August 2006 Board Minutes

Thorntown Public Library

124 N. Market St.,
Thorntown, IN 46071
Phone: 765-436-7348 Fax 765-436-7011

Vice-president John Merson called to order at 6:00 p.m. the public hearing on the 2007 budgets Members in attendance were Deanna Brueggert, Teresa Carter, Ron Guinn and Stephanie Jones. Absent were Eric Ragsdale and Patty Ramsey. Also present were library director Karen Niemeyer, treasurer Barbara Darnell, and community members Craig White and Joe Lovell. There were no comments on the library’s 2007 budgets (operating, lease rental, capital projects, rainy day, and library improvement reserve). Deanna moved the public hearing be adjourned; Ron seconded; motion carried. The hearing was adjourned at 6:10 p.m.

Vice-president John Merson called the regular session to order at 6:15 p.m. Members in attendance were Deanna Brueggert, Teresa Carter, Ron Guinn, and Stephanie Jones. Also present were library director Karen Niemeyer, treasurer Barbara Darnell, and community members Craig White and Joe Lovell. Absent were Eric Ragsdale and Patty Ramsey.

The minutes of the July 10 and July 17, 2006, meetings were reviewed. Barbara presented a list of claims paid since the July 10 meeting, bringing the total July claims to $153,621.72. This included the purchase of a $50,000 CD from Home National Bank and a deposit of $78,000 with MBIA. In the last line of paragraph four of the July 10 minutes, the transfer was changed from $75,000 to $78,000. In addition, the minutes of the May 8,2006, meeting, first paragraph were revised to read, “Also in attendance was town marshal Jeff Woodard, who was present at the library director’s request because a community member who had asked to address the board had stated that he would ‘cause a scene and probably get arrested.’ Since the community member did not appear to protest…” On a motion by Ron and a second by Stephanie, the minutes of the July 17 meetings were approved and the minutes of the July 10 and May 8 meetings were approved as amended.

Barbara next presented the monthly financial report. The beginning balance in the operating fund was $186,248.46. Receipts totaled $31,114.45 and disbursements $40,521.09, for an ending cash balance in the operating fund of $176,841.82. The total of all funds and investments is $489,612.78.

The board has $385,090.96 in investments, with $297,000 in certificates of deposit, $80,000 in MBIA Investors, and $8000 from the fountain fund in MBIA.

There is currently a balance of $79,821.71 in the Bond Interest and Redemption Fund. The next payment of $66,700 will be due December 30. Five payments have been made since the first June 2004 payment, and 25 payments remain to be made for a total of $2,049,900.00 by December 30, 2018.

Barbara presented the register of claims totaling $22,113.50. She and Karen answered questions. In addition, Karen presented for payment an invoice from Veazey, Parrott, Durkin & Shoulders. That total of $7235.00 included $5400 in engineering design work by Deckard Engineering/Surveying and $1835 from VPDS, all for the drainage project.
Ron moved and Teresa seconded approval of the treasurer’s report; motion carried.

Under old business the board reviewed the heating and cooling issues. Concern was expressed that a two-year old system had not been properly installed for proper operation and maximum efficiency. Karen was instructed to recover utilities overrun and repair costs from Deem Mechanical, ECS (Controls) and architects VPDS. Kurt Stevens of KP Solutions addressed the board and provided charts demonstrating a 20.2% reduction in kilowatt usage at Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library since his fine-tuning of the HVAC system began in 2006. After extensive discussion, and on a motion by Ron and a second by Deanna, the board voted to employ KP Solutions for three months for $2100.00 to commission (fine-tune) the library’s HVAC system. Upon proof of savings in energy usage and in improved operation of the HVAC system, the board would plan to employ Kurt for the remaining 9 months of an annual contract. Kurt will be working with Deem Mechanical, ECS, and VPDS. Tom Durkin, engineer/architect with VPDS, praised Kurt’s work in a conference call held on August 11 at the library. Present for the conversation were Karen, Kurt, Scott Plough from ECS, Kevin Dannenbrink from DEEM, and architect Eileen Davis. Prior to the meeting library board members had called library directors who had provided letters of reference for KP Solutions. Eric had reported to Karen that Wanda Pearson of Brownsburg Public Library provided a rave review of the improvements and efficiencies resulting from Kurt’s work with that library. John had called Loren Malloy at Danville-Center Twp Public Library, and Deanna had attempted to call Charr Skirvin at Plainfield-Guilford Twp.

