* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [EBR Library Board of Control on September 19, 2024.] [00:00:10] ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2024 EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL MEETING. RINA, COULD YOU LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE, PLEASE? SURE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR, FOR ALL. ROLL CALL PLEASE. TEMPLE. HERE. MR. HERE. MR. HERE. MS. KATHY WAKI. MRS. NICOLE. MR. RODNEY PIERCE. HERE, LET THE RECORD REFLECT WE DO HAVE A QUORUM NEXT ON THE AGENDA, THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF AUGUST 15TH, 2024. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE. I SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THE MOTION CARRIES. NEXT ON THE AGENDA, SPECIAL ORDERS. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY SPECIAL ORDERS AT THIS TIME. MOVING ON TO REPORTS BY THE DIRECTOR. THE FINANCIAL REPORT, THE FINANCIAL REPORT WILL BE READ BY MS. RHONDA PENANT FOR 2024. AS OF AUGUST 31ST, EXPENDITURES ARE $21,968,929 AND 32 CENTS, OR 41.7% OF THE OPERATING BUDGET THROUGH AUGUST, WE SHOULD HAVE SPENT NO MORE THAN 67% OF THE BUDGET. CASH COLLECTIONS FROM PROPERTY TAXES FOR 2024 REMAIN SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF THOSE COLLECTED IN 2023 AS WE ARE APPROXIMATELY $160,000 AND 0.3% AHEAD OF THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. AT THIS TIME, LAST YEAR, INTEREST EARNINGS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER HAD ALREADY BEEN POSTED. SO THE DELAYED POSTING THIS YEAR IS CAUSING OUR PERCENTAGE INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR TO BE A LITTLE UNDERSTATED. ONCE SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS ARE POSTED, IT WILL CATCH BACK UP. DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FINANCIAL REPORT? I HAVE ONE. I SEE THAT, UM, RENTALS, BUILDINGS ARE STILL SHOWING NO EXPENDITURES. ARE THOSE CHARGES GOING TO OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES OR ANOTHER, SOME OTHER OBJECT? YEAH, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MOVE THEM. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND THEN I HAVE A COUPLE OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT THEY DON'T INVOLVE YOU. OH, OKAY. OKAY. ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, UNDER THE FINANCIAL REPORT, THE BOARD, WELL I DO HAVE TWO OTHERS, BUT, UM, I, I'M SEEING THAT, UM, ON TRACKABLE SUPPLIES, COMPUTER HARDWARE AND IN CAPITAL OUTLAY, UM, COMPUTER HARDWARE, WE'VE SPENT VERY LITTLE OF THE MONEY THAT WAS BUDGETED FOR THOSE ITEMS FOR THIS YEAR. IS THERE A REASON THAT WE'RE HOLDING OFF ON ORDERING WHATEVER THOSE ITEMS WERE HOLDING OFF? IF YOU, YEAH, THANK YOU, DONNA. HOLD ON ONE SECOND BECAUSE WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. SHE'S GONNA BRING YOUR MIC. OH, I'M SORRY. IT'S ALRIGHT. UM, IS WE ARE SPENDING IT, BUT WE HAD A LOT OF OPEN POS AND, UH, CONTRACTS THAT WERE OPEN THAT WE CLOSED, SO THAT ADDED MONEY BACK TO THAT LINE ITEM. SO IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE NOT SPENDING, BUT WE ARE SPENDING THE FUNDING. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION CONCERNS THE, UH, MISCELLANEOUS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS FUND, I SEE THAT WE'RE KEEPING O OPEN, UM, THE RIVER CENTER, THE, UH, BLUEBONNET REMODEL AND THE JONES CREEK REMODELS. WHAT OTHER, UH, IMPROVEMENTS OR PROJECTS OR PLANNED FOR THOSE BUILDINGS? OKAY, SO AT BLUE BONNET, UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT, UH, FURTHER RENOVATIONS. UH, WE'RE IN A DESIGN PHASE RIGHT NOW. WE, UM, THAT WILL EVENTUALLY GO OUT TO BID, UM, AT JONES CREEK. UH, WE DO HAVE TO DO MORE WITH THEIR ROOFING PROJECTS, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THAT'S ABOUT IT. OKAY. AND THEN RIVER CENTER STILL HAS MONEY IN ITS PROJECT AS WELL? THAT MONEY WILL BE MOVED AT SOME POINT. I THINK IT'S THE REPLACING DOORS. OH YES, WE DO HAVE THE DOORS. I FORGOT ABOUT THAT. WE DO HAVE TO REPLACE THE DOORS ON THE FRONT DOOR TO STORM DAMAGE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. [00:05:03] ANY OTHER COMMENTS BY THE BOARD? ANY PUBLIC COMMENT UNDER THE FINANCIAL REPORT? GREAT. MOVING ON TO SYSTEM REPORTS. SYSTEM REPORTS WILL BE READ BY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MARY STEIN. OKAY. NOW THIS ONE FULL, FULL. WHERE'S THE WORD FULL THERE? HOPA. OKAY. SO MUCH TO SHARE. AND HAPPY NEWS. HAPPY NEWS. WE WERE ABLE TO USE OUR BRAND NEW BOX TRUCK TO SWOOP UP ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY SWOOP INTO THE GLASS AT THE MAIN LIBRARY AND DESTROY US. SO, UM, UH, WE DI WE CHRISTENED THE BOX TRUCK IN PREPARATION FOR OUR FRIEND FRANCINE, UH, PICKING UP THINGS FROM THE FRONT AND THE AFT OF THE BUILDING. WE ALSO DID SOME OTHER, UM, WEATHER RISING AS USUAL TO PREPARE FOR THE STORMS. THE ONE THING THAT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT WAS WE, WE WENT AHEAD AND BROUGHT THE TWO BIGGEST BUSES OVER HERE. THEY DIDN'T QUITE FIT UNDER THE AWNING, BUT AS BEST WE COULD, WE FIT THEM UNDER THE AWNING BECAUSE OF COURSE, WE'RE NOT FINISHED OVER AT THE OUTREACH FACILITY WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH FOR THEIR SITE. AND BOTH OF THESE BUSES HAVE ISSUES WITH LEAKS, AND WE DID NOT DARE LEAVE THEM OUT UNDER THE OPEN SKY. SO THEY WERE KISSING THE CONCRETE, BUT WE FIT THEM IN. AND LUCKILY IT WAS A GOOD REPORT THAT NIGHT AND THE DAY AFTER THE STORM, PRETTY MUCH, I'M EXCITED TO REVEAL TO YOU, UH, UNLESS YOU ALREADY SAW IT ON ALL OF THE TELEVISION STATIONS AND THE RADIO, ET CETERA. UH, WE HAVE OFFICIALLY DEDICATED LIBRARIES WITH HEART, WITH THE FIRST BLOOD PRESSURE STATION IN, IN, UH, IN USE. UH, SINCE LAST MONTH AT AUGUST, WE HAD THE OFFICIAL DEDICATION, UM, AND THAT STATION IS BEING USED MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY FROM PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THEN THE CIRCULATING BLOOD PRESSURE KITS THAT YOU SEE, I'M STANDING IN FRONT OF, UM, IN THE TOP RIGHT PICTURE, THOSE BEGAN CIRCULATING, WERE IMMEDIATELY SNAPPED UP BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY BASED ON THE PUBLIC SUPPORT FROM THE INITIAL OFFERING OF THE PERMANENT STATION AT DELMONT GARDENS. UH, WE ALREADY HAVE, UH, SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN PLACING TWO MORE STATIONS, ONE AT EDEN PARK AND ONE AT CARVER, AND THEN PURCHASING MORE KITS FOR US TO CIRCULATE. SO THESE ARE WONDERFUL COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UH, FUNNELING THROUGH THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION. THEY'RE MANAGING IT ALL. AND THEN A FRESH CONVERSATION WITH YET ANOTHER COMMUNITY PARTNER THAT I'VE BEEN KIND OF TALKING WITH FOR MORE THAN A YEAR ABOUT STILL MORE CIRCULATING BLOOD PRESSURE KITS THAT WOULD EVEN HAVE MORE THAN JUST THE BLOOD PRESSURE MONITOR. THE NICE THING ABOUT THESE KITS, Y'ALL, IS THEY HAVE BOTH SIZES FOR A MORE PETITE PERSON AND AS WELL AS AN ARM THAT HAS LIVED PERHAPS A MORE STORIED LIFE. AND , THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE THERE, THE HELPFUL THINGS ARE THERE. IT'S A REALLY GOOD SET. THE