* 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 March 19, 2026] [00:00:03] GOOD EVENING. WELCOME TO THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL. MARCH 19TH, 2026 MEETING. UM, RONNIE, COULD YOU PLEASE LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE? PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. ROLL CALL MS. ANTOINETTE, PLEASE. MS. MS. CANDICE TEMPLE. HERE. MR. DON JUNIOR. MS. KATHY COMB. MRS. DOLORES WATTS. HERE. MRS. NICOLE, ALL PETERSON. MR. DARRELL HURST HERE. AND MR. RYAN PIERCE HERE. ALL RIGHT. LET THE RECORD REFLECT WE DO HAVE A QUORUM NEXT ON THE AGENDA, THE APPROVE OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 19TH, 2026. UM, ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? I DO HAVE ONE CORRECTION MYSELF. UM, TYPICALLY I'M NOTICING ON THE, WELL, LAST MONTH I NOTICED THAT AT THE BOTTOM IT SAYS THAT I, UM, REQUESTED A MOTION TO ADJOURN. IF WE CAN CORRECT THAT, JUST STATING THAT I ADJOURNED THE, THE MEETING WITHOUT ANY, I ASK FOR FURTHER BUSINESS AND HEARING NONE, I ADJOURN THE MEETING. OKAY. UM, JUST BECAUSE IF IT HAS THAT ABOUT A MOTION, WE HAVE TO VOTE. ALRIGHT. UM, DO I HAVE A, UM, ANYONE WANT TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THAT CORRECTION? MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALRIGHT. THE MOTION IS APPROVED. MOVING ON TO SPECIAL ORDERS. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY SPECIAL ORDERS AT THIS TIME. NEXT ON THE AGENDA REPORTS BY THE DIRECTOR, THE FINANCIAL REPORT FINANCIAL REPORTS WILL BE READ BY RHONDA PENLAND FOR 2025. OPERATING EXPENDITURES THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST ARE $49,482,977 AND 3 CENTS ARE 89.95% OF THE BUDGET. THESE NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO CHANGE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS WHILE EXPENDITURES FOR THE 2025 FISCAL YEAR FINALIZE CLEANUP TRANSFERS ARE PROCESSED, WHICH I, I DID SUBMIT ONE AND INTEREST EARNINGS ARE POSTED AS OF TODAY, FOURTH QUARTER. INTEREST EARNINGS ARE STILL NOT POSTED FOR 2026. OPERATING EXPENDITURES THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH ARE $5,627,685 AND 69 CENTS ARE 10.57% OF THE OPERATING, OPERATING BUDGET THROUGH FEBRUARY. WE SHOULD HAVE SPENT NO MORE THAN 16.67% OF THE BUDGET. CASH COLLECTIONS FROM PROPERTY TAXES FOR 2026 ARE AHEAD OF THOSE COLLECTED IN 2025, AS WE ARE APPROXIMATELY $907,000 AND 1.6099999999999999% OF THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE 2026 BUDGET COLUMN ON THE OPERATING STATEMENT? SHOULDN'T THOSE TWO ADVERTISING LINE ITEMS, BUDGETED AMOUNTS BE SWAPPED? UM, THEY SHOULD, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY DIDN'T FIX THAT WITH THE 2026 BUDGET. I'M GONNA HAVE TO DO A BUDGET TRANSFER TO OKAY. CORRECT. IT. JUST, JUST CURIOUS. YEAH, IT SHOULD BE. THANK YOU, NIE. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. MOVING ON TO SYSTEM REPORTS. SYSTEM REPORTS WILL BE READ BY MARY STEIN. OKAY. SO FIRST OF ALL, AT YOUR DESKS, UM, PLEASE FIND, UH, THE NEW LOUISIANA ECONOMIC FORECAST FOR YOUR INFORMATION. WE HAVE AN UPDATED, UH, BOOKMARK THAT IS INFORMATIONAL ABOUT THE FORTHCOMING MILLAGE ELECTION. YOU ALSO HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, UH, A FACT SHEET PUT OUT BY THE URBAN LIBRARY COUNCIL, OF WHICH WE ARE A MEMBER THAT TALKS ABOUT THE EBOOK PRICING CRISIS. I'VE BEEN AT ABOUT FIVE DIFFERENT LUNCH ZOOMS IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY PUBLISHING, UH, LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEWERS, BOOKSELLERS, AND THEN THE URBAN LIBRARY COUNCIL TALKING ABOUT EBOOK PRICING AND, AND THE MONOPOLY AND THE ISSUES FOR LIBRARIES THAT THEY FACE. AND IN A NUTSHELL, UH, IF I WAS BUYING AN EBOOK, I MIGHT PAY $13 FOR MY PERSONAL EBOOK THAT WILL BE ON MY KINDLE OR MY NOOK OR WHATEVER. BUT WHEN THE LIBRARY [00:05:01] BUYS, THAT'S THE EXACT SAME EBOOK. IF THE LIBRARY IS ALLOWED TO BUY THE EBOOK, BECAUSE NOT ALL EBOOKS ARE SOLD TO LIBRARIES, THEY LOCK US OUT. UH, IF THE LIBRARY BUYS IT, WE HAVE TO PAY ALL $55 TO OVER A HUNDRED FOR A TWO YEAR LICENSE, OR 26 READS, AND THEN IT GOES AWAY INTO THE ETHER. AND THEN IF WE WANT IT AGAIN, IF WE STILL FEEL THAT THERE'S STILL A NEED FOR IT, THEN WE HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO IT AGAIN. BECAUSE WHEN WE FIRST STARTED WITH EBOOKS, WE PURCHASED THEM AND THEN THE EBOOK DISTRIBUTORS GOT TOGETHER AND THEY LOCKED US OUT AND SAID, NO, IT'S GONNA BE A SUBSCRIPTION. UH, AND SO TALKS OF BOYCOTTING ARE OUT THERE IN THE WORLD. UH, THE A LA AND THE PLA AND THE ULC, ALL