lighting to replace the dome lights that were removed for the Rossi mobile was denied because building fixtures are the responsibility of the Town and not the "Friends". Marie asked that a Board member be a coordinator for home book donation pick-up requests. Pat Small volunteered--she also has a dump permit which could be used if books turn out to be in extremely poor condition. Webmaster's Report: Life members' page updated. Added volunteer page and photos. Added a report on spring book/cookie sale included names of the volunteers. Program Committee: Walluk made a brief report on the Open House, and covered the directions and schedule for the upcoming Tavern Day activities. Old Business: none New Business: Landscaping and weed pulling is needed before the open house. Merriman will replace the dead burning bushes for $260. It was decided not to pursue e-mail reminders in addition to the end-of-the-year contribution solicitation letters. No additional items were discussed. Adjourned: 2:44 PM Respectfully Submitted, Special Meeting: May 15, 2009 Called to order at 4:02 PM in the Anne Walluk Community Room. Attending were Berton, Eberhard, Small, Miller, Mazeau, Winter, Walluk and Library Director Hasskarl. German, Merriman and Krewalk were absent. This meeting was called to discuss a request from Library Director Hasskarl to pass a resolution to loan the library $13,300 for summer programs. A discussion followed regarding the Association by-laws and if we could approve this request. It was agreed that we could not loan the library money but we could purchase from our approved 2009 budget the amount of $1800 to be spent on computers and $1660 to pay for Tuesday night programs for June 30 through July 28. The FOCL award for Sandy Mazeau will be given June 13, 9:30 to 1 at the Guilford Public Library. Berton will go and accept this award on behalf of Mazeau who will be out-of-state. Other members were invited to accompany Berton. Hasskarl raised the issue of BLA participation in Tavern Day. It was determined that we would ask the Historical Society if we can occupy the Old Schoolhouse for this occasion, and, weather permitting, place our upstairs book cart outside the door. Adjourned: 5 PM Respectfully Submitted, Meeting: April 8, 2009. Called to order at 1:35 PM in the Anne Walluk Community Room. Attending were Berton, German, Small, Miller, Mazeau, Merriman, Winter, Walluk and Library Director Hasskarl. Small, Eberhard, Mantel absent. Guests: Ed Krewalk. Board Vacancy: There was a unanimous vote in favor of appointing Ed Krewalk to fill the vacancy left by Mike Ragaisis. Ed's strong interest in the library and support for the BLA, as well as his professional credentials will make him a great asset to our group. Correspondence: Friends of CT Libraries annual meeting Minutes: Motion was made by Winter and seconded by Mazeau to accept the March minutes as corrected. Motion passed. Program Committee: Marie explained the "grant" money. With this award, the library withdraws its request for help to sponsor summer programs. They will also not ask local businesses to help finance summer programs this year. Money will be left in our budget, however. The volunteer party will take place just prior to the annual meeting on May 13. Gift certificates from the Frozen Gnome (local ice cream business) were thought to be a good idea to give our honored volunteers. Treasurer: Sandy has edited the budget to show the funding discussed at the March meeting. Income is balanced with the expenditures by increasing accumulated income line. Membership donations are coming close to normal. Over 100 to date. Some individuals are giving more than last year. Winter moved, Miller seconded to present this budget to the members at the annual meeting. The decision to pledge the difference needed to help the library purchase the Karen Rossi mobile was placed on "hold". Library Director: LIBRARY BUDGET: Marie will call and/or e-mail members to come and support the library budget at the Board of Finance meeting when she knows the date. SOLAR: Marie is talking to companies about a solar audit. ART/DISPLAY: In response to our newsletter, Marie has received interest from a resident willing to help coordinate artists for the library. LANDSCAPING: Bob Merriman will assist in pricing out replacement boxwoods for the front of the library. Website: Berton reported that he posted the minutes of the March meeting and the IRS filing data. He is going to work on re-organizing the past minutes. Long Range Planning: Architect Dale Cutler met with the Library Board. Mary Louise Jensen from CT State Library did a walk around with Marie and Sandy. Old Business: Cookie signups are slow. Board asked to help. Kecia has ribbons for Nancy; Anne W. will help Sat.; Ed Krewalk