Haverhill Public Library
Board of Trustees
Minutes of March 17, 2022
The regular monthly meeting of the Trustees of the Haverhill Public Library was called to order at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, 2022 in the Donald C. Freeman Whittier Room. In attendance were Trustees Bresnahan, Coletti, Klueber, Rurak, Sheehan, and Veasey-Sirois. Also in attendance was Director, Sarah Moser.
Secretary’s Report
The trustees were given copies of the minutes dated February 17, 2022. After perusing the minutes, a motion was made and seconded to accept the minutes. The minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Business manager, Josh, presented the financial statements for February. Highlights included:
- The investment portfolio was down along with the markets.
- Josh will work closer with TD Bank to direct them to which funds to take money from based on donation requests.
- He discussed the total and available funds allocated to special collections. He also noted that special collections fees are up which indicates an increase in the use of the collection.
A motion was made and seconded to accept the financial statements. The statements were approved.
Director’s Report
Sarah discussed the highlights of the director’s report:
- Foot traffic continues to increase.
- Christopher Golden will be vising the library in April for part of Haverhill Reads.
- Summer Reading planning is underway.
Old Business
Staffing Update: Nate will be leaving. The new Head of Reference will be starting Monday. The Head of Youth Services position was offered to a candidate.
- Building Update: Schneider is still having delays in service. Paul suggests using the same cleaning company as City Hall.
New Business
Sarah discussed the updated computer use policy. After a discussion, the trustees voted to accept it. All were in favor.
Sarah discussed her meeting with the Mayor for next year’s budget. She asked for two new positions, an archivist and a night/weekend custodian.
Trustee Sheehan discussed his conversation with a real estate lawyer to help the trustees with buying the condo from the city. The trustees voted on four related items in which all were in favor:
- To hire Virrell Law
- To authorize Trustee Sheehan to work with Virrell Law on behalf of the HPL trustees
- To authorize Trustee Sheehan to ensure that the fees are reasonable and proper
- To start the process of sending a letter to the city regarding the purchase of the condo
Presentations
The trustees moved to the auditorium to listen to presentations. The first was from an architecture and planning firm, Utile, from Boston at 11:00 a.m. They discussed their plan including sustainable development, Haverhill engagement, their library experience and a suggested process. The next presentation at 11:45 a.m. was from Group 4 Architects from San Francisco, CA. who discussed their Library Forward program for library transformations. The trustees were also given a printed presentation from Barrett Planning Group to review their ideas for a library renovation.
Following the presentations, there was discussion among the trustees. They will wait for each firm to provide them with a proposal before moving forward.
There being no further business to discuss, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn. The meeting ended at 1:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Bresnahan