Slight delay with a laptop update, but I'm opening the April meeting of the Kingston Public Library Board of Trustees at 6:05. In attendance, we have trustees Lee Lewis, Matt Donahghue, Carolyn Brahmage, myself, Emily Curtain,
and library director Don. The first item on the agenda is minutes approval from the March meeting. Did anyone notice anything that needed to be changed, added? I'll take a motion to accept the
minutes as presented. I move to accept the March as presented. I'll second. All in favor? I minutes are accepted. Um the next bullet point is a town meeting update. Donald, since you are present
for 99% of it, would you like to give that? Sure. Sure. Um so there just really two things that I just want to mention about that. Um so one is is that um the fiscal
26 budget for the town um did go through and it does include the libraries um request for the the budget um in order for us to meet the state requirements. So that did um you know go through with
no discussion thankfully. Um but the other thing that I wanted to say about it was that if you looked in if you were there and if you saw the warrant um they made a change to how they presented the information in the warrant. So with each
budget, the departments present a budget based upon things when it comes to personnel, any step increases, grade changes, etc. Um, and with the union staff, cost of living increases are automatically are
included. But when it comes to wage and personnel, that is actually a separate article. So what happens when I create the the um budget for next year? The department
budget for 25 plus the cola article becomes the base for next year's budget. And what they did with the warrant this year was they actually removed the cola from the budget. And so if you were to
look at it, it does show that the library's budget increased 4.5% which was more than the requested 4% that the town had asked us to stay within. But with those salary increases
in the budget, it actually works to two to 2.8. So that is where there was a discrepancy. So I just you know we talked about the budget and talked about you know being you know conservative and staying below the request. That is what the difference is is that the numbers
you know um were not included that way. Um and my understanding is that there was other departments that you know brought that up as well. um you know but basically because when they did the actual budgets these numbers without the colar were the
true budget requests and then the colar is a kind of like an add-on. So technically what they would need is another column here um that shows any um transfers in which is what it says in our um accounting software.
Um we are rolling right into the director's report. So keep going. Okay. All right. Um so with the director's report there was um you know we did end up doing the um the training at the um
the library with um members of recreation department as well as um the water department joined us. They um we got the fire extinguisher training as well as evacuation training. Um we
also had the Plymouth Law Library come in and do um a presentation for the um the staff about the services that are available to them and their you know goals of um working towards um having public kind of community programming
that we can you know ask them to come and um you know hold um at the library. Um, and it it shows what a small world it is because evidently the the presenter used to um work at one of the OCLM libraries, so
recognized our circulation person um and some others, you know, within the group. Um, so that was kind of funny. She actually had attended the the prior week's um babies and bubbles program. So, it is a small world. Um, we also I also attended the um the quarterly
safety committee meeting um which There was a lot of discussion about liability um and waiverss. There was a you know concern about um you know anyone
that attends any of our programs um should be signing a waiver. Um I explained my opinion about that. [Music] Um and um basically for example any children's program a waiver would have
to be signed every single time which obviously is not conducive um you know to the practices that we have um in the mindset of for example if we had an author talk and someone was at the event and tripped you know it was an event that we invited the person in and by no
fault of their own um the example I used is that we're not inviting people who are juggling bowling pin set set on fire um you know for any true um kind of hazards or anything like that. Um we have been in a lot of talks with
um the Kingston 300th group um not the book group but the regular group um about working together. We met with John Bartlett from there um to talk about next year's programming um and try to collaborate um they will have a schedule
approximately around July um of their particular events um so the goal being that there you know not being duplication and you know where areas that we can you know work together to um collaborate on
see also So in April um you know we actually so we had Books in Bloom um which was the partnership with the Kingston Garden Club um they had the most um attendees to their reception
um you know and um it was quite popular and very exciting um seems to be growing every I go to the reception so it seems it's grown it is it is and that's you know that you know that it's a partnership and that we're very excited
about that. Um so, you know, we look forward to, you know, hosting again um you know, with them. See, um so I did um speak to Sunrise Technology about the
LED sign. We can actually see the problem we're speaking about. Exa Exactly. Um and we um they came earlier this week to pick up the pots for the um the sign in for
the signs to fit them to basically um you know weatherproof them and um hopefully within the next couple weeks because it was a project that they were work trying to work on um in the be
the middle of March, but then with the raining the rainy days that we had, there was no way that um they were going to be able to um fulfill that those that request. Um let's see.