THE ACRONYMS ARE TRYING TO TALK WITH THE BIG FIVE PUBLISHERS, UH, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY IT GOES DOWN TO WHAT THE PUBLISHERS DO AND WHAT THE LAWYERS DO IN THE DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS. AND THE AUTHORS ARE ALSO PART OF THIS. MANY OF THEM ARE OBLIVIOUS TO THE FACT THAT WE GET STIFFED. UH, THEY'LL CALL US AND SAY, WHY DON'T YOU HAVE MY BOOK? AND WE'RE LIKE, WELL, YOU DIDN'T MAKE IT POSSIBLE, YOU KNOW? SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING IN WRITING THAT SUMS IT ALL UP. THIS IS ACCURATE AS OF LAST WEEK. OKAY. IT'S A RAPIDLY CHANGING SCENE. UH, WHEN KATRINA GOES TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, SHE WILL HEAR MORE ABOUT IT. I KNOW. AND THEN IN THE SUMMER, WE WILL HEAR MORE ABOUT IT. I WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU THAT WE WILL BREAK THE MONOPOLY AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO BUY THINGS THAT ARE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED, WHICH ARE VERY LIMITED, BUT AS OF YET, WE CANNOT. SO THAT'S FOR YOUR INFORMATION. MARY. UM, THE GETTING THE EBOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY IS, UM, ONE OF THE, UM, THINGS PEOPLE MOST TALK TO ME ABOUT. YOU KNOW, THEY'LL SEE A BOOK THEY WANNA READ, AND, UM, THEY'LL ALL AGES WANT THAT. YEAH. THEY'LL LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL, INSTEAD OF PURCHASING IT FROM, FROM RIGHT. AMAZON, THEY'LL CHECK IT OUT FROM THE LIBRARY. YES. AND, UH, THEY ARE JUST ABSOLUTELY THRILLED THAT THEY CAN, UM, GET AN EBOOK. RIGHT. CHECK IT OUT FROM THE LIBRARY. AND THEN THE NICE THING IS THAT IT AUTOMATICALLY DISAPPEARS AFTER YES. THREE WEEKS, IT GOES BACK INTO THE, UM, COLLECTION. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IF YOU RETURNED IT ON TIME. THAT'S RIGHT. DID YOU LOSE IT? IS IT DE CARD? YEAH. YES. SO, UM, IT'S A, UH, SO I HOPE THAT THINGS CAN BE, UH, WORKED OUT BECAUSE THIS IS A HUGE, UM, PLUS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE LIBRARY SYSTEM AND FOR, FOR PEOPLE ALSO THAT THEY CAN GET THESE EBOOKS AND, AND, UH, AND READ THEM AND CHECK 'EM OUT FROM THE LIBRARY INSTEAD OF TRYING TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON. THAT'S RIGHT. SO LAST YEAR, OVER 1.5 MILLION EBOOKS WERE CHECKED OUT. UM, AND THEN A SIMILAR NUMBER OF PHYSICAL THINGS WERE CHECKED OUT. SO PHYSICAL ISN'T GOING AWAY. UM, AND WE, WE ATTRACTED SOME NEW E-READERS WHEN, WHEN COVID HAPPENED, WHEN, WHEN THINGS WERE SLOWED DOWN AND THERE WAS THAT DISRUPTION. UHOH, I DIDN'T TOUCH IT. ANTOINETTE, WHERE DID IT GO? THERE? OKAY, I BREATHED. UM, AND WE KEPT MOST OF THOSE READERS. BUT AGAIN, IT'S LIKE THE BROWNIE SONG. YOU MAKE NEW FRIENDS, BUT KEEP THE OLD PHYSICAL BOOKS AREN'T GOING AWAY. WE'RE ADDING THE DIGITAL, AND YOU NEED BOTH. AND OF COURSE, THE RESEARCH IS SHOWING THAT IF YOU'RE ON A SCREEN ALL DAY, MAYBE YOU DON'T NEED TO BE ON A SCREEN ALL NIGHT. IT'S NOT SO GOOD FOR YOUR EYES. SO YOU JUST NEED TO HAVE BOTH. UM, REMEMBER, LAST MONTH WE PASSED OUT THE VERY FIRST PRINTING OF OUR VALUE PROPOSITION PAGE. WE DID GET THE SHIPMENT FROM THE, UH, PRINTER, UH, FEW DAYS AGO. SO THESE ARE GOING OUT TO THE BRANCHES, AND, UH, IF YOU TAKE THE REAL PAPER ON SUNDAY, YOU GOT EXPRESS YOUR VOICE, UM, ALL KINDS. WELL, LAST WEEK, UH, YOU GOT ALL KINDS OF THINGS ABOUT OUR ONE BOOK, ONE COMMUNITY EVENT. AND THE BACK PAGE OF THEIA WAS AGAIN, AN INFORMATIONAL, UH, UH, POSTER, AS IF YOU WILL, ABOUT THE MILLING. [00:10:01] NOW, OH, DO I HAVE SOME PICTURES FOR YOU? . SO, 2, 2, 5 FESTIVAL SEASON IS UPON US. . OKAY. SO WE WERE DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, THE STAR TREK OLD SERIES WHERE THEY WERE ALL SURROUNDING THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE BECAUSE IT WAS THE OVER OVERCROWDED PLANET AND THEY COULDN'T MOVE. IT WAS LIKE THAT AT 2, 2 5 FEST. THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE THERE. THE ONLY OPEN SPACE WAS BY OUR BOOTH BECAUSE WE BLOCKED IT OFF SO THAT THE CHILDREN COULD HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BREATHING ROOM. WE HAD OUR BTR THINGS ARE BETTER IN BATON ROUGE, UH, PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES. WE HAD GAMES FOR THE KIDS, DIFFERENT KINDS OF ACTIVITIES. THEY ALSO, UH, WROTE WHAT THEY LOVED ABOUT THE LIBRARY ON THE E-B-R-P-L, UH, LETTERS. AND, UH, WE HAD A GOOD TIME AND SAW SO MANY PEOPLE. IT WAS NOTHING BUT LIBRARY LOVE. THEN THE MICROCON. OH, Y'ALL, OVER 2000 PEOPLE CAME. THE THING I REALLY LOVE SEEING IS IT'S ALL AGES. THERE WERE GRANDPARENTS, THERE