STAFF HAD TO BE TRAINED, THOUGH WE ARE NOT THE ONES TAKING THE BLOOD PRESSURE, BUT WE, WE WERE ALL TRAINED ON BASICALLY WHAT THE, WHAT ARE THE PARTS AND TO HELP YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT IT ON YOURSELF BECAUSE WE, OF COURSE, ARE NOT MEDICAL PERSONNEL. UM, THERE'S HELPFUL INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE NAMES OF THE NEAREST EMERGENCY PLACES TO GO. UM, WE HAD SOME JOKES ABOUT THAT, BUT THESE HAVE BEEN SO WELL RECEIVED BY THE PUBLIC, AND I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING A STOP AT THE DELMONT GARDENS PART OF THEIR DAILY HABIT NOW SO THAT THEY CAN GO CHECK THEIR PRESSURE. SO THAT'S REALLY COOL. OH, THIS IS ANOTHER HEARTFUL THING. UM, IN THIS ROOM A FEW DAYS AGO, WE WELCOMED DR. PRESS ROBINSON SR. WHO PREMIERED [00:10:01] HIS BOOK, PRESSING FORWARD. THE ROOM WAS FULL. I WAS SO PLEASED THE THE CROWD WAS TOTALLY HOMOGENOUS OR DIVERSE, WHICHEVER WORD YOU WANNA USE. WE HAD OLD, YOUNG, BLACK, WHITE, MALE, FEMALE, PROFESSIONAL, NOT SO PROFESSIONAL, EDUCATIONAL, POLITICAL PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE. AND HE WAS OF COURSE, INTERESTING. HE TOLD US STORIES FROM HIS LIFE, AND THEN HE SIGNED COPIES OF HIS BOOKS. IT WAS LOVELY. AND THERE YOU SEE, UM, DR. ROBINSON WITH MONICA SPROUL, WHO HELPED PUT THIS TOGETHER. AND JOYCE JAMES WITH THE MIDDLEBURG INSTITUTE AND GISELLE HARRISON WITH THE RADIO STATION. THEY WERE KEY IN GETTING THIS ALL TAKE, ALL PUT TOGETHER. SO WE, WE WERE SO PROUD THAT HE PICKED US TO PREMIERE HIS BOOK. WE WERE ALSO PROUD TO BE PART OF CONNECTING EAST BATON ROUGE, THE FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD CONVENTION. IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST. OUR STAFF PRESENTED AT TWO OF THE SESSIONS. I BUZZED AROUND LIKE A BEE. IT WAS REALLY WONDERFUL. THERE YOU SEE ADAM TAMAN, OUR REFERENCE HEAD OF REFERENCE. AND THERE YOU SEE MELISSA EASTON, OUR ARCHIVIST, UH, HER TALK WAS ON COLLECTING THE STORIES OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU KNOW, REALLY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A 200 YEAR OLD PASS TO HAVE A, A HISTORY OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS THE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE, WHETHER IT WAS THE LADY ON THE CORNER OR THE PERSON WHO DID THE HAUNTED HOUSE EVERY YEAR, OR THE PERSON NEXT TO THE CHURCH THAT DID THE EASTER EGG HUNT, WHATEVER. UH, AND IT, HER TALK WAS ABOUT WAYS TO COLLECT THOSE STORIES AND THEN SHARING A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT WE'VE ALREADY COLLECTED FOR BATON ROUGE'S, VERY RICH HISTORY. SO WE WERE OUT IN THE LOBBY, UM, WITH THE COMPUTERS AND THE DIGITAL ARCHIVES AND THE BATON ROUGE CITY KEY FOR STATISTICS. ANDREW TALKED ABOUT HOW WE USE THE LIBRARY DATABASES, INCLUDING OUR HOMEGROWN DATABASES LIKE BATON ROUGE CITY KEY TO HELP PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY GET THE DATA THEY NEED TO WRITE GRANTS, TO RESEARCH THEIR TALKING POINTS, UH, OR PLAN THEIR STRATEGY BEFORE THEY MAKE A PLAN. SO IT WAS REALLY WONDERFUL. UM, THE REVIEWS, THERE WERE OVER 500 PEOPLE REGISTERED FOR IT. UM, AND I THINK MOST OF THEM DID COME IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT IT WAS LIKE THE DAY AFTER THE STORM. SO IT WAS REALLY GOOD. WE WERE SO PROUD TO BE PART OF IT. AND RELATED TO IT, WE'VE PLANNED SOME OTHER PUBLIC PROGRAMS IN THE LIBRARY ABOUT COLLECTING ORAL HISTORY AND YOUR DIGITAL ARCHIVING. AND THEN OF COURSE, USING THE DATABASES. WE ARE ALSO CELEBRATING CONSTITUTION WEEK IN ALL OF OUR LIBRARIES. THERE'S DISPLAYS AND WE'RE REGISTERING TO VOTE ALL OVER THE PARISH. UM, THERE YOU SEE, UH, THE, THE STAFF MEMBER FROM THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS WHO IS HERE IN THE MAIN LIBRARY WELCOMING PEOPLE. AND ON EACH OF YOUR CHAIRS, THIS IS NEW. UM, WE, WE COLLECTED THINGS LIKE THE NEW COLORING BOOK AND THE NEW VOTING IN LOUISIANA BOOKLET. BUT THIS GET THE APP IS BRAND NEW. UM, AND I'M, I HAVE ENOUGH APPS, SO I DON'T GO LOOKING FOR APPS, BUT I'M GOING TO DOWNLOAD THIS ONE BECAUSE ONCE YOU DOWNLOAD THIS APP AND YOU SAY WHERE YOU ARE, YOU KNOW HOW WHEN YOU GO TO VOTE AND YOU HAVE YOUR LITTLE PIECE OF PAPER WITH ALL THE THINGS, IT CAN BE ON THE APP, IT'S TAILORED TO YOUR ADDRESS. YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT'S ON YOUR BALLOT. BECAUSE IN THE NEWSPAPER, THE BALLOT IS THE, YOU KNOW, THE GENERIC, EVERY BALLOT. AND THAT MAY NOT BE MY JUDGE OR MY SCHOOL BOARD PERSON OR MY CONSTABLE, BUT NOW I CAN SEE EXACTLY WHO I GET TO VOTE FOR. AND YOU CAN GO A LITTLE BIT FURTHER. INSTANT ELECTION RESULTS, IT'S LIVE, IT'S PHENOMENAL. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT. UM, WE ARE ALSO DOING SOME ADDITIONAL VOTING REGISTRATION IN THINGS LIKE OUR NEW PROGRAM, THE BILL OF OBLIGATIONS. THEY'RE COMING TO, UH, ONE OF THOSE EVENTS. THEY'RE COMING TO SOME OF OUR EVENTS AT RIVER CENTER AND HERE WHERE WE'RE HOSTING THINGS FOR TEENAGERS. UH, AND AGAIN, I WAS CLUELESS. THE TEENAGERS CAN REGISTER TO VOTE AND BE IN THE SYSTEM, AND THEN THE DAY THEY TURN 18, IT TURNS ON. SO WHO KNEW? UM, I, I WAS SO PLEASED. SO, SO THEY'RE REGISTERING PEOPLE. WE'RE DOING BIG CIVIC EVENTS, UH, CIVIC INSTRUCTION EVENTS DOWNTOWN WITH A LOT OF KIDS COMING IN ON BUSES. WE'VE HAD EVENTS [00:15:01] HERE. SO IT'S, UH, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO PLAY OUR PART AND RELATED TO THAT, WE'LL ALL GET TO IT. UM, LAST NIGHT WE HOSTED CHERISHED THE ART OF CLEMENTINE HUNTER. I LOVE OUTSIDER ART. I LOVE VERNACULAR ART, AND I LOVE THE ART OF CLEMENTINE HUNTER. THE LIBRARY'S FORTUNATE TO HAVE OVER A DOZEN PAINTINGS OF OUR OWN IN OUR PERMANENT COLLECTION. THEY WERE GIFTED TO US IN THE SIXTIES. AND ONCE THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY IS FRESHLY RENOVATED, THEY'LL HAVE A, A NEW PRIDE OF PLACE IN THE BLACK HERITAGE COLLECTION AREA. BUT RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE SAFE UPSTAIRS. AND SO THE, UH, THE EDUCATOR FROM THE LOUISIANA STATE MU UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF ART HAS A EXHIBITION UP DOWNTOWN. AND SHE CAME HERE TO DO A RELATED EX, UH, TALK ABOUT OUR FABULOUS PAINTINGS. SO THAT'S KIND OF COOL. I'M GONNA INVITE YOU TO GET THE DOGS OUT AND JOIN US ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND. THAT'S JUST A FEW DAYS AWAY. AND IT WON'T JUST BE DOGS, Y'ALL. I SWEAR THERE WAS AN IGUANA ONE YEAR. IT IS EVERYTHING. UM, THE IGUANA DID NOT MARCH IN THE PARADE, THOUGH. UH, WE'VE HAD CAT FASHION SHOWS, WE'VE HAD RABBITS, WE'VE HAD EVERYTHING. BUT THE DOGS DO. THE CANCER SURVIVOR DOGS GO OUT AND DO A PARADE, AND, AND IT'S JUST SO, IT, IT BRINGS TEARS TO YOUR EYES. EVERYBODY LOVES IT. NEXT THURSDAY, JERRY PALATA WILL BE HERE. HE'LL BE HERE IN THE MORNING ZOOMING OUT TO ANY SCHOOL THAT WANTS, HE'LL BE HERE AT NIGHT SPEAKING TO PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM TO, FOR A FAMILY EVENT. AND THEN HE'LL BE HERE THE NEXT DAY FOR A WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS, ARTISTS, WRITERS, ANYBODY THAT CARES ABOUT EITHER WHO WOULD WIN OR HOW TO. THE, THE ART OF WRITING CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND THAT WHOLE PUBLISHING AU. SO THAT'S WONDERFUL. IT IS FREE. UM, OUR PATRONS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY HAVE HELPED WITH THIS PROGRAM, AND WE ARE JUST SO EXCITED TO HAVE THIS GENTLEMAN HERE. HE'S THE ONE WHEN YOU SAY IT TO PERHAPS A RELUCTANT READER, THEY GO, I KNOW HIM. AND THEN THEY WANNA COME. SO, EXCELLENT. WE ARE HOSTING THE SNEAK PEAK PREMIERE OF THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB IN A FEW WEEKS. UH, THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING WE'RE DOING WITH LPB. WE'LL HOST THE PREMIERE. IT'S BE THE FIRST TIME ANY OF US CAN SEE IT. IT WILL AIR LATER ON CHANNEL 12 HERE LOCALLY. BUT, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL WATCH IT AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT. AND MAYBE WE'LL DRINK TEA. UH, IT IS BRITISH AFTER ALL. SO THAT'S COMING THROUGH. THESE ARE BASED ON, UH, A SERIES, UH, WRITTEN BY ROBERT THURGOOD. AND THEY'RE ALL CHECKING OUT NOW. NOW, I MENTIONED CIVICS AND CIVIC OBLIGATIONS. THIS TIES IN BEAUTIFULLY TO OUR BILL OF OBLIGATIONS SERIES. YOU HAVE, UH, SOMETHING IN FRONT OF YOU, UM, BASED ON THE BOOK BY RICHARD HAAS. AND, UH, LPB DOCUMENTARY CITIZENS GUIDE TO PRESERVING DEMOCRACY. THE AUTHOR'S PREMISES. YOU GOT 10 RIGHTS. YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE 10 OBLIGATIONS TO PRESERVE THIS DEMOCRACY. BE INFORMED, GET INVOLVED. THAT'S TWO. BE OPEN TO COMPROMISE AND REMAIN CIVIL. THOSE ARE TWO. UH, AND IT JUST GOES ON. SO EVERY WEDNESDAY IN OCTOBER, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT TWO OF THESE OBLIGATIONS AND WE'VE ASKED SOME, UM, LOCAL MODERATORS TO COME AND HELP US. DANNY HYMAN, RONNIE HARRIS AND FAMINE ROBERTS ARE GONNA HELP US WITH THIS PROGRAM. AND I'M LOOKING, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. EVEN IF YOU DON'T COME, THE FORMAT'S GONNA BE EVERY WEEK. WE'RE GONNA SHOW THE DOCUMENTARY. AND THAT WAY, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT AND YOU ONLY WANNA COME TO SAY THE, THE FOURTH SERIES, PROMOTING THE COMMON GOOD AND PUTTING THE COUNTRY FIRST, MAYBE THAT'S THE ONLY ONE YOU WANT TO ATTEND. WELL, YOU CAN WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY AT SIX AND THEN JOIN US IN THE DISCUSSION AT SEVEN. UM, OR YOU CAN WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY EVERY TIME. IT'S REALLY GOOD. , I'VE SEEN IT SEVERAL TIMES. UM, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE OUR DISCUSSION. PEOPLE, UM, PEOPLE WERE REALLY RESPONDING TO THIS WHEN I SHARED IT WITH SOME OF THE GROUPS THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING TO. THEY WERE, THEY WERE PROUD THAT WE WERE DOING IT. EVEN IF THEY WEREN'T GOING TO COME, THEY WERE GONNA READ ALONG. SO I URGE YOU TO DO THE SAME. THIS YEAR'S MAKER FAIR, UM, FULLY REALIZED NOW WE'VE QUIT ACCEPTING INVITATIONS. YOU CAN'T FIT ANY MORE MAKERS. UM, 52 BOOTHS SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PLACE. WE HAVE SOME HEADLINERS. UH, WE'LL BE MAKING THINGS. WE'LL BE MAKING [00:20:01] NOISE, WE'LL BE MAKING MUSIC, AND WE'LL BE MAKING MESSES ALL OVER THE LIBRARY. SO IT'S A GREAT FAMILY EVENT. IT'S A GREAT EVENT TO BRING YOUR LITTLE BUDDY TO. IT'S A GREAT EVENT TO BRING YOUR GRANDKIDS OR YOUR NIECES AND NEPHEWS DO. AND ADULTS ARE WELCOME Y'ALL. IT'S MAKERS CAN BE ANY AGE. SO THAT'S HAPPENING. WE'VE BEEN DOING PRETTY WELL WITH, UH, SIGNUP MONTH, LIBRARY CARD, SIGNUP MONTH. UM, THE KIDS ARE CLAWING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE, THE, UM, THE REVERIFICATION PROCESS. WE'RE STEADILY WORKING A COUPLE HUNDRED NEW KIDS A WEEK. UM, I WISH IT WAS THOUSANDS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, UH, TO DO IN A MORE ORGANIZED FASHION, THE COMPUTER CARDS, UH, AND ONE SCHOOL AT A TIME. AND THAT WAY WE'RE NOT OVERWHELMED BECAUSE AS YOU RECALL, WE HAD TO BLOCK 160,000 CARDS. THAT'S A LOT OF CARDS TO BLOCK OUR POWER USER THIS MONTH IS DARREN JONES. UM, FUN TO READ ABOUT HIM. AND THERE'S A PICTURE OF HIM AT THE BEAUTIFUL DELMONT GARDENS BRANCH LIBRARY, THE VIRTUAL TALK SERIES, Y'ALL, LEANNE MORIARTY. NOW REMEMBER, THEY'RE NOT HERE IN PERSON. WE COULD NEVER AFFORD THAT AND WE COULDN'T HOLD ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WOULD WANT TO HEAR. SO THROUGH THE VIRTUAL TALK SERIES, OUR MODERATOR IS ASKING HER THE QUESTIONS. AND WE HAVE IT ARCHIVED SO YOU CAN WATCH IT EITHER LIVE WHEN IT DROPS OR AT YOUR CONVENIENCE, UH, ON OUR WEBSITE. THERE ARCHIVE THERE FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT. AND THIS IS PRETTY MUCH THE BEST WAY TO GET SUCH A DIVERSE, DIVERSE, UH, FIELD OF AUTHORS ON EVERY POSSIBLE TOPIC. ALL KINDS, FICTION, NONFICTION, SELF-HELP, BIOGRAPHY, YOU NAME IT. REALLY, I'M PROUD OF THAT STRICTLY BUSINESS. THIS PAST WEEK WAS REALLY AN INTERESTING TALK. BRAD BARBER TALKED ABOUT, UH, MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE AND HOW IT'S, IT'S ALL OUR JOB. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BETTER WORKFORCE IF THEY'RE, OF COURSE, MORE, MORE FOCUSED ON WELLNESS INSTEAD OF ILLNESS. AND OUR MENTAL WELLNESS, ESPECIALLY IN THIS TENSE TIME WHERE WE'RE SO OVERSCHEDULED AND WE'RE SO CONSTANTLY AT THE BECK AND CALL OF OUR PHONES AND SOCIAL MEDIA TOXICITY, ALL THAT. HE TALKED ABOUT THE WAYS HIS COMPANY HAS BEEN WORKING TO IMPROVE THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. AND THEY'RE SHARING IT WITH ALL THE OTHER COMPANIES, INCLUDING YOU AND ME. SO WE'VE, UH, GONE TO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE THINGS HE RECOMMENDED AND HE'S MAKING THEM AVAILABLE. SO THAT'S REALLY COOL. UM, NOW I DID WANNA TELL YOU A FEW THINGS THAT ARE NOT ON PICTURES BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THEM YET. IN MY HANDS IS A NEW OBJECT FOR THE LIBRARY OF THINGS WE HAVE RECEIVED THROUGH, UH, A GRANT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO APPLY FOR. BUT THE STATE LIBRARY IS WORKING WITH THE OFFICE OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, OF COURSE, ALL THE PARKS OR WITH CULTURAL RECREATION AND TOURISM. THE LIBRARY IS PART OF THAT. AND WE ARE STARTING OCTOBER 1ST, GOING TO BE ABLE TO CHECK OUT TO YOU THE CHECKOUT LOUISIANA STATE PARKS LIBRARY PROGRAM BACKPACK. AND IT IS, IT WILL COME WITH A FAMILY PASS. SO YOU CAN DRIVE AND GET IN FOR FREE TO THE STATE PARK, AND THEN THE, THE RANGER WILL TAKE THE PASS FROM YOU AND THAT'S HOW THEY'LL KEEP TRACK OF IT. UM, BUT IT INCLUDES BINOCULARS, IT INCLUDES A MAGNIFYING GLASS SO YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT BUGS, I GUESS, UM, OR IT INCLUDES A GUIDE SO THAT I WON'T PICK UP POISON IVY. AGAIN, IT INCLUDES PLAYING CARDS, UM, WITH INTERESTING LITTLE THINGS. THE ETHICS LEAVE NO TRACE, HOW TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND VISITOR, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE. THERE'S A LITTLE SASQUATCH WELCOMING US. IT INCLUDES A MAP. I LOVE MAPS. AND SO THE BACKPACK WITH THESE THINGS, AND OF COURSE THERE'S ROOM FOR YOUR GRANOLA AND YOUR SUNSCREEN AND ALL THAT. UM, THAT WON'T BE PROVIDED AS PART OF THE BACKPACK. THE BACKPACK COMES BACK TO US, IT'S CHECKED OUT JUST LIKE