I did speak to um Street Trees and Parks about having arrows painted in the little roundabout that we have on the Green Street entrance. Um because we are noticing it's a free-for-all. Well, we're we're noticing more and more
people actually kind of zooming up Green Street and taking the first entrance in and from that angle, folks that are actually in parking spots backing out. We we've seen quite a few close calls.
Yeah. Um and so I did speak to them. Um it is not in their budget at this time to do that but we can talk to them again um in July. Okay. Um and then I realized that I did not print off the
um statistics for um last month. So I was just Oh, we have they've been distributed. So Okay. Okay. So, um I did I was able to bring it up on my phone. Um and so for the um
monthly comparison you know we are up 4.39% over the previous year's statistics and then for year to date we are um down 21.51% which is still the best
improvement of any of the libraries in OLN um for year to date. And we are watching the Hoopla costs as they've um this month is actually I think the second largest we've had. Um
so we are kind of monitoring that to see um you know with the budgets whether or not there needs to be tweaking about realotting um certain things. Um I did also just to go back to my
report I did um speak to the contact from the building inspector um concerning the backbone project. Um, I did email them plans and current photos of the space and I'm waiting for a response back from
them. Any questions for Donald? Seeing any the staff reports were also circulated. Did anyone have any um issue related staff reports or any comment they want to make? Um, our next bullet is the foundation
and friends update. And I know that um, Miss Grace is not able to make it tonight, but she did mention that she wanted us to discuss the date of the library so the trustees are aware that they are asking permission to use the parking lot as has been done in the past. It's on
September 14th, we do need to take an official vote on that as a board. um as they've done in the past when they've requested we get confirmation of the date then we can do that.
I believe it was is it a Sunday because that's 14th. Yeah. Yeah, that's it's September 14th. Okay. So, don't know if we need to make a motion to do that or just vote yay or nay on whether or not they can use the parking lot. I think it's I would just
to cover themselves just make a motion. Make a motion. Yeah. Okay. So, want to make a motion that basically indicates making a motion that the um Casey Public Library Foundation be able to utilize the parking lot on Sunday, September
14th for their library event. I move that the Kingston Public Library Foundation be able to use the parking lot on Sunday. All in favor?
So accept paying the bills. There isn't anything there. I have a trifecta under old business. They kind of all go together. The first is that
um I cannot make the date that we have set for our main meeting and it is going to be the first meeting that we have new trustees which is the second part. The third part is we will have to reorganize the board during that meeting. So I'm requesting we could
potentially entertain other dates for that meeting. This mostly affects um Matt and Lee because this is sadly Karen's last um meeting with us. Um but is there any chance that the t Tuesday after that would work for all
interested parties here? Invested parties here that Tuesday the date is currently the 19th in May. So 20th. So it would be the 20th.
So, okay. Is that something we need a motion on to a serious question? Um, I don't think so. I think if we're just all here agreeing that we can move it. Actually, oops. I am going to have to reag on that
one. Okay. Cannot make that date either. Okay. I have a uh conflicting official meeting. What about the 21st, which is the Wednesday? Oh, guessing it works for me because I don't have anything in my life. But they're
like crazy children driving around. But what do you think? Oh, let me just see. Wednesday the 21st. And I I apologize for this. My side. I think I speak for the full board when I say thank Caroline for her service. Well, that's actually part of
my own business, but Oh, did I steal that? I didn't pull business right from in front of you. Yeah. So, um May 21st would work for me. Excellent. So, then we're going to flip
that May meeting to Wednesday the 21st. And the last bit of this um portion, I just wanted to say thank you to Karen for her service. Um she has served on the board twice now. So she has dedicated her talents and her time uh to the town of Kingston as um a member of
the community. I thank you for keeping the library as one of your um interests and something that you champion. And as your peer here on the board, I want to thank you so much for all of the time and energy you have given to the board. Um, one of those flowers belongs to you.
Thank you very much. And eventually there will be someone that will be stepping into your position that you will like need to talk to and just need to connect with them, right? Go to Eastern Bank and make sure we get the signatures
changed and things like that. And when we reorganize the board, it may be one of you too because the other two members will have not been to a meeting yet. It's the easiest job. [Laughter]
And also I would like to say publicly thank you to um Ralph. It's also his last meeting this evening. Um and I want to thank him because he too has served on many comm committees on the board and has um been a member of the board for a while now. So sensing any other old
business, new business. Okay. Not seeing anything. I will take a motion to move to adjourn at 623. Second. All in favor? I. We are
officially adjourned at 6:23.