WERE GRANDCHILDREN, THERE WERE TEENAGERS, THERE WERE 20 SOMETHINGS, 30 SOMETHINGS, 40 SOMETHINGS. AND SO MANY PEOPLE JUST ENJOYING BEING WELCOMED AS THEY WERE. MANY WERE IN COSTUME. UH, MANY JUST WISHED THEY WERE IN COSTUME. AND EVERY YEAR, MORE PEOPLE COME IN COSTUME. I WILL TELL YOU THAT. AND EVERY YEAR, MORE OF THE STAFF DRESSES UP. UH, WE OF COURSE HAD CARTOON MEN DOING, UH, THINGS. I JUST LOVE HIM. WE HAD OTHER, UH, THE MINIATURE WARS DIORAMAS WERE HERE. WE WERE PAINTING, UH, A NEW THING WAS PAINTING ON GLASS. THAT'S WHAT THE, UH, TWO PEOPLE IN THE TOP, UH, RIGHT, ARE SHOWING YOU, UH, WHERE THEY, OVER 200 PEOPLE CAME INTO THE TEEN ROOM OVER A SEVERAL HOUR PERIOD TO UNLEASH THEIR OWN INTER CARTOONIST, UH, WAS REALLY WONDERFUL. AND I WILL TELL YOU, A BALLOON PER, UH, UH, A BUBBLE GUY WAS IN THE PARK DOING A DIFFERENT EVENT. AND, AND HE CAME OVER TO OUR EVENT BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE SO MUCH FUN. AND HE WAS KIND OF LIKE, I'M GONNA COME HERE ALL THE TIME. AND IT WAS LIKE, YOU COME ON. UH, THERE'S RED DOG TERRAIN AGAIN, THINGS TO SEE, BUT ALSO INTERACTIVE, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT. LOOK AT THESE PICTURES. THE, UH, THE, THE PARADE OF COSTUMED, UH, CREATURES. IT'S NOT A CONTEST ANYMORE. SO EVERYONE'S A WINNER. AND I LOVE THE FACT THE YOUNG MAN IN THE TOP RIGHT, HE MADE HIS OWN COSTUME, AND BOY DID HE PUT SOME WORK INTO THAT. THAT YOUNG GIRL MADE HERS. I MEAN, THEY, THEY WERE CREATIVE. IT'S EVERYTHING YOU WANT THEM TO BE. SO, UH, AND ALL DIFFERENT AGES. THIS GENTLEMAN, UM, HE, HE WAS PRETENDING HE WAS A STAR TREKKY, UH, AND I TOLD HIM HE NEEDED A RED SHIRT. HE WAS READY TO GET BEAMED UP, . SO WE HAD STAR WARS, WE HAD STAR TREK. THERE'S BLURRED RIGHT HERE. ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF CREATORS, CREATIVES, MAKERS, JUST A WONDERFUL, FRESH, FRESH EVENT. WAS SO HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO OFFER IT. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. ATTIC TREASURES AND COLLECTIBLES HAS MOVED TO THE SPRING. UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY SAY, OH, WE ONLY HAD A HUNDRED. AND SOME PEOPLE, IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A HUNDRED PEOPLE TO EVENT, THAT'S PRETTY DARN GOOD. WE WERE USED TO HAVING 300, BUT 300 PEOPLE WAITING IN LINE FOR 30 MINUTES. YOU KNOW, THAT'S 300 PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD TO WAIT IN LINE, LIKE AT DISNEY. IT WAS REALLY A LOVELY EXPERIENCE. AND I WANNA SHOW YOU, UM, THAT WATCH IN THE BOTTOM SCREEN, YOU, ESPECIALLY COUNCILMAN MIKE CARE. IT'S THE 1940 CHICAGO BEARS CHAMPIONSHIP WATCH. OH, WOW. UM, AND THE, UM, THEY ALSO HAD A PIN RELAY TRACK, MEET, WATCH PRIZE. THESE WERE INHERITED FROM, UH, A GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER. AND, UH, HOW FINE IS THAT? AND DIORAMAS AND STAMPS AND TITANIC, AND A BEAUTIFUL SILK COVER THROW. UH, THEN IN THE NEXT THING, I PARTICULARLY LOVE THIS BECAUSE I AM A GLASS LOVER. IT WASN'T PARTICULARLY VALUABLE, BUT IT'S JUST EXQUISITE TO LOOK AT, AND IT'S SURVIVED. SO I LOVE THAT. AND AGAIN, YOUNG PEOPLE BRINGING THINGS, PEOPLE MY AGE, BRINGING THINGS. SOMETIMES [00:15:01] YOU'LL GET A CHILD THAT WILL BRING A TREASURE THAT WAS GIVEN TO THEM BY THEIR GRANDPARENT. JUST LOVE IT. AND OUR, OUR EXPERTS ARE SO KIND AND WELCOMING TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT CAME. SO WE'VE GOT OUR DATES SET FOR NEXT YEAR AND GOING FULL STEAM AHEAD THEN. OH MY GOODNESS, OKAY. WE'VE BEEN DOING THE TAI CHI FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW, REMEMBER? AND THEN A FEW MONTHS AGO, I TOLD YOU WE WERE STARTING CHINESE LINE DANCING. WE'RE LIKE, WHAT THE, WHAT IS THAT? ? UM, WELL, IN CHINA, THEY'LL PLAY POP MUSIC AND BE OUT THERE ON THE LAWN DOING GUIDED EXERCISE, KIND OF LIKE DOING THE FREEZE, BUT FOR A, FOR PURPOSE. UH, AND LED BY A MODERATOR. SO OUR WONDERFUL G UH, WHO LEADS THE TAI CHI, THEY'VE BEEN DOING SWORD DANCING, FAN DANCING. THEY DID AN EXPOSITION, AND WE HAD ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF TEA. RED STICK TEA WAS THERE. UH, THERE WAS TASTINGS, THERE WAS SMELLING, AND THERE WAS OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE IN THE ROOM TO SEE IT. I MEAN, WE HAD TO CLEAR ALL THE CHAIRS OUT JUST ABOUT, BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY NEEDED SPACE. BUT LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE LINED UP. THAT'S PRETTY DARN GOOD. BUT THEN , I WAS THERE. OH MY GOSH, ACTION. ACTUALLY, YOU NEEDED MORE SPACE. YES. BECAUSE PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE PLACE TO SIT DOWN. THAT'S RIGHT. AND, AND, UM, YES. AND, AND EVERYTHING. SO, UM, IT WAS SO WELL ATTENDED THAT, UM, IT WAS ALMOST TOO WELL ATTENDED. IT WAS, IT WAS ALMOST TOO GOOD OF A HIT. SO AS PART OF OUR, YOU ARE HERE POETRY IN THE NATURAL WORLD, WE'VE BEEN CELEBRATING POETRY AND THE SPOKEN WORD AND, UH, TAMIKA AND TANK OF TANK IN THE BANGAS CROSS PATHS SOMEHOW, SOMEWHERE. AND TANK OFFERED TO COME AND DO SPOKEN WORD ON OUR OUTDOOR STAGE. AND THEY WERE VERY CLEAR TO CORRECT ME WHEN I SAID 2000. OH, NO, IT WAS 2003 PEOPLE WERE HERE. NICE. AND IT WAS LOVELY. WE COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR A MORE TEMPERATE AFTERNOON. IT WAS COOLISH, BUT NOT, I MEAN, WITH 2000 PEOPLE KEEPING EACH OTHER WARM, IT WAS FINE. SHE WAS WONDERFUL. SHE WANTS TO COME BACK. OTHER PEOPLE THEN APPROACH TAMIKA AND SAY, WELL, WE'D LIKE TO DO SOMETHING. IT'S LIKE, OH MY GOSH, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH SPACE. HOW WONDERFUL THIS WAS. BUT IT WAS SPOKEN WORD. UM, THE, THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF THIS, I'M STILL SEEING, BECAUSE WHOEVER CAME DID SOCIAL MEDIA OF THEM AT IT. AND THEN THAT'S GONE OUT, AND THEN THAT'S GONE OUT, AND THEN THAT'S GONE OUT. AND IT'S ALL CELEBRATING THE SPOKEN WORD. AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, LOVE AT THE LIBRARY AND ALL THE BEST POSSIBLE WAYS. SO, UH, GOOD TIMES CERTAINLY HAD BY ALL WE ARE, WE HAVE CLOSED OUR, UM, APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE ANTHOLOGY. SO THE LITTLE COMMITTEE WILL BE WORKING ON THAT, AND WE'LL BE PREPARING A POETRY ANTHOLOGY, UM, INSTEAD OF PRINTING IT, AND ALL THE HASSLE THAT THAT INVOLVES, WE'RE GOING TO PUBLISH IT ON OUR OWN BIBLIO BOARD, WHICH IS OUR DIGITAL PLATFORM. AND THAT SHOULD BE READY MAYBE BY THE END OF APRIL IF ALL GOES WELL. UH, WE ALSO HAD HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HERE FOR SUPER TAX DAY. UH, THE TAX HELP THAT VITA AND A A LP ARE DOING AT THE VARIOUS BRANCHES, OF COURSE, ARE FULL. THEY, THEY REALLY CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE. SO I'M NOT REALLY ADVERTISING IT, BUT, UH, SUPER TAX DAY, WHICH WE DO WITH THE UNITED WAY AND VITA AND ENERGY WENT BEAUTIFULLY. UM, OUR REFERENCE STAFF AND IT STAFF HELPED SET IT ALL UP. AND THEN THERE WERE VOLUNTEERS ALL OVER THE PLACE. IT WAS, AGAIN, IT WAS KULISH, BUT, UM, THEY WERE SERVING COFFEE OUT IN THE PLAZA. AND IT WAS REALLY A GREAT EVENT. IT'S NOT JUST HELPING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DO THEIR TAXES, BUT THERE WAS FINANCIAL, UH, WORKSHOPS AND ALL KINDS OF PARTNERS HERE TO SHARE. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S ONE OF OUR FAVORITES AT JUMPSTART. UM, THERE'S GEORGE, UH, UH, TALKING WITH, UH, ENERGY AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE. UH, THE LAW LAWYERS ARE HERE TO HELP. UM, RED RIVER BANK AND SOME OTHER NON-PROFIT FINANCIAL, UH, ORGANIZATIONS WAS THERE. THERE'S DOC, UH, THERE'S REVEREND ALEXIS RIGHT IN THE [00:20:01] MIDDLE. AND RUG GURU WAS EVERYWHERE. UM, SO IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE, YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOUR PICTURE TAKEN. UH, ANOTHER SUCCESS, THE CAREER CENTER CHANNEL NOW HAS OVER 5,000 SUBSCRIBERS, AND THEY'LL BE MAKING A FRESH SUITE OF POSTS IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS. UH, THEY'LL PREPARE VIDEO SHORTS AND IT'S ON ALL KINDS OF TOPICS. REMEMBER, LAST YEAR, MY FAVORITE WAS HOW TO GET HIRED AT BUCKY'S. UH, UH, AND THEY DO REAL THINGS TOO. THEY WERE, THEY WERE, THEY'VE BEEN HERE AT MAINE, THEY'VE BEEN UP IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE PARISH. UH, IN FACT, THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING ON, UM, TEEN TIME MANAGEMENT, UH, RIGHT NOW, WHICH FRANKLY, ANY OF US COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. OH MY GOODNESS. YES. UM, WE HOST BRAVER ANGELS. WE HOST THE CONVENTION OF STATES. WE'VE HOSTED CANDIDATES FORUMS. UH, WE'VE HOSTED ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR THEIR TOWN MEETINGS. UH, IT'S JUST ALL PART AND PARCEL OF THE LIBRARY BEING THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY AND HELPING KEEP DEMOCRACY ALIVE. ANOTHER WAY THAT WE'RE HELPING WITH DEMOCRACY AND KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY ALIVE IS WE'RE ASKING OUR FOR OUR CITIZENS SCIENTISTS TO TELL US. WE'VE BEEN HOSTING OUR OWN LIBRARY INFORMATION DATABASE, WHICH WE PUT ON THE CITY KEY. MORE THAN 10 YEARS AGO. WE STARTED WORKING WITH OPEN DATA