volunteered to help set up on Friday. Royal Icing program is scheduled the Wed. before the cookie sale. Nancy has 16 orders for the "Burlington geranium". Book bags are on order. The bookmark project has taken a backseat for awhile. Alice T. has a list of volunteers for the book sale and will follow up in the absence of Jenny (family requirements). New Business: Annual meeting agenda was reviewed and approved. In response to a question from Bob Merriman, Len will look into our by-laws to see if we have ever established the guidelines for an "executive committee". Adjourned: 3:25 PM March 11, 2009: Called to order at 1:32 PM in the Anne Walluk Community Room. Attending were Berton, Eberhard, Small, Miller, Mazeau, Merriman, Winter, Walluk and Library Director Hasskarl. German and Mantel absent. Guests: Mike Ragaisis and Ed Krewalk. Correspondence: none Minutes: Motion was made by Winter and seconded by Miller to accept the February minutes as corrected. Motion passed. Treasurer: 1. United Way donation is still a mystery. Walluk will send donor a thank you letter. 2. Budget draft: income levels will probably be lower…..as noted in lowering the Vanguard dividends from $1200 to $1000 level. $300 was added to the Capital Reserve line. Equipment was increased to $6000 and special events were increased to $3000. A new server and a couple of PCs are needed. Also, money is needed for summer programs and a small amount for the 15th Anniversary celebration. 3. Sandy filed the tax return to the IRS. First year we have had to file. As soon as the filing levels are raised from $25,000 to $50,000 we won't have to file. Anne will keep a copy of the return in the Secretary's files, and Len will post on the website. Library Director: 1. Library budget is flat for next year. Hasskarl and Library Board member Ragaisis requested ways that the "Friends" can help. No one was in favor of paying for general library operating costs, i.e., staffing 2. Love your Library magazine campaign is still going on. 3. In March, Marie will meet with Mary Louis Jensen from CT State Library; Gordon Shies of Alteris Renewables about solar panels. 4. Marie has talked to Dale Cutler, Library architect (Kenyon and Cutler) about coming to a Library Board meeting. 5. Marie talked about upcoming programs-book discussions, and coffee /poetry reading. Website: Berton reported that he posted the minutes of the Feb. meeting and added the data about the book sale, cookie sale, royal icing program, and the Annual Meeting with the Dan Stevens program. Long Range Planning: No meeting Program Committee: Full report is attached. Summary: 15th anniversary will be held as an open house event on October 18, 2009. Winter is in charge of menu, Eberhard the agenda and speakers, Hasskarl and Meheran the entertainment, Walluk the banner, invitations and exhibits. Old Business: Nancy and Steve Romanzi will be rooting the heirloom geranium soon. They will be $5 each available April 25 - May 9. "Friends" book bags have been ordered and supplier will ship before book sale. We will discuss price when we see how they look. ($10-12 range). Memorial book mark is completed and "friends" bookmark almost ready. May newsletter is printed and volunteers should stuff envelopes and have them returned to the library by Mon., March 16. New Business: Len and Elaine Eberhard will be the nominating committee for expiring terms of four board members. A short discussion was held concerning used books and the book sale. Adjourned: 3:04 PM Respectfully Submitted, Wednesday, February 11, 2009 in the Anne Walluk Community Room Call to order: 1:30 PM. Meeting was led by President Len Berton. Attendance: Mazeau, Eberhard, German, Merriman, Winter, Miller and Library Director Hasskarl. Ed Krewalk also attended as a visitor. Mantel, Small, and Walluk were unable to attend. Correspondence: none Minutes: Motion to accept the minutes of our January 14, 2009 meeting with modification was made by Winter, and seconded by Eberhard. Motion was carried. Treasurer's Report: Sandy
reported that we received an unexpected United Way gift ($3111 in total after
payroll deductions are done). The donation may have been in error as the donor
lives in Bridgeport. The Board will ask Anne to send a thank-you note as a
