Minutes for Nov. 14, 2016

Present: Cindy Binzen, Miriam Newman, Carol Wilson, Curt Albee, Rachel Kurland, Marty Frank, David Webb (for the Friends), Rebecca Seibel

Minutes of the October meeting were approved.

Librarian’s Report: Rebecca said the after-school program is still going well, averaging between 14 and 16 kids. The library will sponsor a special program for seniors about financial safety and end-of-life decisions, to be presented by Tori Lloyd at senior lunch on Nov. 30. Rebecca is still waiting for the information she needs from the state to begin putting together the annual statistical report. The appeals letter yielded its first response today, a donation of $265. We have finally heard from P.D. Hardy about the cost of his mowing the so-called Back 40. It will be nothing, because he is donating his labor. Marty has agreed to write him a thank you note for his generosity. We’re still waiting to receive a bill from Terry Garrison for his work.

Friends Report: David reported that preparations for the Holiday Sale are proceeding apace. Quite a few local donations have been made for the raffle sale. One change this year is that fewer books will be put out for sale. Marty and Miriam volunteered to help with cleanup, Cindy volunteered to help with the sale, and Marty volunteered to provide the punch.

Treasurer’s Report: Rachel passed around a profit and loss statement through Nov. 12 and offered the assessment that we are doing better than last year. She also passed around a statement that compares expense items in various categories over the last three years, with some suggested changes, none major, in several line items for 2017. After a preliminary review of the proposed budget, the board decided to hold off deciding what to request from the town until a more definitive picture emerges of what, if anything, will be done to hire someone to fill in for Rebecca. Cindy said she’ll approach a second candidate while continuing discussions with the first one.

Insurance: Rachel clarified information presented at the last meeting about the cost of insuring the artwork at the library. Our current insurance policy provides no protection against loss  or damage to the paintings because we lack the necessary rider for fine art. The $1,200 figure mentioned at the last meeting represents an estimate of what it would cost to have an appraisal done of the collection. If we did insure the artwork, we would probably be required to install a security system. The Homestead insures its collection through the state, which is not an option available to us because the paintings belong to the library. Rachel thinks that if we ever found ourselves in the situation of having to restore a painting that was damaged, we  could probably find the funds through fundraising. 

Mark Chute has agreed to handle our snow shoveling this winter. 

On the buildings and grounds front, Curt said we should delay further consideration of the masonry work until the spring. The tree removal work may or  may not happen this year, depending on the weather and whether Curt can find the time.

Our next meeting will be Dec. 12 at 7 p.m.

Submitted by Marty Frank