ANYTHING ELSE IN THE LIBRARY OF THINGS. AND IT COMES BACK [00:25:01] TO US. UM, THE THING THAT WON'T COME BACK TO US IS THE PASS. AND, UH, THEY GAVE US A THOUSAND PASSES. WE'RE AS WE'RE GONNA HAVE EACH, WE'RE GONNA TRY IT. IT'S A PILOT PROJECT. UM, WE WERE ASKED TO DO THIS AS WELL AS A FEW OTHER LIBRARIES SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE STATE. SOME ARE LARGE LIBRARIES, SOME WERE VERY SMALL LIBRARIES. SO WE'RE ALL GONNA TRY IT FOR A COUPLE MONTHS AND THEN REPORT BACK. AND BASED ON THE SUCCESS OF THIS, THEY MAY LEAN IN MORE AND THERE WILL BE LOTS MORE PASSES COMING. BUT THAT'S A FUN, FUN THING. CAN I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THAT? IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE PAST PROJECT THAT WE HAD WITH THE USS KID WHERE YOU CHECKED OUT THE PASS TO THE KID AND THEN YOU HAD TO RETURN IT TO US. FROM THAT, WE HAVE TRIED TO MOVE TO AN APP SYSTEM, UH, THAT'S NOT QUITE READY YET. UH, TICKS KEEPER IS THE NAME OF IT, AND IT WILL INCLUDE PASSES FOR WAY MORE THAN THE USS KID. AS SOON AS WE CAN FINISH ALL THE MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING WITH ALL THE VARIOUS MUSEUMS THAT WE'LL BE WORKING WITH ON THAT. AND IT'LL BE LESS UNWIELDY BECAUSE IT'LL BE ON THE APP, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, WHEREVER THIS IS, IS WHERE YOU HAVE TO GO TO PICK IT UP. UM, WHEREVER THE USS KID PASS WAS, WAS WHERE YOU HAD TO GO TO PICK IT UP. BUT WITH THE APP, I COULD BE IN PRIDE AND ARRANGE MY TRIP TO KNOCK, KNOCK CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OR THE USS KIDD OR ONE OF THE OTHER MUSEUMS THAT HAS AGREED TO WORK WITH US ON THIS PROJECT. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE COMING IN YOUR LIFETIME IN MIND, VERY NEAR TO THE FUTURE. THE LAST THING I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU IS, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT THAT ONE? YES, SIR. SO HAVE WE TRIED? I THINK THE BACKPACK DEAL IS PRETTY COOL. SO HAVE WE TRIED TO TARGET LIKE A ONE OR TWO SCHOOLS WHERE WE CAN THROW 'EM IN THEIR HANDS, PUT SOME MEDIA BEHIND IT TO GET MORE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN DOING IT, AND PARTNER WITH MAYBE BRICK AND US TO, UM, DO SOME BETA WITH SPECIFIC SCHOOLS? WELL, RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY BACKPACKS. SO AS PART OF THE PILOT PROJECT, IF NOBODY CHECKS THESE BACKPACKS OUT, THE MINUTE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO ANNOUNCE THEM YET, YOU'RE GETTING THE SNEAK ANNOUNCEMENT. OKAY. I WAS THINKING MORE LIKE FOUR H CLUB THING, LIKE OH YEAH. THINGS, SOMEBODY WHO'S ALREADY NATURE OR, OR AG ORIENTED, OUTDOOR ORIENTED, MAYBE SOME BOY SCOUT TROOPS OR SOMETHING. YES, WE'LL DEFINITELY TARGET. YEAH. ONCE WE'RE ALLOWED TO PUBLICLY ADVERTISE IT, IT, UH, WE, WE WILL TELL THEM THAT THESE ARE AVAILABLE AND THEN SEE HOW FAST THEY DEMAND THEM. UM, TO ME, THE, THE DI THE ISSUE'S GONNA BE, I GOT A THOUSAND OF THESE PASSES, BUT I DON'T HAVE A THOUSAND BACKPACKS. GOT IT. AND YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE BACKPACK TO COME BACK TO RELOAD IT. SO THERE WILL BE SOME PEOPLE WHO COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE BACKPACK. THEY JUST WANT THE PASS. AND SO THAT'S WHAT THE PILOT IS FOR BECAUSE THAT WAS OUR FIRST QUESTION. HEY, WAIT, HOW DO YOU CHECK OUT THE PASS WITHOUT THE BACKPACK? AND THEY DON'T WANT ME JUST HANDING THE PASSES OUT AT THE FRONT DESK. SO, UM, AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR US IS THE CIRCULATION COMES FROM THE BACKPACK, WHEREAS, UM, THE PARKS PEOPLE ARE GONNA COUNT, DO THEIR COUNTING BASED ON HOW MANY OF THESE THEY COLLECT FROM THE DRIVER THAT'S ENTERING THE PARK. BUT, UH, GETTING TO THE FOUR H, THE SCOUTS, UM, THE BIG BUDDIES, LITTLE BUDDIES, ALL THE, UH, BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. UM, WE ALSO TALK TO THEM. IT'S NOT GOOD FOR A BUS, IT'S GOOD FOR A FAMILY SIZED CAR, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GET A LOT OF KIDS IN A FAMILY SIZED CAR, CAN'T YOU? SO THAT'LL BE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE REPORT BACK DURING THIS PILOT PROJECT THAT THEY NEED TO TWEAK. UM, BECAUSE I SAID, HOW MANY IS A FAMILY? YOU KNOW, I, LIKE I SAID, I CAN CRAM A LOT OF LITTLE BODIES IN MY CAR AND I DON'T HAVE A VAN, BUT JUST THINK OF THOSE PEOPLE WITH THOSE SUVS THAT YOU, ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'S 12 KIDS IN THERE. UM, SO, SO THIS WILL BE PART OF WHAT WE DO WITH THE PILOT. NOW THE LAST THING I WANTED TO TELL YOU, UH, AT YOUR SEATS YOU HAVE ALSO, UM, OUR NICE LITTLE, UM, GUIDE, 85 YEARS IN COUNTING. IT WAS, UH, A LOT OF THESE NUMBERS ARE IN THE NEWSLETTER SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT THE NEWSLETTER. UH, WE HAVE NOT COUNTED EVERYTHING SINCE 1939. I WAS SHOCKED. SHOCKED. I TELL YOU THE, PRETTY MUCH THE THING THAT WE COUNTED WAS CIRCULATION. THAT'S WHAT WE COUNTED. WE, WE ALMOST COUNTED REFERENCE STATISTICS MOST YEARS, BUT WE DIDN'T COUNT PROGRAMMING. WE DIDN'T COUNT, WE COULDN'T COUNT THE PEOPLE COMING IN THROUGH THE GATE. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO DO IT. SO A LOT OF MY NUMBERS ARE JUST SINCE 2004 [00:30:02] OR MAYBE 1999. IT JUST DEPENDS. BUT Y'ALL, THESE ARE SOME BIG NUMBERS. AND IT IS OUR 85TH BIRTHDAY AND WE DO HAVE CAKE. THEY ARE CUPCAKES, BUT WE HAVE CAKE. SO, UM, AND RONNIE PIERCE HAD SEEN, UH, A LITTLE DOCUMENT OF THIS SIZE AND NATURE AT A LA, UH, AND WE HAD DONE ONE LIKE THIS ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO. SO WE BROUGHT IT BACK FOR THE 85TH BIRTHDAY. UH, AND HERE'S YOUR LITTLE CELEBRATING 85 YEARS, YOUR LITTLE, UM, UH, HANDY POCKET GUIDE TO THE LIBRARY. SO THERE YOU GO. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I JUST HAVE ONE SUGGESTION. MM-HMM . UM, FOR THE BACKPACKS AND THE PASSES, IF, UM, THERE WERE, UH, A LIST MAYBE OF PARKS THAT ARE WITHIN AN HOUR'S DRIVE THAT'S IN THERE, OR AN HOUR AND A HALF DRIVE SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T THINK THEY HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE OFF FOR, UM RIGHT. A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. YEAH. THESE ARE ACHIEVABLE VISITS. YES. SO ALL THAT'S IN THERE. OKAY. THE, THE, THE, THE CRT PEOPLE MADE SURE WE COULD SEE WHERE WE COULD USE THESE PASSES. OKAY. AND THEY'RE VERY EXCITED. THE ONE THING IS, IT'S NOT JUST A PARK, IT INCLUDES SOME HERITAGE SITES. I DO HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. YES, SIR. YOU KEEP SAYING 85 YEARS, WHICH I THINK THIS IS WONDERFUL BY THE WAY. I WAS LOOKING AT IT BEFOREHAND. UM, IS THERE A CELEBRATION GOING ON FOR 85 YEARS? THAT, WELL, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, IT YOUR HOUSE CUPCAKES. UM, I GOT, OH, THIS IS IT TODAY. YEAH, THIS IS IT. UM, WE SHOULD HAVE HAD Y'ALL THE, UH, US AT THE COUNCIL YESTERDAY. WE NEED TO DO THAT. WELL, WE, YOU KNOW, WE CELEBRATED A LITTLE BIT IN APRIL AT NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK, AND WE ACTUALLY, THE DAR CAME IN AND THEY ACTUALLY HOSTED A CELEBRATION HERE. SO WE HAD LIKE AN OPEN HOUSE FOR THE LIBRARY, UM, ON NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK, BUT, BUT