subtle way to determine if the donation is valid. Library Director's Report: Children's Services Librarian, Laurie Meheran, spoke on several programs which would benefit from Friends funding. The 2009 summer reading program will focus on "Be Creative at Your Library" while avenues for children, teens and adults. All Burlington businesses will be contacted for their logos on the summer t-shirts with $250 and $100 options, or an "in kind" donation. Laurie would appreciate a donation from the Friends but we will defer until after the draft 2009 budget is prepared. Last year we provided $1,000 for the summer program. With a $2,000 grant from the Parker/Main Street trusts, the library will sponsor several parenting workshops. The first will focus on understanding challenging behavior in children and 26 people have signed up already. Karen Rossi is the metal artist whose works are currently exhibited throughout the library. She will continue her relationship with the library by presenting a parent workshop to encourage creativity. In addition the library would like to purchase one of her mobiles for approximately $1,000. She has agreed to involve the children in the design of this work through a children's library program. Joanie's Child Care has already provided a $500 donation and another donor has agreed to a matching donation but the limit is unknown. Laurie would like us to contribute $250 but we will first wait to find out the maximum of the matching donation. We could possible do an "unveiling" of the new artwork in association with the library's 15th anniversary. As part of the Travel Program, there will be a presentation in September on Italy. Monies from the Donovan Fund will be used to support these annual travel series. Marie distributed and discussed correspondence from different space planning vendors including Kevin McCarthy, and Penfield Place Consulting. She is also pursuing information from the Burlington Building Department and the original library architect. The University of Hartford was contacted as well as and they will check to see if a resource is available to assist us. There is a concern that the basement ceiling is too low to permit expansion. Marie will also determine if the basement meets code requirements before we follow-up with any of the vendors. Webmaster Report: The only change this month was the addition of the last Board minutes. Programming Committee: Nancy reported that the newsletter is in progress. A "Royal Icing" workshop is planned for 4/22/09 with a hands-on instruction of this premier cake and cookie icing process. Heirloom geranium cuttings are being propagated (2 dozen) for future sale at $5.00 each. Long Range Planning: Pat reported that the five year plan is still in progress, and will bear reassessment given the current economic climate. Old Business: New Business: Bob requested clarification on our library name. Burlington Library Association, Inc. is our legal name but we also use the Friends of the Burlington Library synonymously. We are also reminded to acknowledge the name of any program contributor in any public announcement. Adjourned: 2:48 PM Respectfully submitted, Board
Meeting January 14, 2009 Call to
Order: 1:30 PM. Meeting led by Len Berton. Attendance:
Small, Mazeau, Miller, Mantel, German, and
Library Director Hasskarl. Ed Krewalk, visitor and life member was in
attendance. Merriman, Walluk, Winter
and Eberhard were unable to attend. Correspondence:
Thank you letter received for books donated to Bristol Community Renewal
Team. E-mail from a new book sale
list, offering the opportunity to be listed – will be forwarded to Jenny
Mantel. E-mail from Friends of CT
Library concerning a FOCL Forum – will be forwarded to Pat Small and Pat
Miller. Secretary’s
Report: Motion to accept the December minutes, Pat Small; seconded, Sandy Mazeau.
All in favor. Treasurer’s
Report: Vangard lost approximately $5,700; Main Street Foundation most likely
performed the same. Assets are down approximately $12,000. Year end letters were
returned by 38 donors with $2,443. Last year, 54 donors responded with $2,900 in
donations. Overall, we had 205 members, including life members who donated; as
compared to 236 in 2007. Contributions for memorials, book sales, and bake sale
were over budget for the year but overall donations were down. We
spent $31,000 – less than the $36,000 in the budget.
We did, however, reach the minimum requirement for a Federal Tax return
which is due in May. Motion to accept the treasurer’s report, Small; seconded,
German. All in favor, none opposed. Len thanked Sandy Mazeau, Pat Small, Pat
Miller and Anne Walluk for their help in sending the 225 letters requesting
donations at year’s end. Personal
notes were added to the 18 who contributed more than $50 previously. Librarian’s
Report: We have two new microphones donated by the Friends – one wireless.
Only one can be used at a time –looking at a system that allows both to be
used simultaneously. Karen Rossi’s art work is on display – 35% of the sales
will be donated to the library. With addition of Joni’s child care donation,
library hopes to purchase a mobile for the children’s room. Webmaster’s
Report: Replaced page with museum pass information with link to library website
with current information. November minutes posted.
