Haverhill Public Library
Board of Trustees
Minutes of November 21, 2019
The regular monthly meeting of the Trustees of the Haverhill Public Library was called to order at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday, November 21, 2019 in the Donald C. Freeman Whittier Room. In attendance were Trustees Bresnahan, Coletti, Klueber, Rurak, and Veasey-Sirois. Trustee Sheehan was absent. Also in attendance was Director Sarah Moser.
The first order of business on the agenda was an Investment Presentation/Review by Joe Marini, VP and Investment Advisor for TD Wealth’s Private Client Group. Mr. Marini discussed world markets, the unemployment rate, and recession predictors. He then discussed the library performance which was up 11% this past year, higher than the 8% benchmark. He noted that the Special Collections account was also up and performing well.
Mr. Marini scheduled his next presentation at the trustees meeting on Thursday, May 21, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. He finished his presentation at 9:10 a.m.
Secretary’s Report
The trustees were given copies of the minutes dated October 17, 2019. After perusing the minutes, a motion was made and seconded to accept the minutes. The minutes were accepted.
Treasurer’s Report
The Trustees examined the October financial statements provided by the Business Manager, Josh. He noted that the finances have been consistent in the past few months with previous years, although there was a higher than normal withdrawal for furniture due to the new furniture for the staff break room that was purchased. He stated that the yearly audit is taking place now. Also that the fall fundraiser took in around $11,000. A motion was made by Trustee Coletti to accept the financial reports with the amendment that Josh provide further documentation on how to accurately and clearly portray the budget. Trustee Rurak seconded the motion.
A vote was needed to extend Erik Bauer’s contract for another 6 months. A motion was made by Trustee Coletti and seconded by Trustee Bresnahan to extend the contract. All Trustees were in favor.
Director’s Report
A copy of the Director’s Report was given to the Trustees. Highlights included a successful Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival with about 1000 attendees, and a successful Fall Fundraiser with lots of positive feedback. There has been a lot of interviewing for various open positions with great candidates. Gwen, the new Head of Reference, is doing a great job, and a new Assistant Director was hired and is expected to start in January.
Old Business
Sarah is looking into hiring an outside space planning consulting firm to determine if there is space for a coffee shop.
Sarah talked with Councilor Bevilacqua regarding the parking lot. The city received a quote for $90,000 to pave the lot, and the state courthouse argues that they need the space for parking, which leaves little spaces for library employees and patrons. There was discussion about the parking lot possibly not being ADA compliant and that the City should update the study to address the concerns.
An update on the Senter Project was provided by Sarah. Phase 3 was completed and will be delivered soon. It will cost $95,000 which will be transferred from the special collections fund. Next will be phases 4 and 5 for $37,000. Phase 6 is on hold to have a consultant re-evaluate it.
New Business
The roof was inspected and it was suggested that we have an infrared inspection done to determine the extent of any damage. The decision can then be made whether to repair or replace the roof.
Staff voted to have a movie holiday party this year. Trustee Coletti motioned for the Trustees to pay for the party and for gift cards for staff. Trustee Klueber seconded the motion. All were in favor.
There being no further business to discuss, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn. The meeting ended at 10:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Bresnahan, Secretary