BR, WHICH IS ONE OF THE TOP OPEN DATA PORTALS IN THE, IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. YAY. YAY. CITY PARISH. UH, SO OPEN DATA B IS ONE THING. THE CITY KEY IS ANOTHER THING. AND DATA SAMURAI IS, IS A GROUP THAT'S OUT OF THE INCUBATOR, UH, RIGHT HERE IN TOWN. AND WE MET THE YOUNG MAN WHO IS MARSHALING ALL THIS STUFF AT ONE OF OUR TOWN MEETINGS. AND HE, AND HE SAID, LET'S THINK OF BETTER WAYS TO VISUALIZE THIS DATA. AND HOW CAN WE, THE WORD I LIKE TO USE IS DISCOVERY. CAN WE TAKE WHAT'S IN OPEN DATA? CAN WE TAKE WHAT'S IN CITYKEY? CAN WE, CAN WE TAKE THE STATE AND NATIONAL INDICATORS AND MASH 'EM UP IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT'S NOT CHAOS, BUT IT'S USEFUL? SO HE HAS STARTED SESSIONS, UH, ALL OVER THE PARISH. WE'RE GONNA DO A NUMBER OF SESSIONS AND EVEN ONE VIRTUAL TO ASK THE PUBLIC WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DO YOU WANT AND HOW DO YOU WANT TO GET IT? AND SOMETIMES THE INFORMATION'S ALREADY THERE AND THE PUBLIC JUST DOESN'T KNOW IT. AND OTHER TIMES IT'S JUST NOT THERE. IT HAVE TO GO TO ONE PLACE FOR ONE KIND OF INFORMATION. YOU HAVE TO GO ANOTHER PLACE FOR ANOTHER. SO CAN WE DO A MASHUP THAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? AND THEN I'M HAPPY TO TELL YOU, UH, KATRINA WILL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE SOON. UH, THE LIBRARY WAS HONORED WITH A SPECIAL AWARD. IT IS THE MARGARET T. LANE AWARD FOR 2026. AND LOOK, THERE SHE IS. YES, . UM, THE LLA FOLKS HAD A GOOD TIME WITH, UH, WITH GRAPHIC VISUALIZATIONS. THEY ALSO HONORED BRYCE TOMLIN AS THE LIBRARIAN'S, GHOSTLY ASSISTANCE FOR HIS HELP WITH IT, AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR CONFERENCES. UM, YEARS AGO, WHENEVER THE CONFERENCE WAS IN BATON ROUGE, WE KIND OF VOLUNTOLD BRYCE THAT HE WAS GOING TO HELP WITH IT. AND, UH, HE HAS HELPED THEM EVER SINCE. UH, SO YOU'LL HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. AND THEN PROBABLY YOU SAW THE SUNDAY PAPER, UM, WHERE THEY PICKED UP ON THE FACT THAT THIS AWARD HAD BEEN FRESHLY GIVEN TO THE LIBRARY AND THEY PUT A FRESH ARTICLE ABOUT IT IN THE SUNDAY PAPER. UH, STRICTLY BUSINESS WE HEARD FROM THE CHANCELLOR OF LSU YESTERDAY. UH, CONTINUING ON WITH THAT SERIES, UH, THE VIRTUAL AUTHOR SERIES. I'M SO EXCITED TO TELL YOU, UH, THAT IN THE APRIL EDITION, ONCE YOU GET YOUR APRIL SOURCE, 'CAUSE I HAVE THE DRAFT RIGHT NOW, I HAPPEN TO KNOW THAT JASON REYNOLDS WILL BE AN ADD-ON AUTHOR IN APRIL. THIS IS ONE OF THE STANDOUT AUTHORS OF TEEN BOOKS FOR TEENS. HE'S BEEN HERE, HE'S PHENOMENAL. AND HE WILL BE, UH, DOING A VIRTUAL TALK AT THE END OF APRIL. AND REMEMBER, THESE ARE LIVE. WE CAN SUBMIT OUR QUESTIONS AND THE MODERATOR WHO LIVES IN NEW ORLEANS WILL ASK HIM THE QUESTIONS. SO IT'S PHENOMENAL. I LOVE BEING PART OF IT. TWO NEW THINGS FOR US ON THE COVER OF THE APRIL SOURCE WILL BE THE BAKER FAIR BRAND NEW. BUT I'M GONNA ALSO [00:25:01] REMIND YOU THAT IF YOU ARE GONNA DO AN SUBMISSION FOR THE EDIBLE BOOK FEST, START THINKING NOW. AND THEN THE OTHER NEW THING THAT WE'LL BE PREMIERING IS THE FIX IT FAIR ON MAY 16TH. SO START LOOKING FOR WHAT'S BROKEN AND BRING IT HERE AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN FIX IT. EVERYTHING FROM BIKE CHAINS TO JEWELRY, TO BUTTONS TO LAMPS, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF FIXERS HERE. UH, AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. UH, OF COURSE, THIS INFORMATION ABOUT THE MILLAGE IS OUT THERE UPDATED ON THE WEBSITE. AND WE WILL HAVE OUR FIRST INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON THURSDAY, APRIL 23RD IN THE AFTERNOON HERE AT THE MAIN LIBRARY. UH, THAT'S DURING NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK. THAT WEEK WILL START WHEN THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS IS HERE TO REGISTER PEOPLE TO VOTE. THAT WEEK WILL END WITH THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BEING HERE TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS AND CELEBRATE LIBRARIES WITH CAKE. EVERYONE IS INVITED. SO A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON. THAT IS PLENTY. ANY QUESTIONS? YES. WHAT, WHAT IS THE BAKER'S FAIR? DO PEOPLE BRING IN THEIR BAKED GOODS OR THEY'RE JUDGED, OR DO YOU HAVE RECIPES OR YOU HAVE PEOPLE SHOWING WHAT TO DO? OKAY, SO THERE ARE SEVERAL ASPECTS TO THIS, AND WE'RE DOING IT THE SAME DAY AS THE EDIBLE BOOK FEST. BUT REMEMBER, NO ONE REALLY EATS ANYTHING AT THE EDIBLE BOOK FEST OR THEY'D PROBABLY DIE. WE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THE ADVOCATE, THEY'RE BRINGING BACK THE COOKIE CONTEST, WHICH IS SEPARATE, BUT FOR THE EDIBLE, FOR THE BAKER FAIR ITSELF, WE HAVE INVITED, THEY'RE CALLED COTTAGE BAKERS TO COME AND SHOW OFF. UH, THERE IS QUESTION ABOUT DOING, UH, CONTESTS. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO BE JUDGES. UH, I'M NOT IN CHARGE. WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. UH, AND WE HAVE TEEN BAKERS ALSO COMING TO SHOWCASE THEIR WORKS AND THEY CAN SELL THEIR WORKS AT THIS EVENT. SO, DELICIOUS TREATS. THERE ARE OVER 20 LOCAL BAKERS. SO IT'LL BE KIND OF LIKE THE FARMER'S MARKET, BUT JUST FOR BAKED GOODS. UH, SO WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE THAT CONTEST DEPENDS ON IF WE FIND SOMEONE WHO'S WILLING TO JUDGE AND BE FAIR, BECAUSE I WILL ONLY, YOU KNOW, GIVE AN A PLUS TO CHOCOLATE. SO I CAN'T BE A JUDGE. UM, I DON'T WANT TO EAT RASPBERRIES, UH, NO FRUIT FOR ME. SO, BUT WE'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME WORKING WITH THE ADVOCATE, UM, THE COOKBOOK, UH, PEOPLE. OF COURSE, WE WILL HAVE COOKBOOKS ON DISPLAYS. WE WILL HAVE ALL KINDS OF THINGS CELEBRATING THE ART OF BAKING. AND IT, IT IS GONNA BE FUN. SO I INVITE YOU TO PUT THAT SUNDAY, IT'S SUNDAY APRIL 12TH ON YOUR CALENDAR. ALRIGHT, I'LL GET OUT OF THE WAY, MA'AM. MARY, WHAT WAS THAT DATE AGAIN? FOR THE FIRST INFORMATIONAL, THE FIRST INFORMATION WILL BE THURSDAY, APRIL 23RD AT 2:00 PM HERE. AND THEN WE'LL SCHEDULE MORE FOR MAY AND JUNE ONE AT EACH LOCATION. AND, UH, THEN WE HOPE TO HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE ON TUESDAY OF APRIL 21ST. BUT WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, PIN DOWN THE LOCATION. WE WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING. AND SO WE'RE WAITING FOR, UH, A WRITTEN ADVISORY FROM THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN HOLD THAT EVENT HERE IN THIS BUILDING, WHICH MAKES IT SO EASY. UM, SO THAT'LL, THAT'LL BE IN YOUR INBOX AS SOON AS IT'S NAILED DOWN. THANK YOU, UHHUH. OTHER QUESTIONS, REPORTS, MAINTENANCE AND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS. MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE, AND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS TO BE READ BY LAURIE. HUGS. OKAY. SO FOR THE MAINTENANCE REPORT FOR MARCH OF 2026 AT THE BLUEBONNET REGIONAL BRANCH LIBRARY, CONCRETE WAS POURED TO EVEN OUT AREAS OF THE PARKING LOT WHERE WATER PIPES WERE PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED AND THE GROUND SETTLED. IN ADDITION, THE REPAIRS TO THE PORT CCHE WERE COMPLETED AT THE DELMONT GARDENS BRANCH LIBRARY FACILITY. STAFF INSTALLED A BIKE REPAIR STATION NEAR THE BIKE RACK THAT WE THINK WILL BE VERY USEFUL TO PATRONS IN THAT AREA AT THE FAIRWOOD BRANCH LIBRARY. EXTERIOR PAINTING OF THE STUCCO WAS COMPLETED AT GREENWELL SPRINGS REGIONAL BRANCH LIBRARY, A MOTOR FOR ONE OF THE CHILLERS. UM, THE CHILL WATER PUMPS WAS [00:30:01] REPLACED AND AT THE JONES CREEK REGIONAL BRANCH LIBRARY WORKERS ONGOING TO REPLACE THEIR HVAC CONTROL SYSTEM. AND AT THE MAIN LIBRARY, WE HAD A POWER OUTAGE LAST THURSDAY, MARCH 12TH, DUE TO THE WEATHER THAT CAUSED US TO RUN ON GENERATOR POWER FOR THE DAY. AND WE HAD TO CLOSE EARLY DUE TO LIMITED LIGHTING IN THE BUILDING AFTER HOURS IN THE PUBLIC AREAS. SO, UM, ENERGY WAS ABLE TO REPLACE THE BROKEN CABLE WIRE GOING TO THAT TRANSFORMER BY OPENING TIME ON FRIDAY MORNING. UH, FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, THE ROOFING PROJECT WORK IS STILL ON GROWING FOR THE BOILER PROJECTS FOR EDEN PARK AND GREENWELL SPRINGS BRANCH LIBRARIES. THE CONTRACT FOR THE EDEN PARK BRANCH LIBRARY BOILER IS BEING PROCESSED AND ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES IS STILL WORKING TO GET THE BID DOCUMENTS COMPLETED FOR THE GREENWELL SPRINGS REGIONAL BRANCH LIBRARIES BOILER PROJECT. AND FOR THE CHILLER PROJECT, WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR FINAL ACCEPTANCE. AND I DO HAVE SOMETHING FUN TO SHOW YOU, WHICH IS THE DELMARK GARDENS BRANCH BIKE REPAIR STATION THAT WAS INSTALLED. IT'S OUT FRONT, NEAR THEIR BIKE RACKS AND THE WAY IT'S SET UP, PEOPLE CAN HANG THEIR BIKES ON THERE WHILE THEY'RE MAKING REPAIRS. THERE'S A SEPARATE AIR PUMP THAT THEY CAN PUMP UP THEIR TIRES AND THERE ARE TOOLS THAT ARE BUILT INTO IT THAT THEY CAN MAKE THEIR REPAIRS WITH. AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE TRYING TO INSTALL THESE AT ALL OF THE BRANCHES THAT WE DO THE RENOVATIONS. AND FOR THE BRANCHES THAT HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THEIR RENOVATIONS, WE'LL GO BACK AND TRY TO ADD THESE AT A LATER