Pie sale final numbers were corrected. Sandy noted that a notice of the
availability of the federal tax return must be added to the website when the
return is filed in May. Long Range
Plan: Nothing additional to report. Program
Committee: This email was received from Nancy: “1.) I've booked Donna Gonchar
for a hands-on workshop/demonstration of Royal Icing for Wed. April 22 at 7pm.
This is the Wed. before our Cookie Sale on Sat. 2.) Since we missed the deadline
for applying for the CT Comm. Arts grant for $450 for our annual meeting Dan
Stevens’s "Blues 101" program, I wrote a sponsorship request to
Torrington Savings Bank manager, Melissa; and I'm now waiting for a response
from the main office.” Marie
reported that TSB has donated $50 to this program. Old
Business: Book bags and book marks should to be ready before the April book
sale. Anne has sent the draft newsletter to Nancy – need additional notes from
Len and Marie as well as confirmation of dates and times for programs, the book
sale, cookie sale and geranium sale. New
Business: Solar panels – an energy audit is needed to proceed; may request
that the Friends pay for the study. DVD’s are missing – Sandy will check
with Cole AV about a security camera. Marie would like to have a consultant look
at the efficient use of existing space. Suggestion made that Local History Room
be relocated to a refurbished space in the basement (since access is already
limited), and its existing floor space be used for something else.
Parker Trust is contributing $2,000 to the parenting workshop. Adjourned:
2:14 PM. Patricia
Miller Board Meeting: Wednesday Dec. 10, 2008 in the Anne Walluk Community Room Call to order: 1:30 PM Meeting led by President Len Berton. Attendance: Small, Mazeau, Miller, Mantel, Merriman, Winter, Eberhard, Walluk, and Library Director Hasskarl. German was unable to attend. Ed Krewalk, visitor and Life Member, was in attendance. Correspondence: United Way letter. Len completed on-line form to assure that no United Way funds were used by our organization in support of terrorism. Minutes: Motion to accept the minutes of our Nov. 12, 2008 meeting with spelling correction was made by Miller, seconded by Small. Motion was carried. Treasurer's report: There was very little activity this month. Under expenses there was an additional $250 for the Association-sponsored children's program "Merry Tales". A CD at Farmington Savings Bank is maturing. Motion to accept the Treasurer's report and authorize Len B. to invest in another CD with the most interest and not to exceed 18 months was made by Eberhard, seconded by Miller. Motion was carried. Library Director's report: Marie reported that she and the Board are beginning the budget process although they have not heard anything from Town government. She is having building heating issues. She will re-look at buying cordless microphones, since the library will likely sponsor a "Meet the Candidates" program in 2009. Webmaster report: Len has posted the minutes from the last meeting. He is updating the Life Member list with those joined in 2008. Nancy requested that the amount earned on the pie sale be corrected. Long Range Planning: Miller reported that there had been no meetings. Likely meet in January, 2009. Program Committee: Walluk and Winter will be looking at a CT Commission of the Arts grant to help pay for Dan Stevens program in May. In addition to the supplies for the children's program Stone Soup, the "Friends" sponsored an impromptu party and everyone was invited to the library tonight (Dec. 10) for pizza, goodies and a nice roaring fire in the fireplace. The Library Board has also been invited, as well as First Selectman Kathy Zabel. Old Business: A. Book Sale -- Mantel reported that Glenn from Springfield will be coming Jan. 13, 2009 to pick up the surplus books from the sale. She will call volunteers to help load. B. The design for the book bag is 99% complete. Staff person Sara LoPresti is being paid $18 an hour for her work to design an electronic file of our logo that can be sent to the book bag company. She is in communication with the company to touch up parts of the design for final draft. C. Walluk is making changes in the bookmark and it too is almost complete. D. Year-end-donation letter has been completed by Len. He has written three versions: to non-donors, to Life members, to 2006 & 2007 donors. Volunteers will get them out next week. E. It was decided to discontinue mailing letters to parents of newborns since it is impossible to get names and addresses. The library staff will hand out Books for Babies packet, we will add info to our website, and a notice will go in our annual newsletter. New Business: A. Walluk has been working on a rough draft of the newsletter for next May and encourages members to submit something. B. Hasskarl announced that the Town will have their new web site up soon. (Maybe Jan.) C. Merriman inquired about the library sponsoring a chess club. Discussion led to other possible board game clubs. Marie will take note of idea. Adjourned: 2:19 PM Respectfully submitted, Board Meeting: Wednesday November 12, 2008 in the Anne Walluk Community Room Call to order: 1:30 PM. Meeting led by President Len Berton. Attendance: Mazeau, Mantel, German, Merriman, Winter, and Library Director Hasskarl. Miller, Small, Walluk and Eberhard were unable to attend. Correspondence: none Minutes: Motion to accept the minutes of our October 8, 2008 meeting with changes was made by Winter, seconded by Mazeau. Motion was carried. Treasurer's Report: There was very little activity this month. 