SEPTEMBER SIGNUP MONTH, AND IT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE REAL DATE. AND THAT'S WHEN WE HAD ENOUGH STATISTICS TO TOGETHER TO, TO KIND OF PACKAGE IT ALL FOR YOU. UM, THAT'S KIND OF WHY IT TOOK PLACE THIS MONTH. WELL, I, I'M GOING TO ASK ANY BOARD MEMBER THAT CAN MAKE IT. UM, THEY'RE THERE ANYWAY, MOST MEETINGS, BUT COME NEXT WEDNESDAY AND WE'LL DO A PUBLIC CELEBRATION DURING THE, UH, RECOGNITION CEREMONY OKAY. FOR THE LIBRARY. SO IT STARTS AT THREE O'CLOCK. UM, SO EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM WANTS TO BE THERE. ALL RIGHT. GET US ON THE MENU. YEAH. YEAH. WE'LL MAKE SURE MARY GETS ME ALL THE NAMES. OKAY. CORRECT. AND, UH, YES, I DON'T MESS ANYBODY UP, BUT THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. AND WHERE, WHERE WILL THIS BE HELD AT? THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS COUNCIL GOT AN EMAIL REAL QUICK. EXCELLENT. GREAT. THANK YOU DARRYL, I'LL GET THAT TO YOU. ANY, UM, ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, UM, BY THE BOARD UNDER SYSTEM REPORTS? I DO HAVE ONE OTHER QUICK QUESTION SOMEWHAT RELATED TO THE BLOOD PRESSURE STATIONS. MM-HMM . HAVE WE EVER CONSIDERED BUYING AUTOMATIC DEFIBRILLATORS AND PUTTING THEM IN THE BRANCHES? I DO KNOW THAT THE MACHINES WILL NOT JUST RANDOMLY SHOCK A PERSON, THAT IT WOULD MEASURE YOUR HEART RATE AND YOUR HEART RHYTHM AND DETERMINE IF A SHOCK IS NEEDED BEFORE JUST DELIVERING IT. SO ANYWAY, JUST A THOUGHT OR A SUGGESTION. YEAH, WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT. UM, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE NEED FOR TRAINING FOR THAT. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE LIABILITY OF THAT. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH RISK MANAGEMENT AS WELL AS WITH THE OFFICE OF THE PARISH ATTORNEY AND WITH SOME OF OUR EMS PROFESSIONALS. AND WE ARE SO BLESSED TO BE IN THE, WHAT IS IT? CLASS A EMS AREAS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE PARISH THAT WE'VE HELD BACK OFF OF THAT. OKAY. UM, YOU MAY RECALL, WAY BACK IN THE DAY WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE LIBRARY, WE, IF YOU HAD BEEN BLEEDING, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO GIVE YOU A BANDAID, YOU KNOW? WOW. SO, YEAH, I MEAN, I LIKE, I KNOW THIS BRANCH IN PARTICULAR IS RIGHT AROUND, LITERALLY RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM A FIRE AND EMS STATION. MM-HMM . BUT MAYBE AT A BRANCH LIKE, UH, PRIDE. OH, THEY'RE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET. MM-HMM. OH, OKAY. ALSO. ALRIGHT, WE, WE PLANNED THAT . ALRIGHT, LET ME GET AFTER. THANK YOU, MARY. MOVING ON NEXT ON THE AGENDA OF THE REPORTS MAINTENANCE AND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS. THESE REPORTS WILL BE READ BY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR LORI USE. OKAY. SO UNDER OUR MAINTENANCE REPORTS, UH, AT THE MAIN LIBRARY, OUR FACILITY STAFF IDENTIFIED SEVERAL DEAD TREES THAT ARE, UH, BEING REMOVED FROM THE EAST SIDE OF THE PARKING LOT AT THIS TIME, UH, AT BLUE BONNET. AFTER HURRICANE FRANCINE FACILITY, STAFF REMOVED THE CREPE MYRTLE TREE THAT WAS [00:35:01] UPROOTED AND DAMAGED BY THE STORM AT EDEN PARK. AFTER HURRICANE FRANCINE FACILITY, STAFF DETERMINED THAT THE MOTOR AND THE AIR HANDLE THAT WAS GOING TO THE MEETING ROOMS FAILED AND THEY'RE WAITING FOR A PART TO ARRIVE SO THAT THEY CAN COMPLETE THOSE REPAIRS AT THE RIVER CENTER BRANCH. AN EMERGENCY REQUEST FOR PURCHASE WAS EXECUTED FOR THE FRONT ENTRANCE SLIDING DOORS. THE VENDOR ANTICIPATES INSTALLATION IN OCTOBER THE NIGHT OF HURRICANE FRANCINE'S ARRIVAL, THE WINDS BLEW THE FRONT ENTRANCE DOOR OPEN AND FACILITY STAFF HAD TO GO OUT TO RESECURE THE ENTRANCE DOORS. AND RONNIE REFERENCED TO YOUR QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT THE RIVER CENTER MONEY. UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT KIND OF REDESIGNING THAT FRONT ENTRANCE TO MAKE IT A DOUBLE SET OF DOORS SO THAT IF WE HAVE THE STORM DAMAGE AGAIN, THAT WE'LL HAVE THE, THE SECURITY OF THE SECOND SET OF DOORS TO SECURE THE BUILDING. UM, UNDER MISCELLANEOUS IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AT OUTREACH, THE CONTRACTOR IS STILL WORKING ON THE PUNCH LIST. DURING THE RAINSTORMS LAST WEEK, THE LOADING DOCK FLOODED AND THE CONTRACTOR, NO BLESS, DISCOVERED THAT THE PUMP WAS DISCONNECTED. SO THE CONTRACTOR, UH, CONTACTED A PLUMBER TO REPAIR THE PUMP AND THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING, UM, ON THE DOORS AND HARDWARE, UH, FOR THE LIBRARY, I MEAN FOR THE OUTREACH BUILDING. AND THEY STILL HAVE TO COMPLETE THE GATE AS WELL UNDER THE MULTI BRANCH PROJECT. ALL BRANCHES EXCEPT DELMA GARDENS ARE COMPLETE. THE REMEDIATION WORK SHOULD BEGIN SOON THERE FOR THE ROOFING PROJECT. THERE'S NOTHING NEW TO REPORT AT THIS TIME. UM, FOR THE BOILERS PROJECT FOR EDEN PARK AND GREENWELL SPRINGS ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES HAS EXECUTED A DESIGN CONTRACT WITH AN ENGINEERING FIRM. UH, ONCE THOSE DESIGNS ARE COMPLETE AND ACCEPTED, WE'LL GO OUT TO BID FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS FOR THE BLUE BONNET RENOVATION PROJECT. LIBRARY STAFF, STAFF MET WITH ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES AND THE ARCHITECT AND WE'RE EXPLORING DESIGN CONCEPTS FURTHER. SO THIS MAY RESULT IN POSTPONING THAT BID PROCESS FOR THE CHILLER PROJECT. THE CHILLERS ARRIVED IN THE MANUFACTURER A MONTH EARLY. UM, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING AT CARVER. THEY INSTALLED A TEMPORARY CHILLER LAST WEEK AND THEY'RE TRANSITIONING TO THE PERMANENT CHILLER THIS WEEK AT ZACHARY. THEY'RE GONNA, UH, BEGIN THE WORK THERE AFTER THEY COMPLETE THE CHILLER AT CARVER. AND THEN UPDATES FOR THE TIMELINE OF INSTALLATION AT OTHER LOCATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED MONTHLY AS WE GET TO THOSE. ANY QUESTIONS, UH, LAURIE. UM, AND DO, WHEN DOING THE BUDGET, WE PUT ASIDE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR EMERGENCIES FOR THINGS LIKE THE STORM, SO WE CAN DO IMMEDIATE, UH, REPAIR. MM-HMM . SO AS THE YEAR GOES ON, UM, I'M SURE YOU OR THE BUDGET OFFICE OR WHATEVER ARE KEEPING TRACK OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE HAVE TO SPEND DUE TO A, UM, AN EMERGENCY, YOU KNOW, AN EVENT. THERE MIGHT BE A FREEZE, THERE MIGHT BE ANOTHER STORM OR WHATEVER. BUT, UH, CONSIDERING, UH, WHEN WE DO THE BUDGET, WE JUST WANTED TO HAVE MONEY AVAILABLE SO IT, WE COULD FIX THE LIBRARIES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MOVING ON TO MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS. GOOD AFTERNOON. JUST A FEW THINGS TO GO OVER REALLY QUICKLY. UH, I'M SURE MANY OF YOU'RE AWARE THERE IS CURRENTLY A HIRING FREEZE IN THE CITY PARISH. UH, BUT WE DO HAVE MANY POSITIONS THAT ARE STILL OPEN THROUGHOUT OUR SYSTEM. WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE MAYOR'S, UH, OFF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ASSISTANTS, UH, TO SEND OUR JUSTIFICATIONS IN, IN ORDER TO GET THESE, UH, THESE POSITIONS APPROVED AND SEND IN THE REQUISITIONS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AS