DATE. NICE. ALRIGHT, LAURIE, ARE THERE ANY, UH, UH, TIMES THAT THEY HAVE LIKE A A, A CLASS TO SHOW PEOPLE HOW TO FIX THEIR BIKES? YEAH, LIKE ON A SATURDAY OR WHATEVER, BECAUSE YOU MIGHT HAVE A BIKE, BUT HAVE NO IDEA HOW DO YOU, OTHER THAN TO PUMP UP THE TIRE, HOW TO FIX IT. SO I WAS JUST SEEING IF SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET MAYBE SOMEBODY TO VOLUNTEER TO COME ON THE SATURDAY, PERHAPS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE MINI REPAIR CLASS. YEAH, THAT'S ACTUALLY A GOOD IDEA TO PUT THAT DOWN TO, TO LOOK INTO THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? NO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT ON AGENDA. MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. JUST A FEW THINGS TO GO OVER. UH, FIRST OF ALL, THE WORKFORCE SUCCESSION PLANNING UPDATES ARE ALMOST READY TO SUBMIT TO THE CITY PARISH. THE COX INTERNET CONTRACT WAS RENEWED BY THE METRO COUNCIL, AS WAS THE NEW ILS, UH, THE INTEGRATED LIBRARY SYSTEM CONTRACT WITH POLARIS, UH, WHICH WAS APPROVED. STAFF TRAINING DAY WILL BE THURSDAY, APRIL THE SECOND. ALL LOCATIONS WILL BE CLOSED. THE TRAINING WILL BE HELD HERE AT MAINE, BUT OF COURSE, MAINE WILL ALSO BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. AND FINALLY, AS MARY MENTIONED EARLIER, WE ARE THE RECIPIENT OF THE MARGARET T. LANE AWARD. THIS WAS A VERY PLEASANT SURPRISE. ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THE CONFERENCE, UH, WE WERE CONTACTED AND INFORMED THAT WE WERE NOMINATED, AS IT TURNS OUT, BY LL A PRESIDENT KAYLA K OR KSI? KK. I'M A LITTLE, UH, NOT A LITTLE IFFY ON HER LAST NAME. UM, I SAID IT CERTAINLY CAME AS A SURPRISE TO US 'CAUSE THIS IS JUST US DOING OUR JOB, BUT THIS IS THE AWARD, WHICH WE'LL PUT ON THE SLATE IN THE BOARD ROOM UPSTAIRS, BUT I WANTED TO BRING IT DOWN AND SHOW YOU ALL. GOT IT. GREAT JOB. CONGRATULATIONS. YES, THANK YOU. UM, JUST A QUICK WORD THOUGH ABOUT THE, THAT, BECAUSE THIS WAS FOR THE ACCESS JUSTICE INITIATIVE, UH, THAT WAS, UH, A COLLABORATION BETWEEN US AND THE 19TH JUDICIAL COURT AND THE CLERK OF COURT'S OFFICE. UH, FROM WHAT I AM TOLD SO FAR, WE ARE, LOOK, WE ARE GETTING ABOUT ONE TO TWO INDIVIDUALS A WEEK HERE AT MAINE WHO COME LOOKING TO, UH, APPLY OR, UH, THE SUBMIT THE PETITION FOR THE PROTECTIVE ORDER AND FOR THE REST OF THE PARISH ABOUT ONE PERSON. THEY, THEY SAID ABOUT A MONTH EACH MONTH, WASN'T IT? WELL, AT DIFFERENT BRANCHES. AT DIFFERENT BRANCHES, YEAH. YEAH. SO IT'S WORTH DOING. YES. YES. ANY QUESTIONS? NO. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ON THE AGENDA REPORTS OF COMMITTEES. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY COMMITTEE REPORTS AT THIS TIME. MOVING ON TO UNFINISHED BUSINESS UPDATE ON THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY DATE WILL BE READ BY LAURA. OKAY. [00:35:01] SO FOR THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY, PHASE TWO, THE WOOD STAIN CEILINGS AT THE MAIN ENTRANCES COMPLETE, UH, STOREFRONT WINDOWS AND GLAZING HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE AND CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING. BRICK VENEER AND WATERPROOFING WORK IS COMPLETE. SUSPENDED CEILING GRIDS ARE BEING INSTALLED. THE ROLLING SHUTTER DOOR HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN THE MEETING ROOM, UH, SERVER ROOM. UH, THE PARTITION WALL HAS BEEN INSTALLED. IN THE MEETING ROOMS, THE EXPOSED INTERIOR BEAMS HAVE BEEN PAINTED. INTERIOR PAINTING FINISH WORK IS BEING DONE THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING. SPRINKLER HEADS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED. THE SUSPENDED CEILING LIGHTS ARE BEING INSTALLED AND MONITOR MOUNTS ARE BEING INSTALLED. UM, FRAMEWORK FOR THE COPIER STATIONS IS ONGOING. EXTERIOR LIGHT POSTS ARE BEING INSTALLED IN THE COURTYARDS. PLUMBING, MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL WORK ARE ONGOING. UH, THE POWER SWITCH OVER IS SCHEDULED WITH ENERGY FOR MARCH 26TH, AND AFTER THIS, THE BUILDING WILL BE FULLY POWERED AND HVAC SYSTEM CAN THEN BE TURNED ON. SO THE PROJECT IS NOW EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY MID-JUNE, THOUGH THIS COULD CHANGE, I DO HAVE SOME LOVELY IMAGES TO SHOW YOU . SO THIS IS WHAT THE ENTRANCE LOOKS LIKE. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT WOOD BEAM IN THE CENTER IS NOW PAINTED. THAT'S THE INTERIOR OF THE ENTRANCE WHERE YOU CAN SEE THOSE RAFTERS UP THERE THAT ARE NOW STAINED. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL ENTRANCE. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT IN PERSON TO REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THE MEETING ROOM EXPANSION AND ACCENT WALL PAINTED. AND THIS IS INSIDE, UM, WHERE THAT NEW EXPANSION HAS BEEN CREATED. AND WE'VE PICKED THESE COLORS BASED ON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY FOR THE ONES BEEN OUT THERE. UM, MEETING ROOM ROLLING SHUTTER DOOR, INSTALLED IN THE SERVING ROOM, KITCHENETTE AREA. THE MEETING ROOM STAGE ROLLED DOWN. AND YOU CAN SEE IT'S, IT'S LOOKING MORE FINISHED EVERY TIME WE GO OUT THERE. THE PARTITION WALLS INSTALLED IN THE MEETING ROOMS. THE PAINTING ACCENT WALLS INSIDE THE TEAM ROOM, AGAIN WITH THE SU COLORS, THE PAINTING OF THE EXPOSED INTERIOR BEAMS. IT'S A LOVELY GRAY NOW. THEY USED TO BE GREEN. THE PAINTING OF THE ACCENT WALL OUTSIDE THE PUBLIC RESTROOMS AND THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE COPIER STATION. WE HAVE LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL, UH, ACCENT COLORS THAT WE PICKED BASED ON THAT PAINTING BY DALE. UM, SO IT'S LOOKING REALLY GREAT OUT THERE. MM-HMM . UM, THESE ARE THE, THE, UM, THE PAINTING FINISHES INSIDE THE STUDY ROOMS. AND YOU CAN SEE THE SUSPENDED CEILING GRIDS BEING INSTALLED AS WELL AS THE, UM, THE TECH FRAMEWORK FOR THE MONITORS. AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THE SUSPENDED CEILING LIGHTS THAT WERE INSTALLED AND THE EXTERIOR LIGHT POLES INSTALLED IN THE, UM, SOUTH COURTYARD. ANY QUESTIONS? LAURIE? ARE THE, ARE, IS THAT THE ONLY LIBRARY THAT HAS A FOLD DOWN STAGE OR MM-HMM . YES, BECAUSE THEY WERE THE ORIGINAL BRANCH THAT ONLY HAD A STAGE AND, AND THEY WANTED THAT TO REMAIN A FEATURE AT THAT BRANCH. IT, IT LOOKS LIKE A, A, AN EXCELLENT FEATURE. UH, YES. WE'RE ALL WATCHING IT. TO ADD, TO ADD, AND I WAS JUST TRYING TO SEE MAYBE IF IT WAS HIDDEN THAT BLUE BONNET OR HIDDEN, UH, AT MAINE AND I DIDN'T, WASN'T AWARE OF IT, BUT THAT LOOKS LIKE AN, UH, EXCELLENT THING TO WHEN WE DO RENOVATIONS OR TO ADD, UM, BECAUSE IT, IT WOULD BE SO NICE WHEN YOU HAVE PROGRAMS TO HAVE SOMEBODY A LITTLE BIT ELEVATED AND UP. THANK YOU. YEAH, I REMEMBER GOING TO MANY A CONCERT OUT THERE AND THE BAND WOULD SIT UP ON THE STAGE AND PLAY. MARY AND I DANCED OUT THERE. YES, . NICE. THANK YOU. NEXT ON THE AGENDA, THE UPDATE ON THE BAKER BRANCH LIBRARY. ALRIGHT, SO FOR THE BAKER BRANCH LIBRARY, UM, UPDATE THE DESIGN, UH, CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT WITH GFP ARCHITECTS WAS APPROVED AT THE FEBRUARY 25TH METRO COUNCIL MEETING. AND AS A REMINDER, GFP ARCHITECTS IS THE SAME FIRM THAT WE USE FOR THE SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH THEM ON THE BAKER LIBRARY BRANCH PROJECT. UM, THE LIBRARY TEAM AND GFP ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES MET FOR A PRE-DESIGNED MEETING ON MARCH 9TH. WE ALSO TOURED [00:40:01] THE BAKER BRANCH LIBRARY WITH GFP ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES ON MARCH 13TH AND DISCUSSED VARIOUS CONCEPTUAL IDEAS FOR THE BRANCH. UM, ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES PLANS TO ISSUE A FORMAL NOTICE TO PROCEED AFTER SURVEY REPORTS ARE PROVIDED TO AND RECEIVED BY GFP ARCHITECTS. UH, LASTLY, LIBRARY STAFF AND COUNCILMAN KENNY WILL BE AT THE CITY OF BAKER DAY ON MARCH 29TH TO SHARE CURRENT CONCEPT DRAWINGS FOR THE BAKER BRANCH LIBRARY AND TO RECEIVE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK. ANY QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT. NO, THANK YOU. NEXT ON THE AGENDA, NEW BUSINESS. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY NEW BUSINESS AT THIS TIME. UM, MOVING ON TO COMMENTS ABOUT THE LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL. MADAM CHAIR, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, I RECENTLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE, THE ABILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS TO GET ASSISTANCE WITH THE PROTECTIVE ORDER AND I WAS JUST SO IMPRESSED BY THAT. THAT'S A SERVICE THAT YOU WOULDN'T THINK YOU CAN, YOU COULD GET AT A LIBRARY AND, AND INDIVIDUALS NEEDING THAT ARE ALREADY GOING THROUGH SO MUCH TRAUMA AND, AND DIFFICULTY. SO I'M SO GLAD TO SEE THAT THE LIBRARY, ONCE AGAIN IS PROVING ITSELF AND SHOWING ITSELF AS A COMMUNITY CENTER TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES AS NEEDED. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY, GREAT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS? HEARING NONE. THE MEETING WILL ADJOURN. HEARING NONE, THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED. OKAY. * 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.