2008 total book sales (upstairs & downstairs) exceeded $8,000 which is above the projected amount. The 2008 year-end campaign to solicit donors is forthcoming. Due to the poor economy, a motion was made not to draw down our accumulated income this year. Motion to approve was made by Mantel and seconded by German. Motion was carried. Library Director's Report: $2,000 is needed to extend the stacks in the teen section, as well as $300 for a new printer. Money is already allocated in the 2008 budget for these purchases. Memorial spending is in progress. For the 2009 budget, a new server will be needed at an estimated cost of $3900. The Phelps program had a fair turnout with 16 attendees. The 'Rev Up Your Resume' program is slated for 11/20. Webmaster Report: Book and pie sale results (including a photo) and minutes were posted as well as a staff page change to remove Jim. Len was able to measure web hits to the library site which averaged 3 per day. Program Committee: Nancy provided an update. A holiday program is planned for 12/10 at 6:00 p.m. with pizza and crafts before the 7:00 town carol sing. Estimated cost is $250. Nancy has booked Dan Stevens with his partner, C. Amato, to perform his Blues 101 concert at our annual meeting on May 13, 2009. The cost is $450 and a grant will be sought from the Arts Council to cover said cost. Also Anne booked Irish balladeer, Dan Ringose, for a 3/13/2009 performance at 7:00 p.m. for $175. Our March meeting is this same day but no one considered it to be an issue. Some discussion was held on possibly moving the Elvis impersonator to October for our 15th anniversary celebration (10/13/2009) or even summer due to our many spring activities. Long Range Planning: No new developments to report this month. Old Business: Nancy reported that this year's pie sale was our most successful ever with 30 bakers, 59 pies and $706 in income. She credits the success to special order and personalized pies, thank-you notes which encouraged participation, and pies priced between $8-12. Most pies went for $12. Sami Sebastion has committed to helping with the pie sale throughout her high school years. Nancy purchased a CD for her as a token of appreciation. Jenny reported $1776 in income from the October book sale. Sales were $533 on Thursday, $198 on Friday and $950 on Saturday. Arrangements have already been made to have Glen pick up unwanted books. Bob's son and two boys cleaned and hauled 18 truckloads of brush for $970 to significantly improve the library landscaping. We are most grateful for their beautification efforts. Discussion of book bag sales was deferred to the December meeting. New Business: The annual year-end campaign to contributors and life members
who have not yet contributed in 2008 will be expanded to include past 2007 and
2006 contributors. Len will write the letters. Assistance will be needed for the
envelope stuffing. Bob Merriman reported that the Main Street Foundation visitors were very impressed with our library personnel. Carol Giannantosio was mentioned by Jenny as a possible new Board member. Mr. & Mrs. Krewalk (prospective Board members) were again invited by Len but they did not attend. Jenny will hold off on Carol until Len contacts the Krewalks. Craig Winter built new shelving in the library to better display our plants. Adjourned: 2:32 PM Respectfully submitted, Board Meeting: Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008 in the Anne Walluk Community Room Call to order: 1:30 PM Meeting led by President Len Berton. Attendance: Small, Mazeau, Miller, German, Merriman, Winter, Eberhard, Walluk, and Library Director Hasskarl. Mantel was unable to attend. Library Director Hasskarl introduced new part-time employee Denise Murphy. Correspondence: none Minutes: Motion to accept the minutes of our Sept 10, 2008 meeting with changes was made by Winter, seconded by German. Motion was carried. Treasurer's report: There was very little activity this month. Most of the additional income was from the sale of books from the used book sale cart upstairs. Motion to approve was made by Miller, seconded by Small. Motion was carried. Library Director's report: Hasskarl handed out copies of a grant that was submitted to the Main Street Foundation requesting $1500 for parenting programs and materials. A grant application for funding from the Women and Girl's Fund will be submitted in 2009. The Director also handed out flyers for upcoming programs. Webmaster report: Len has posted the minutes from the last meeting, removed Mike Ragaisis's picture, and posted the pie sale. His attempts to find a way to measure web-site hits (request of Bob Merriman) was not successful. He will pursue another approach. Long Range Planning: Miller handed out the first draft of the long range plans that the committee has put together. Serving on the committee are Pat Miller, Sandy Mazeau, Marie Hasskarl, Carol Troiani, Chris Scheidel. Old Business: A. Pie Sale -- Winter reported that the first of the