Karen reported that, at Kurt’s suggestion, she had met with Brian Nicely of Precision, who is interested in providing a service contract for both the mechanical and controls portions of the library’s HVAC system. At present the board has a contract for the mechanical system with DEEM; that contract expires October 1. There is no contract with ECS for the controls and Karen has, to date, negotiated an annual contract from $4333 to $2168. Kurt Stevens advised that other companies can provide services for both mechanical and control systems. In addition, at Deanna’s suggestion, Keith Yoder of Mechanicsburg had called Karen and advised that he is qualified to provide service and is interested in providing a quotation. Brian Nicely’s research demonstrated that the Allerton control is a proprietary system and that a service firm other than ECS installers would not have full administrative access to the controls. Karen will, with Kurt’s assistance, develop a request for detailed proposals and plan to provide the board at its September 11 meeting with several alternatives for HVAC service. The board queried Craig White, who was the board’s representative during the building project, and Craig concurred with the above recommendations and decisions.

Karen reported that three repair technicians (two from Deem, one from Precision) had recommended replacement of one motor and fan blade unit in the west condenser unit. Prices vary from approximately $1000 to $1367. Deanna moved and Stephanie seconded that this issue be referred to Kurt’s review and that Karen be authorized to make the most economical emergency purchase if such a repair proves necessary. The motion carried.

While awaiting the arrival of architectural and engineering representatives, the board dealt with new business and the director’s report. Deanna moved and Ron seconded that a State Technology Fund Grant Fund be established, per the Indiana State Library’s and State Board of Accounts’ directive, in order to receive money from the state technology fund and to disburse it for payment of the T-1 line. Motion carried.

Deanna moved and Teresa seconded that a resolution to request a six-month extension for the library’s technology plan be approved; motion carried. This extension, through June 30, 2008, was recommended by the Indiana State Library.

Stephanie moved and Ron seconded a resolution that the Thorntown Public Library join the public library Internet consortium for the funding year 2007 (July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008); motion carried.

Teresa moved and Ron seconded that the library purchase through its service provider NetLink a Dell computer. The system includes a Pentium 4 processor, keyboard, mouse, 3-year on-site warranty and no monitor for $819.0. Motion carried. The system will replace the defective system that is to work with the microfilm reader-printer and will be a public access computer.

Karen reported that she would like to receive autobiographical statements from board members to include in the library’s newsletter. She reported that the Sugar Creek Mavericks 4-H Club has been invoiced for $25.00 for cleaning costs resulting from their July use of the program rooms. The Thorntown Utilities has agreed to this fall remove at no cost a dying tree at the north end of the Bow Street properties. Since the persons who had originally asked for the wood from the two apple trees on the east side of the library’s parking lot are no longer interested in the project, Karen will contact Bruce Brown and Thorntown Utilities. If neither is interested, Ron Guinn will make additional inquiries.

Karen reported successful completion of the project to paint the lower level Carnegie exterior windows with two coats of ivory paint as well as the scraping, repair and painting of the eyebrow above the Carnegie’s west entrance. Refined Designs of Lebanon provided an excellent match for the rust-red roof color by using a clay roof tile loaned by Karen. The library’s custodians and volunteers from the Boone County Jail cleaned and replaced the storm windows.

In current news and e-mails are articles regarding summer reading prizes/toys that contain an unsafe level of lead. The library had purchased none of these toys from either Highsmith or Oriental Trading, although both are suppliers used by the library for other items.

Karen then provided a humorous story of a wrench left in the library’s east parking lot. It was returned by her to Bob Martin, who mows for the library. The wrench was not Bob’s, so Karen returned it to the light standard where it had been found. A few days later Deanna brought the wrench into the library for fear that it would leave a rust deposit. It is the only wrench owned by the library. When two of the seven toilet seats were loose last week, Karen checked the wrench and found it to be the exact size needed to solve the problem. Volunteers from the Boone County Jail then used the wrench to fix the toilets. The wrench is now carefully labeled and preserved for subsequent repair needs.

Upon the arrival of architect Eileen Davis and engineer Dave Deckard, the board returned to the final item of old business: opening of a third round of quotations received for the water detention and drainage project. Joe Lovell, Thorntown, provided a total bid of $35,627.00 that included the base bid with 3 hp sump pumps, and alternate no. 3 (south trench drain) and alternate no. 4 a 12” T/Stair Drain. Conner Excavating, Crawfordsville, provided a bid of $97,926.11 for the same items. Neither bid on alternates one and two. After considerable discussion, Ron moved and Deanna seconded that the work be awarded to Lovell Excavating; motion carried.

Stephanie moved and Deanna seconded that John, Ron, and Karen serve as a committee to meet with Joe to discuss pumps (5 hp) and generator options and to obtain the maximum recommended capacity, with the total project cost to not exceed $50,000; motion carried.

There being no further business, Deanna moved that the meeting be adjourned and Ron seconded; the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.