BOARD OF TRUSTEE'S MEETING - CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY - Tuesday, February 23, 2021 / 5:00 p.m - Cuyahoga County Public ...
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CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEE’S MEETING
Tuesday, February 23, 2021 / 5:00 p.m.
Virtual Meeting
CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING AGENDA
23 February 2021
REMOTE CONFERENCE CALL MEETING
5:00 p.m.
TOPIC PAGE# MOTION
1. Call to Order: William Leonard, President ROLL-CALL
2. Approval of Minutes: January 26, 2021 Board Meeting 1-10 ACTION
3. Retiree Recognition 11-12 INFORMATION
4. Report of the Board President INFORMATION
5. Report of the Executive Director 13-24 INFORMATION
Bridget Hawes – Development Update
6. Report of the CCPL Foundation Board Liaison INFORMATION
7. Human Resources Report 25-30 ACTION
8. Finance Committee Report: 31-32
Financial Statement Review – Fiscal 2021 – January 33-37 INFORMATION
Investments: Fiscal 2021 – January 38 ROLL-CALL
Purchase Approval List 39-41 ACTION
Gift Report 42 ACTION
9. New Business
Permanent Annual Appropriation Resolution 43-44 ROLL-CALL
Resolution to Sponsor a “Food 4 Fines” Drive, March 1- 45 ACTION
31, 2021
10. Adjourn ACTION
1
CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
MINUTES
26 January 2021
The January 26, 2021 meeting of the Cuyahoga County Public Library Board of Trustees was held
remotely. With a quorum of seven (7) Board members present, President Leonard called the meeting to
order at 5:00 p.m.
Roll-Call: Present: Edward H. Blakemore; Allyn Davies; Dean E. DePiero; William J.
Leonard; Patricia A. Shlonsky; Maria L. Spangler; Robert W. Varley – 7.
Absent: – 0.
Also present: Executive Director Tracy Strobel; Deputy Director-Support Services and Fiscal Officer
Scott Morgan; Communications & External Relations Director Hallie Rich, Human Resources Director
Monique Good, Deputy Director of Public Services Pam Jankowski, and Assistant Finance Director
Robert Dolan
Election of Officers
President Leonard stated on behalf of the Nominating Committee, Trustee Varley presented a slate of
officers for 2021. The slate was also shared with the trustees at the December 2020 Board Meeting.
President Leonard asked if there were other nominations from the floor. Seeing none, President Leonard
asked for a motion to approve the slate of officers as follows:
President: William J. Leonard
Vice President: Dean E. DePiero
Secretary: Allyn Davies
Present: Trustee Blakemore joined the meeting at 5:06 p.m.
01-1/2021
Trustee Varley moved approval, seconded by Trustee Blakemore. Seeing no discussion or other
nominations from the floor, the above-listed slate of officers was approved as presented by unanimous
vote of Board members present.
Resolution to Appoint Fiscal Officer & Deputy Fiscal Officer
President Leonard asked for a motion to approve the Resolution to Appoint Scott A. Morgan as Fiscal
Officer and Robert W. Dolan as Deputy Fiscal Officer for a one-year term beginning January 26, 2021.
02-1/2021
Trustee Shlonsky moved approval, seconded by Trustee Davies. Seeing no discussion, the resolution to
appoint Scott A. Morgan Fiscal Officer and Robert W. Dolan Deputy Fiscal Officer was approved by
unanimous vote of Board members present as stipulated above. (See page xxx)
Oath of Office:
President Leonard administered the Oath of Office to Fiscal Officer Scott A. Morgan and to Deputy Fiscal
Officer Robert W. Dolan as required by ORC Section 3375.32. (See pages xxx-xxx)
1|Page
2 Approval of Minutes: President Leonard asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the December 15, 2020 Board meeting that were sent to the Board members in advance of this meeting. 03-1/2021 Trustee Blakemore moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Trustee DePiero. Seeing no corrections, omissions or additions, the minutes of the December 15, 2020 Board Meeting were approved by unanimous vote of the Board members present. Retiree Recognition: President Leonard recognized and thanked Jeanne Cilenti, Mary Sawczak, Michael Sawczak, Jr., and Rita Turocy for their many years of service to Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) and wished them the best on their retirement. This meeting was held remotely, and none of the retirees participated in the meeting. (See pages 11-14) Report of the Board President: President Leonard stated he does not have a formal report. He wished everyone a happy new year, and he hope 2021 goes better than 2020, with respect to access to our libraries. Report of the Executive Director: Executive Director Strobel welcomed everyone to the first Library’s Board of Trustees meeting for 2021. Executive Director Strobel shared that last evening 435 students and educators took part in a statewide program for participants in the My Brother’s Keeper initiative originally founded by President Barack Obama and championed in Ohio by Senator Sherrod Brown. Senator Brown welcomed the participants and reminded us of the importance of reading and storytelling in a young person’s life. The featured guest was author Kwame Alexander whose book Crossover will be read and discussed by participants – primarily boys and young men of color grades five through 12. Mr. Alexander was fun and engaging as he shared his story of perseverance and eventual success as a poet and author. This program is a great example of collaboration with Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland Public Library, Ohio Library Council, the Kirwin Institute at Ohio State and Senator Brown’s office. CCPL contributed by organizing and sponsoring author Kwame Alexander’s participation and providing the online platform and expertise as the host of the program thanks to our Media Services Team in making everything work smoothly last evening. Executive Director Strobel mentioned that Ali Boyd CCPL Warrensville Heights Branch Manager, introduced the author