pre-ordered pies are being delivered today. She and Sami Sebastian made five
pies. Nancy is going to be calling others to bake and Elaine E. and Anne W. will
help with the sale. B. Book Sale -- Walluk reported that the volunteers said
everything is on schedule….call Jenny Mantel if you want to volunteer to work
the sale; Pat Small has signs ready for people to take. New Business: A. Memorial donation envelope handed out. They will be available at library desk and for the staff to hand out. Also, Walluk will work on a bookmark explaining what the BLA is, our mission and how donations can help. They will be delivered to area funeral homes when completed. B. Marie needs $2000 to pay for new shelving because the Town would only approve half of what was needed. We approved the remaining equipment budget to be used for the shelving. C. Nancy displayed the geranium she is growing for the spring cookie/plant sale along with photos of the plant when in bloom. D. Len B. invited Mr. & Mrs. Krewalk (perspective Board members) to our meeting but they were unable to come this month. Adjourned: 3:07 PM Respectfully submitted, Anne Walluk, Secretary Board Meeting: Wednesday SEPT. 10, 2008 in the Anne Walluk Community Room Call to order: 1:30 PM Meeting led by President, Len Berton. Attendance: Small, Mazeau, Merriman, Winter, Eberhard, Walluk, and Library Director Hasskarl. Absent were Mantel, Miller, German. Correspondence: Berton read an appreciation letter from the Library children's staff thanking the association for their $1000 donation for summer programs. Mazeau has received a letter of confirmation from the state for filing our annual business report. Minutes: Motion to accept the minutes of our April 9, 2008 meeting was made by Small, seconded by Eberhard. Motion was carried. President Berton handed out the attached list of meeting guidelines. We all agreed to honor the 7 points to enable our meetings to be run more efficiently. Treasurer's report: Mazeau's financial handout shows that our end of the year assets for Dec. 31, 2007 were $91,912.03. The books being sold upstairs are doing very well. Total since Jan. is $1,232.25. Hasskarl updated the members as to the status of each of the memorial funds. Motion to approve was made by Winter, seconded by Eberhard. Motion was carried. Library Director's report: Thank you for the support of the summer programs. Summer programs cost over $5,000. Attendance was great and circulation was up significantly for the summer months. The staff is looking at applying for two grants (Parker Trust and Women and Girl's Fund). They are also looking at the scholar led book discussion programs. The "friends" agreed to sponsor the cost of two (2) of these programs to be scheduled for 2009. Webmaster report: Len has added the minutes from the May 2007 annual meeting which was approved at the May 2008 annual meeting. He has also updated the LIFE members list and the cookie sale report. With the help of the library staff he has revamped the "Resource page". Merriman asked about website "hits". It was done in the past but Len will look into this again. Long Range Planning: There were no meetings over the summer. Old Business: Pie Sale -- Winter reported that the publicity has started and that she and her assistant, Sami Sebastian, have made some plans for presale orders this year. Prices will be kept the same but more pies will be in the $12 range. (fancier and more detailed work). Pie sale is Oct. 25 while book sale is held Oct. 23, 24 and 25. There will be no fall newsletter due to the increased cost in postage. New Business: a. Library card pocket sponsor-- Marie will ask Bruce Flax. She
will hand out only to those who really want one which will help them last
longer. Decision not to nominate Flax as Honorary LM because that would set an
undesirable precedent. b. Storage shed for snow blower -- Marie is working on
having the snow removed by a contractor instead of a high school kid. If this
works out then the library will get rid of the snow blower. c. Landscaping
-Merriman recommended that we prune trees and shrubs. Marie will get a quote. We
have $124 left in landscaping budget. d. Walluk, Hasskarl, Winter, and Eberhard
will meet to discuss sponsoring programs this fall and winter. They will bring
ideas to next meeting. e. Memorial plaque will have the names of Maude and
Ernest Hinman added in recognition of Jeanne Hinman Bartman's donation of $300.