YOU'RE ALSO AWARE, THE COMMISSION FOR THE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF CERTAIN AVALOR TAXES, UH, WILL BE MEETING NEXT WEEK. UH, THAT WILL BE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH FROM 10:00 AM TO 11:00 AM AND THIS IS IN THE HENKEL ROOM ON THE SENATE SIDE OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING. WE, UH, GREATLY ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO, TO ATTEND MARY AND I WILL DEFINITELY BE IN ATTENDANCE. ADDITIONALLY, UH, MARY AND I ATTENDED THE METRO COUNCIL MEETING LAST NIGHT. THE LIBRARY'S MILLAGE WAS ROLLED BACK AS EXPECTED. UH, WE HAD PLANNED FOR THIS IN THE 2015 MILLAGE CAMPAIGN AS WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO GOING FORWARD. I HAD MENTIONED AT OUR LAST MEETING THAT WE [00:40:01] ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND SUPPLIES. UH, WE FORMED A SMALL COMMITTEE AND BEGAN WORK ON SOME MORE GUIDELINES FOR OUR BRANCHES TO, UH, TO CONSIDER, UH, IN THE EVENT THAT A CLO CLOSING DOWN THE BRANCH IS NECESSARY DUE TO LOSS OF POWER, LOSS OF WATER, UH, EXTREME, UH, WEATHER CONDITIONS. UH, WE ARE PUTTING THE FINAL TOUCHES ON THIS AND THEN WE WILL ADD IT TO THE GUIDELINES IN THE EMPLOYEE'S PROCEDURES MANUAL. UH, WE ARE ALSO LOOKING INTO PURCHASING EMERGENCY SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT SUCH AS RECHARGEABLE FANS, UH, FOR WHEN THE WEATHER IS TOO HOT. OSHA COMPLIANCE SPACE HEATERS FOR WHEN IT'S TOO COLD, BOTTLE WA BOTTLED WATER, ET CETERA. UH, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING ANY OF THESE POINTS? UH, DO WE HAVE, UH, UH, ANY, UH, FIGURES ABOUT, UH, THE, THE MEETING THAT'S COMING UP? UH, IF THE LEGISLATION THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY, UH, PUT OUT THERE, SENATOR KATHY'S BILL, KATHY'S BILL, HOW MUCH MONEY THE, UH, THE LIBRARY WOULD, WOULD, UM, COME UP SHORT IF THE LEGISLATION WAS PASSED? THE FIGURE WAS, I KNOW THAT'LL BE PART OF THE PRESENTATION. I'M JUST TRYING TO UM, YES MA'AM TO SEE IF YOU COULD TELL US. I BELIEVE THE FIGURE QUOTED TO ME WAS AROUND $800,000. HOW MUCH? 800,000. 800,000? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. CERTAINLY. OKAY. IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, IT IS NOW MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE TWO OF OUR BRANCH MANAGERS. I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE MS. ASHLEY BROUSSARD, HEAD OF OUR BAKER BRANCH. ASHLEY, IF YOU PLEASE STAND UP. ABSOLUTELY. WELL, HELLO EVERYONE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS ASHLEY BROUSSARD AND I'M THE BRANCH MANAGER AT THE BAKER BRANCH LIBRARY. UM, I'M GONNA TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY CAREER WITH THE LIBRARY. I BEGAN MY CAREER WITH THE LIBRARY IN JANUARY, 2007 AT THE EDEN PARK LOCATION. UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IN 2007, THAT LOCATION WAS REBUILT AND I WAS THE FIRST CHILDREN'S LIBRARIAN AT THE NEW LOCATION. SO I SERVED IN THAT POSITION FROM 2007 UNTIL 2012. UM, AND I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH THE KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND WHILE I WAS THERE, I DID, I IMPLEMENTED STORY TIME. WE IMPLEMENTED VARIOUS PROGRAMMING. UH, WE HAD BIG BABY COME OUT AND HE DID A PROGRAM AS WELL. AND SO THE KIDS ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH. AND I RECENTLY RAN INTO TWO OF THE KIDS THAT ATTENDED OUR PROGRAMMING WHILE I WAS THERE, UM, JUST A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. AND THEY BOTH TOLD ME HOW MUCH THEY ENJOYED COMING TO THE LIBRARY WHEN THEY WERE SMALL CHILDREN. SO OF COURSE THAT MADE MY HEART SMILE. SO I ENJOYED THAT. BUT IN 2012, I PROMOTED TO MY CURRENT POSITION, WHICH IS THE BRANCH MANAGER AT THE BAKER BRANCH LIBRARY. I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THIS POSITION EVER SINCE THEN. AND I ENJOY SERVING THE BAKER COMMUNITY IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS THAT THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, THEIR DESIRE. UM, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROGRAMS THAT WE CURRENTLY OFFER OUR PATRONS AND THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT. WE HAVE A CT PREP PACKETS, UM, AND OF COURSE THAT'S FOR THE TEENS. THEY COME IN, THEY ASK FOR THE PACKETS, AND IT HELPS THEM PREPARE AND STUDY FOR THE AC A CT TEST. SO WE GET A LOT OF REQUESTS FOR THOSE PACKETS. WE HAVE OUR PATRONS ENJOY THAT. WE HAVE THE HOTSPOTS NOW WE HAVE AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE FOR THAT. WE ARE NOW OFFERING A BINGO FAMILY NIGHT. UM, WE STARTED IN AUGUST, SO WE'VE HAD TWO, UM, PROGRAMS FOR IT. AND THE PROGRAMS, THE ATTENDANCE HAS INCREASED. UM, BOTH TIMES WE'VE HAD MORE THAN THE SECOND TIME. WE HAD MORE THAN THE FIRST TIME. SO IT, THEY'RE TAKING A LIKING TO THAT FAMILY BINGO NIGHT AS WELL. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A HIT ON OUR HANDS WITH OUR MOVIE MATINEE. UM, WE SHOW A MOVIE ONCE A MONTH, UM, A FEATURE FILM THAT WE ARE APPROVED TO SHOW. AND THE PATRONS, THE ATTENDANCE HAS CONTINUOUSLY INCREASED WITH THAT AS WELL. AND WE ALSO HAVE THE STORY WALK THAT WE IMPLEMENTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WHICH IS LOCATED AT THE PARK NEXT TO THE BAKER BRANCH LIBRARY. AND THERE'S A WALKING PATH. AND ALONG THE WALKING PATH, PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO GO OUT AND READ THE STORY WALK AS THEY WALK AND EXERCISE. SO THAT HAS BEEN RECEIVED WELL. UM, A [00:45:01] FUN FACT ABOUT THE STAFF AT THE BAKER BRANCH LIBRARY IS THAT MOST OF THE STAFF HAVE BEEN THERE AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN THERE. UM, IT'S ABOUT 50% OF THE STAFF. THEY HAVE BEEN THERE 10 YEARS OR MORE. BUT WHAT CAN I SAY? WE LOVE OUR PATRONS, SO WE HAVE LONGEVITY. UM, BUT IN CLOSING, UM, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY AND I WANT TO THANK NOT ONLY THE BOARD, BUT ALSO ADMINISTRATION FOR ALL OF YOUR LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED TO SUCCEED IN MEETING OUR PATRON'S NEEDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ASHLEY. THANK YOU ASHLEY. AND NEXT UP I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE KELLY YOUNG BRANCH MANAGER OF BLUE BONNET REGIONAL . HI Y'ALL. I'M KELLY AND I KNOW A FEW OF YOU. HEY KATHY. UM, AND RONNIE. HI. HI DON. HI. UM, SO I STARTED MY CAREER IN APRIL OF 97. I WAS PART-TIME AT BLUE BONNET IN THE REFERENCE DEPARTMENT. AND BY AUGUST OF 97, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET A FULL-TIME POSITION HERE, WELL, AT THE OLD MAIN LIBRARY IN THE REFERENCE DEPARTMENT. AND THAT'S WHERE I MET KATHY. AND RONNIE, UH, WORKED WITH LORI. HUGE. SHE WAS A STUDENT LIBRARIAN, Y'ALL WAY BACK IN THE DAY. THAT WAS FUN. UM, RHONDA, MARY, YOU KNOW, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL HERE. SOME OF THEM HAVE MOVED ON, BUT, UM, IT'S STILL GOOD TO COME BACK AND SEE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, FEEL FINELY ABOUT. UM, SO I WAS PROMOTED TO TECH TWO AT SOME POINT IN MY CAREER AT REFERENCE, UH, KNUCKLED DOWN AND WENT TO LIBRARY SCHOOL AND THEN, UH, WAS PROMOTED TO LIBRARY AND ONE IN THE REFERENCE