and co-facilitated the Q&A with the audience. It was a great evening. Executive Director Strobel stated our branches are closed to walk-in traffic while the County’s stay-at- home advisory remains in place. Our creative and hardworking team continues to develop ways to meet the needs of our residents. Drive-up and curbside service is busy but not just with the circulation of materials. We are printing and faxing for customers as well, and last week we introduced laptop access at our branches by providing a laptop device for customers in their car, in the library’s vestibule or in a meeting room near the entry door. We know that our customers depend on us for access to the internet. It is a service that we have been unable to offer and is desperately needed, and under the leadership of Deputy Director Jankowski, we are now doing that at every location. Thanks to CCPL’s IT Department, we have also boosted our wi-fi signal to improve access in our parking lots and we have submitted a proposal to the County to extend our wi-fi beyond our parking lots into neighborhoods in our five most disadvantaged communities. Executive Director Strobel mentioned you may have seen in our newsletter or in other media we are now busy helping our disconnected residents who qualify for vaccines, find location information and assisting with registration for getting a vaccination when that is possible. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health is extremely grateful for this support. 2|Page
3 Executive Director Strobel stated tonight’s learning moment turns a spotlight on yet another one of the ways we have been helping our residents throughout the pandemic. CCPL in partnership with the Greater Cleveland Foodbank has coordinated and hosted food distribution events in several of our communities, and here to share more about these efforts is our Volunteer Coordinator Nicole Beleske and CCPL Brook Park Branch Manager, Shayna Muckerheide. Ms. Beleske thanked everyone for the opportunity to give an update on CCPL Food Distribution. Ms. Beleske shared some of the history of the program. We started the mobile pantry, the summer of 2018, to address the hunger insecurities that we face in our area. Leading up to our July launch date, CCPL Maple Heights Branch Manager Steve Haynie, CCPL BSL Supervisor Adult Regina stopper BSL, and CCPL LLD Librarian Joey Fabian, and Ms. Beleske, observed other pantries in the area and to get an idea of how we could make the program run smoothly at CCPL Maple Heights Branch, making sure we had all of the proper paperwork submitted with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and that we were properly trained on their pantry track system and able to train volunteers and staff on using the system. We submitted proper marketing requests and then shared with the community the dates of the distributions in hope we could handle the flow of things became nerve rattling. The actual day of our first distribution as people were walking through the parking lot and walking through the distribution, thanking us for being there, and being so appreciative of us and the service that we were providing and that moment when a little girl’s eyes lit up because she knew she was going to be able to take strawberries home our concerns vanished, and we were absolutely hooked on the program. Ms. Beleske stated that year, we had three different distributions at CCPL Maple Heights Branch, and we served 257 families, which resulted in 636 individuals receiving food. In 2019 we expanded to five months, and we had the produce distribution from May to September, increasing both the number of distributions as well as the amount of food that we were distributing, we served 606 families, 1,600 for individuals. After seeing the growth of the program and the need for the service, Mr. Haynie met with other branch managers, and a plan for 2020 was developed and our pre pandemic goal was that we would have distributions for six months at five of our branches, and CCPL Garfield Heights Branch would have a distribution year-round. Unfortunately, COVID-19 hit, and we had to put our Spring launch on pause. Mr. Haynie and the branch managers worked closely with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank through a new registration process and came up with our drive thru distribution concept and from September through December, we hosted pantry distributions at several of our branches, and we will be continuing to host distributions at those branches. Ms. Beleske also shared some statistic totals. In 2020 during September through December, CCPL Brook Park Branch served 575 families, for a total of 1,721 individuals Brooklyn Branch served 406 families, and 1,138 individuals, CCPL Garfield Heights Branch served 254 families, CCPL Maple Heights Branch served 284 families, CCPL Southeast Branch served 329 families, and CCPL Warrensville Heights Branch served 193 families. Our un-duplicated household served was 1,556 and un-duplicated individuals served was 4,344. Over 4,000 people received food because of our efforts with the library system. Ms. Beleske stated we would not have been able to do this without the hard work of our volunteers. We had 96 individual volunteers at our different events. Many of those volunteers were repeat volunteers that came to several different branches at different times. She stated100% of our volunteers who were surveyed agreed that the work was meaningful, and they received the appropriate training, and that their interactions with the library staff and the people were positive. They also agreed that the work kept them engaged, attending was worth their time and that based on their experience volunteering at the distribution, they would be very likely recommend CCPL as a place to volunteer. 3|Page
4
Ms. Beleske stated she surveyed the volunteers and asked them for some feedback. Here are a few
comments from volunteers.