f. Walluk will talk to Sarah LoPresti about art for inexpensive book bags. Respectfully submitted,
Board Meeting: Wednesday April 9, 2008 in the Anne Walluk Community Room Call to order: 1:34 PM Meeting led by President, Len Berton. Attendance: Small, Mazeau, Ragaisis, Miller, Merriman, Winter, Mantel, Eberhard, German, Walluk, and Library Director Hasskarl. Correspondence: Berton read a letter of resignation from Board member P. Michael Ragaisis. Mazeau reported that he had received a report from The Main Street Foundation with our yearly interest of $857.51. The total year end balance (12/31/07) was $19,488.97. Minutes: Motion to accept was made by Small seconded by Miller. Motion was carried. Treasurer's report: Mazeau and the Board went over the draft 2008 budget line-by-line changing various items after discussion and agreement. This budget will be presented and voted upon at the annual meeting. A designated gift of $2000 will be moved to the memorial line because it is in memory of Frances Wright. Motion to approve was made by Winter, seconded by Eberhard. Motion was carried. Library Director's report: Marie has purchased a new LCD projector from Cole and will keep it locked up in her office. Various microphones were discussed and a motion was made by Eberhard, seconded by Winter, to purchase one wired mic @ $160 and one cordless mic @ $359. Motion was carried. Children's librarian Laurie Meheran presented a proposal to support the summer reading program, Catch the Reading Bug. Mazeau moved that we appropriate $1000 in support of these programs. German seconded and motion was carried. Misc: 1. Marie has ordered a laptop. 2. A presentation on book sales is being offered at the CLA convention in April and Pat Small would like to know if someone would like to go with her. 3. Mantel will call facilities manager at Region 10 to see if they want the risers back that they loaned the library in 1996 for its centennial program. 4. The Farmington Valley libraries are sponsoring a "One Book" program this summer and fall. They have selected Carlos Erie's Waiting for Snow in Havana. Webmaster report: Len has added the minutes from the Jan. meeting, news about the book sale and cookie sale, and a new picture of the Resource Center (text will be updated also) Long Range Planning: Miller reported that the committee has a mission statement. At the last meeting they went over the statistics that will help guide the Library Director and Board in establishing the need for a library expansion. Statistics were made available by the State Long Range Planning workshop that she and Marie H. went to. Mazeau added that his discussions with the Burlington Chamber president led to the idea of surveying the chamber members about their support for a library expansion. Old Business: New Business: Adjourned: 3:46 PM . Respectfully submitted, Anne Walluk, Secretary (February meeting was cancelled twice due to storms.) Correspondence: CLA workshop on book sales. Details on CLA web site. Minutes: Motion was made by Small and seconded by Winter to accept the January minutes as corrected. Motion passed. Treasurer: Sandy filed the tax non-return form to the IRS. Next year our
income will be over the non-filing limit and we will probably have to file a
return. Library Director: 1. Library budget was presented to the Board of Selectman with positive responses. Total was not approved but some cuts were reinstated. Painting for ceiling was eliminated. 2. Love your Library magazine campaign is still going on. 3. Long Range Planning Committee has been meeting. It is made up of Pat Miller, Sandy Mazeau, Chris Scheidel, Carol Troiani and Marie. Ultimate results will be to propose an expansion for the library. Pat Miller was asked to report monthly on the progress of this committee in order to keep the "Friends" up to date. 4. Marie will purchase a wireless microphone from Cole Equipment. 5. A motion was made by Walluk and seconded by Ragaisis to spend up to $800 on new business tables for the community room, and it was approved. 