DEPARTMENT. A FEW, MAYBE FIVE YEARS LATER. IT'S BEEN A WHILE. UM, I WAS PROMOTED TO LIBRARY AND TWO, I WAS THE BRANCH MANAGER AT THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY. THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THAT EXPERIENCE, REALLY LOVED IT OUT THERE. SUCH A GREAT COMMUNITY. UM, BUILT A REALLY GOOD TEAM OF STAFF AND, YOU KNOW, JUST ENJOY GETTING TO KNOW EVERYBODY AND SEEING THE SAME KIDS COMING IN EVERY DAY. UM, SEE THEIR MOM OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. UH, SO THAT WAS ENJOYABLE. I WAS ALSO LUCKY ENOUGH TO COORDINATE AND IMPLEMENT, UH, THE 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY FOR THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY. IT STARTED OUT, OF COURSE IN THE LITTLE STOREFRONT ON HARDING BOULEVARD, AND THEN WE BUILT THE NEW BRANCH, THAT IS WHERE IT IS NOW. UH, BUT IT IS 40 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY OVERALL. BACK IN, WHAT WAS THAT, 2014, I THINK. YES, I THINK SO. AND THAT WAS REALLY FUN. I MET A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE OUT THERE, INCLUDING FORMER COUNCILMAN DELPE, UM, AND THE FIRST BRANCH MANAGER, LIBRARIAN, BRANCH MANAGER OF, UH, SCOTLANDVILLE. BEFORE THAT IT WAS JUST TEXT, UM, JUST TECHS. I MEAN, TECHS ARE GREAT. BUT, UM, THAT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE AND I WOULD'VE STAYED THERE LONGER. AND THEN, BUT THE BLUE BONNET BRANCH LIBRARIAN POSITION OPENED UP AND IT WAS, IT WAS HARD TO LEAVE. BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO DO THESE THINGS. THOSE OPPORTUNITIES DON'T COME ALONG VERY OFTEN. SO I'VE BEEN AT BLUE BONNET SINCE, UH, JULY, 2014, AND I'VE REALLY ENJOYED IT THERE. UM, IT'S A HUGE DIVERSE COMMUNITY. UM, I, I'VE MET A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE. UH, I'VE MET GOVERNOR JOHN BELL EDWARDS, UH, GARRETT GRAVES, UH, KIPP HOLDEN MAYOR BROOM, UM, COUNCILMAN GODDE. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE DO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE, PARTLY BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION. UM, IT IS STRAIGHT OFF THE INTERSTATE. IT'S A WHILE TO GET THERE, , BUT IT IS STRAIGHT OFF THE INTERSTATE. BUT THERE'S JUST SO MANY NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THERE AND IT'S NOT AS EASY TO REACH AS YOU WOULD THINK. UM, IF YOU'RE WALKING, SAY IF YOU'RE IN A COMMUNITY BRANCH, YOU CAN USUALLY JUST WALK TO YOUR COMMUNITY BRANCH. BUT, UM, THAT'S DIFFICULT TO DO ON BLUE BONNET BOULEVARD. UH, I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND IT , BUT, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY WILL WALK OR THEY'LL RIDE THEIR BICYCLE OR TAKE THE BUS TO GET THERE. THAT'S HOW IMPORTANT WE ARE TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO I ENJOY BEING THERE. WE HAVE A, A REALLY STRONG STAFF, UH, REALLY DEDICATED, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY BRAVE FLOOD WATERS MANY TIMES TO GET TO WORK. UM, WE'VE ENDURED A LOT OF POWER OUTAGES, UH, AND, AND EXTREME HEAT, BUT WE'RE THERE SERVING OUR PATRONS. UM, WE HAD A 25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BACK IN 2018 THAT WAS HUGELY ATTENDED. THAT WAS A BIG SUCCESS AND I ENJOYED THAT. SEEING ALL OF THE COMMUNITIES COME TOGETHER [00:50:01] IN ONE DAY. AND WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE, SO MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES IN BATON ROUGE. IT'S SO, I LOVE IT. I THINK IT'S GREAT. YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST VERY VIBRANT AND SO MANY CREATIVE PEOPLE OUT THERE. AND THEY LOVE TO COME TO THE LIBRARY AND EXPRESS THEMSELVES. THEY LOVE CRAFT PROGRAMS, OUR GAMING PROGRAMS. UM, JUST FICTION WRITERS, UH, BOOK CLUBS. I MEAN THEY JUST LOVE PARTICIPATING. SO THAT'S EXCITING. ANYWAY, ANY QUESTIONS? KELLY, DO YOU ALL STILL HAVE THE, UH, SCHOOL BUSES THAT PICK UP THE CHILDREN FOR SHERWOOD MIDDLE MAGNET AND BRING 'EM BACK TO THE LIBRARY? YES, WE DO. UM, PRE COVID, WE HAD TWO LOADS FROM SHERWOOD AND HALF A BUS LOAD FROM GLASGOW. UM, THAT WAS A LOT. THEY WOULD COME AFTER SCHOOL. NOW IT'S MAINLY ONE BUS LOAD, WHICH IS A LOT . UH, BUT JUST SHERWOOD RIGHT NOW, UH, THE SCIENCE OLYMPIAD FROM GLASGOW IS COMING BACK ON SATURDAYS TO PRACTICE. I'VE NEVER SEEN KIDS SO EXCITED ABOUT MATH. YOU JUST WOULD NOT BELIEVE . BUT UM, YEAH, SO THAT'S THE REGULAR ONE AFTER SCHOOL. SO IF WE HAVE AN EARLY CLOSURE, DO YOU REMEMBER KATHLEEN RANDOLPH WHO'S A MOONLIGHT HERE? SHE'S THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OVER AT SHERWOOD. SO I CONTACT HER AND LET HER KNOW IF WE'RE GONNA BE CLOSE SO SHE CAN CONTACT PARENTS. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU KELLY. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. THANK YOU. NICE MEETING YOU. MOVING ON. NEXT ON THE AGENDA REPORTS OF COMMITTEES. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY, UM, COMMITTEE REPORTS AT THIS TIME. UM, MOVING ON TO UNFINISHED BUSINESS UPDATE ON THE SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY. THIS REPORT WILL BE READ BY LORI HUGE AND MARY STEIN. OKAY, SO FOR THE SOUTH BRANCH FOR THE PAST MONTH AT THE, A LITTLE BIT MORE, CAN I CLOSE? OKAY. FOR THE SOUTH BRANCH FOR THE PAST MONTH, THE CONTRACTOR HAS COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING WORK. 100% OF THE FIRST COAT OF PAINTING HAS BEEN COMPLETED THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING. 100% OF THE SOUTH PARALLEL PARKING AREA WAS POURED. 90% OF THE CURTAIN WALL FRAMES ARE INSTALLED WITH GLASS. 100% OF THE BATHROOM WALL TILE HAS BEEN INSTALLED. 90% OF THE STOREFRONT GLASS HAS BEEN INSTALLED. 100% OF THE CIRCULATION DESK FRAMING HAS BEEN INSTALLED. 95% OF THE ELECTRICAL TRIM OUT HAS BEEN COMPLETED IN THE CHILDREN'S WING AND 90% OF THE ELECTRICAL TRIM OUT HAS BEEN COMPLETED IN THE ADULT WING. 100% OF THE AUTOMATED SLIDING DOORS AT THE NORTH DROP OFF ENTRANCE WAS COMPLETED AND INSTALLED. SO LIBRARY STAFF ARE IN THE PROCESS OF APPROVING THE SIGNAGE PACKAGE. RIGHT NOW, THE FURNITURE PACKAGE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED FOR PURCHASE. THE CONTRACTOR CONNECTED POWER TO THE BUILDING. ONCE THE FINAL GLASS MATERIALS ARE RECEIVED AND INSTALLED, THE TEMPORARY TILLERS WILL BE TURNED ON TO BEGIN ACCLIMATING THE BUILDING. AND AT THIS TIME THE COMPLETION DATE IS STILL PROJECTED TO BE DECEMBER 31ST. SO THIS COULD CHANGE. SO I WANTED TO SHOW YOU A FEW SLIDES. SO THIS FIRST SLIDE IS SHOWING THE PAINTING THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING. THE FIRST COUPLE SLIDES I HAVE ARE ACTUALLY GONNA SHOW THE PAINTING. SO THIS IS IN THE CHILDREN'S SWING. THIS IS ALSO IN THE CHILDREN'S SWING. AND THIS IS THE PAINTING IN THE TEEN AREA. THIS NEXT ONE IS OF THE BATHROOM WALL TILE THAT'S INSTALLED IN THE MEN'S BATHROOM AT THE NORTHERN ENTRY. THIS IS THE COMPLETION OF THAT BATHROOM WALL TILE IN THAT NORTHERN ENTRY. THIS IS THE BATHROOM WALL TILE THAT WAS INSTALLED IN THE CHILDREN'S AREA. WE HAVE THE HANGING LIGHT FIXTURES THAT WERE INSTALLED IN THE ADULT AREA AND THE NORTHERN CURTAIN WALL GLASS THAT WAS INSTALLED ON AUGUST 16TH. THE AUTOMATED DOORS THAT WERE INSTALLED AT