6. Marie will have deadbolts added to the closet door in the Community room to thwart any additional robberies of equipment. Website: Berton reported that he cleaned up the three year old pages, added a picture of new employee Diana Rudzinski, along with pictures of 2007 annual meeting. Also added Dec. minutes. Old Business: Discussion on Jerram's Winery tabled. New Business: The Bicentennial quilt hanging in the library needs to be encased but a proposal to use Association funds was not unanimously popular. It was felt that this is a special project that should be done on behalf of the Town with "art, cultural, reservation-type grants". Miller mentioned the new sign at the high school. We can change our sign but only if it uses the same configuration (P&Z regulations). We are grandfathered from any regulations if sign stays the same. Adjourned: 3:56 PM Respectfully Submitted, Anne Walluk, Secretary Board Meeting: Wednesday Jan.9, 2008 in the Anne Walluk Community Room Call to order: 1:35 PM Meeting chaired by President Len Berton. Attendance: Small, Mazeau, Ragaisis, Miller, Winter, German, Eberhard, and Library Director Hasskarl. Absent: Walluk, Mantel, Merriman. Correspondence: Berton read a letter from Children's Services Librarian, Laurie Meheran, and a Thank You received from Burlington Children to the Burlington Library Association for support of the Summer Reading Program. The children were "enchanted" by the rain forest theme. Over 15 acres of Rift Valley Rainforest in Kenya were saved by the sale of the t-shirts. Minutes: Motion to accept December 07 minutes with changes was made by Small and seconded by Miller. Motion was approved. Treasurer's report: Mazeau handed out the report. He reported that earnings
for the year from FSB, TSB, Main Street and Vanguard are $2937 not $4100 as
previously reported. $2875 was received from the year end letters. Donations for
the year were $11.3K. Accumulated income from previous years was not used and
will be added to this year. Mazeau reported that every category is over budget.
$6900 is in checking. Mike reported the Town Library Board has heard that new town management wants everyone to hold their budgets at 5% growth. Mike thinks that this will be difficult for the Library. Some board members believe that items like computers and copiers are customary town expenses in other towns. Marie would like to use Friends' money for Materials- books, music, dvds and good programs and the town should cover capital expenses. Library Director's report: Marie found folding tables that met the desired requirements are $238 each to replace the three broken tables. Len and Nancy suggested that the tables should be considered capital. Marie will investigate. Marie again thanked Elaine for the used coffee maker and thanked Kecia for the new coffee maker. Marie reported that other libraries borrow microphones from the school when they are needed but because our schools are regional that is not allowed. Marie will investigate purchasing one for the library. Marie discussed January and February Programs including Iris Paper Folding, Financial Strategies for Women and Interior Redesign. Marie requested a volunteer to coordinate the art display case. Webmaster Report: Len added the November minutes and made the staff changes. Old Business: Anne has put up the new life member plaque. Jenny and Anne will visit the winery when the weather improves. Jenny will also call the electrician regarding lighting for the basement area when she returns. Bob Merriman suffered the sad death of his son so the willow and geranium sale question was of course postponed. New Business: Nancy and Anne visited the E Granby "cookie by the pound" sale. It was agreed that we would plan a specialty cookie sale for the day of the April book sale. A request for bakers will be placed on the website. Len reported that Ann has started a draft of the early April newsletter, which needs to include the program for the annual meeting. We discussed the possibility of a music program for this, but agreed that a speaker was preferable for our usual audience, especially on local history. Pat Small suggested Burlington resident Carl Salsedo from UConn who does a very interesting lecture on sustainable gardening. The newsletter also needs book sale dates, a treasurer's, library director's and president's reports. Sandy suggested the purchase of a painting of an early Burlington library for $175. Sandy made the motion, Nancy seconded, and it was carried with one nay. Adjourned 3:40 Respectfully submitted, Elaine Eberhard Anne Walluk |