THE NORTH ENTRANCE WITHOUT GLASS ON SEPTEMBER 4TH, THE GLASS INSTALLED AT THE NORTHERN ENTRANCE AREA ON SEPTEMBER 10TH. AND, BUT THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE CURIOUS, [00:55:01] THE COURTYARD TREE AFTER HURRICANE FRANCINE PASSED AND THIS IS WHAT IT STILL LOOKED LIKE. SO IT STILL SURVIVED THAT. SO VIRGIL LIVES . ANY QUESTIONS? OH, IT PROBABLY WOULD'VE COST ALL OF OUR MONEY TO, UH, REPLACE THAT TREE AND SO I'M GLAD IT, UH, IT HELD UP FINE AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S PROGRESSING. SO, UH, WELL, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE I PASSED BY THERE SO MUCH. I FEEL LIKE WAVING TO THE CONTRACTORS, BUT, UM, SO I'M GLAD IT'S GOING WELL. YEAH, YEAH. LORI, IF I COULD ADD, UM, FIRST OF ALL, WHEN SHE SAYS THE UH, FURNITURE IS BIT IS LET, WE HAVE BID OPENING DATES VERY SOON. SO IT'S HAPPENING Y'ALL. IT'S REALLY HAPPENING. BUT, UM, KIND OF MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR YOU, UM, WE'D LIKE TO SCHEDULE SOME VISITS WITH YOU, NOT ALL OF YOU AT ONCE BECAUSE THEN IT WOULD BE A BOARD MEETING, BUT A FEW AT A TIME. UM, SO MAYBE ANTOINETTE CAN GIVE YOU SOME POSSIBLE DATES AND WE CAN ARRANGE TO BE OUT THERE AND MEET YOU BY THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER. UM, NOW THAT WE HAVE PERMANENT POWER, WE CAN HAVE REAL AIR CONDITIONING , AND THEN OTHER STUFF CAN HAPPEN TOO BECAUSE THERE'S SOME THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO UNTIL THE BUILDING IS FULLY CONDITIONED. SO WE'D LIKE TO WAIT A FEW WEEKS AND THEN ARRANGE TO MEET Y'ALL THERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE AND GIVE YOU YOUR TOUR. THANK YOU. I WOULD LIKE . ME TOO. ALL RIGHT. ANY UM, ANY ADDITIONAL BOARD COMMENT ON THE SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY? ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY, MOVING ON. UPDATE ON THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY REPORT WILL BE READ BY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. OKAY. SO FOR THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH ARCHIVES BUILDING FOR THE PAST MONTH, THE CONTRACTOR HAS COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING WORK. 100% OF THE FLOORING AND COVE BASE HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN THE WORKROOM AND OFFICE AREAS. 100% OF THE CEILING TILES HAVE BEEN INSTALLED. 100% OF THE INTERIOR HAS BEEN PAINTED WITH A SECOND COAT. A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE CHAIN LINK FENCING HAS BEEN INSTALLED. A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE SOD HAS BEEN INSTALLED. A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE INTERIOR SIGNAGE HAS BEEN INSTALLED. A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE WALL TILE BEHIND THE WATER FOUNTAINS HAS BEEN INSTALLED. AND IT'S LOVELY Y'ALL, I DON'T HAVE AN IMAGE OF IT, BUT IF YOU GO TO VISIT OUT AT THE BRANCH, YOU'LL SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS. UM, 100% OF THE ACCESS CONTROLLED DOOR PANELS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AND 30% OF THE CABINETS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED. UH, LIBRARY STAFF HAD A WALKTHROUGH FOR THE PUNCH LIST ON THIS PAST MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH. UH, FACILITY STAFF RECEIVED TRAINING ON THE SYSTEMS THAT ARE INSTALLED IN THE ARCHIVES BUILDING ON THIS PAST TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH. LIBRARY STAFF ANTICIPATE BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO THE ARCHIVES BUILDING BY LATE OCTOBER. THE COMPLETION DATE FOR PHASE ONE IS STILL PROJECTED TO BE OCTOBER 16TH AND LIBRARY STILL, STILL ANTICIPATE POSSIBLY GOING OUT TO BID IN LATE SEPTEMBER OR EARLY OCTOBER FOR PHASE TWO OF THE RENOVATION PROJECT FOR THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH. SO LET ME SHOW YOU A FEW IMAGES. LEMME GO TO FULL SCREEN. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO AT SCOTLANDVILLE, THIS IS THE COVE BASE AND THE FLOORING THAT WAS INSTALLED IN THE WORK ROOM AND IT LOOKS JUST AS GOOD IN THE OFFICES. THIS IS THE CEILING TILE THAT WAS INSTALLED. THAT'S THE CHAIN LINK THAT WAS INSTALLED. , THE SECOND COAT OF PAINTING THAT WAS INSTALLED IN THE VLM SHELVING AREA. THE INTERIOR SIGNAGE THAT WAS INSTALLED AND THE BOTTOM CABINETS THAT WERE INSTALLED IN THE WORK ROOM, THEY'RE STILL WORKING. UM, UH, THE MEAL WORK, PROBABLY THEY'LL COMPLETE THAT. SOMETIME THIS WEEK ON AUGUST 16TH, THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING LOOKED AS IT DOES IN THIS IMAGE. THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING AFTER THE SAW WAS INSTALLED AND WATERED HAD THE BUILDING LOOKING AS IT DOES ON THIS PICTURE ON OC ON AUGUST 23RD. AND FINALLY [01:00:02] LET THERE BE LIGHT . THEY HAD POWER TO THE BUILDING AT NIGHT WITH ALL THE EXTERIOR SECURITY LIGHTS INSTALLED. AND SO THEY SENT US THIS BEAUTIFUL IMAGE OF THAT. ALRIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS? GOOD LOOKING BUILDING. YES. THANK YOU MS. LAURA. ALRIGHT, ANY BOARD COMMENT UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS? ANY PUBLIC COMMENT UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS? SEEING NONE. MOVING ON TO NEW BUSINESS. UM, THERE IS NO NEW BUSINESS AT THIS TIME. UM, MOVING ON, COMMENTS BY THE LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL. I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MR. CRAIG BALDWIN, HE'S HERE. VISIT US. GOOD TO HAVE SOMEONE, A VETERAN COME IN AND WITH US. THANK YOU MUCH FOR COMING THERE. ANYTHING US? THANK YOU. THANKS FOR COMING. ANY COMMENTS? OKAY. ONE MORE QUICK THING. UM, I KNOW THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL PICKUP TRUCKS THAT WERE BUDGETED TO BE PURCHASED THIS YEAR. AND SO I TOOK A LOOK AT THE, UH, STATE PURCHASING CONTRACT BEFORE COMING HERE. AND THE, UH, PURCHASING PERIOD HAS REOPENED UNTIL OCTOBER 31ST. SO, UM, WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE, OR AT LEAST INPUT THE REQUISITIONS NOW IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO SO. AND ALSO, UM, ASSUMING THAT, UH, CENTRAL GARAGE WOULD HAVE NO OBJECTIONS, UM, YOU HAVE THE CHOICE OF EITHER FORD OR CHEVROLET TRUCKS. UM, IN, IN THE PAST IT'S BEEN LIMITED TO FORD'S, BUT, UH, CHEVROLETS ARE NOW BACK ON THE LIST. SO IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO FORWARD, BE UH, BEFORE HALLOWEEN, IT, IT'S YOUR CHOICE. THANKS FOR THAT UPDATE. I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT THE HIRING FREEZE. UH, HOW LONG THAT ANTICIPATED THE LAST AND ARE WE HAVING DIFFICULTIES WORKING THROUGH THAT NEED TO PROCESS A BIT AGAIN, UNFORTUNATELY. UM, BUT WE TRYING TO STAY ON AS BEST WE CAN AND HEAR BACK FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE WITHIN A FEW DAYS. WE DO FOLLOW UP, SAY, ASK HOW YOU KNOW, POLITELY ASK, WHERE IS IT IN THE PROCESS? SO THEREFORE, AS SOON AS WE GET WORD MAYOR'S OFFICE, ANY OTHER BOARD COMMENTS ALL? DO I HAVE, UH, A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I MOVE IT TO ADJOURN. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE, THE MOTION CARRIES. WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.