“It was their first time volunteering with the Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry and they're glad they took
part. It felt good knowing the people who visited us were able to go home with a variety of
healthy foods to share with their families.”
“They volunteered at six different libraries and enjoyed each one. All the volunteers were
wonderful to meet and work with. The setup, bagging and drive thru was smooth, efficient, and
fun.”
“The people are great to work with, and that they got a true sense of appreciation from so many
of the food recipients.”
“Steve, Nicole, Megan and Darlene are great people to work with. Also, I get a true sense of
appreciation from so many food recipients.”
“It was a great experience. The library staff were so well organized and enthusiastic, and I enjoy
doing this. I'm recently retired and looking for volunteer work, so thank you for letting me do this.”
Ms. Beleske shared Mr. Haynie’s comments he heard from people coming through the distributions.
“Thank you so much for doing this. I lost my job two weeks ago and this is a blessing from God!”
“Bless you times a million.”
“Mr. Haynie had someone pull him aside and ask if they could pray with him.”
Ms. Beleske commented it has truly had a great impact on the members of the community. The
numbers and the comments shared show we have been able to positively affect a tremendous
number of people. And it is not just our customers that we are affecting but our staff and our
volunteers have found that this has been a very rewarding experience. Thank you.
Ms. Muckerheide, Branch Manager Brook Park Branch shared our partnership with the National Guard.
When we reopened in July, we were hoping to restart the distributions, and she remembered that the
National Guard had been helping with the major food distributions at the municipal parking lot downtown.
Last year she had a chance to encounter with Staff Sergeant Ryan Acker, who is an Ohio Army National
Guard Recruiter, and Scholarship Liaison. When we were planning, she gave Sergeant Acker a call and
he immediately responded and said yes, we would love to help.
Ms. Muckerheide stated their first distribution was on September 23, 11:00am -1:00pm. It was very
successful. Staff Sergeant Acker who brought with him five other Guardsmen set up a tent, a generator
and music. It was a fun atmosphere. Everyone helped bag the produce and the soldiers did a lot of the
heavy lifting with the pallets and the boxes, that was very helpful.
Ms. Muckerheide stated she asked the guards if they would be responsible for directing the traffic
because of their military efficiency, and they have taken that on very well each month now.
Ms. Muckerheide stated we are at the point where it is in action, and people have registered, and they are
pulling up by this point and the guard realized that it would be more efficient to have two lines instead of
one. The vehicles would pull up and stop at each pallet and receive a bag of produce from that pallet and
then go on their way. It was nice to see one of the guardsmen passing out literature related to Cuyahoga
County Public Library programming guides and local places where people could pick up food. We
projected that this would be a big site because there is only one other food pantry in Brook Park and there
are a lot of seniors who live here who are on a limited income, and the numbers show that is true.
Ms. Muckerheide stated we served 220 families at our first distribution, which exceeded the other
locations. We had to turn a few cars away that had only been waiting for about five minutes because we
were running out of food. We gave them the date of the next scheduled distribution and they were
welcome to come back. It was so popular that we had lines of vehicles sneaking through the parking lot
we were using into the Rec Center parking lot and onto Holland road. It was a little bit of an interference
with traffic, but it was for a good cause. The volunteers and the National Guard helped with clean up and
the National Guard let us put all the trash and waste material into their big bins that was helpful for us.
4|Page
5 Since that time, it has continued to be very successful. The amount of food that we get varies depending on how many people I expect to get, the number of families depends goes up and down and depending on if the city helps us promote it. There are about four to five staff that consistently help here at Brook Park, and then there's others behind the scenes, making sure that everything is going fine at the branch. Ms. Muckerheide stated it has been a successful program at Brook Park and system wide. The staff loves helping the community out and providing these distributions. The City of Brook Park is especially supportive, and they have been helpful in getting the word out, and the customers, of course, the recipients are very grateful every single time they are thanking us. It is a great program, and we all love it. President Leonard commented this is impressive. He thanked both Ms. Beleske and Ms. Muckerheide for doing this, it is unbelievable, he also thanked Executive Director Strobel for pointing this out to the Board they were unaware that this much was going on. President Leonard asked what percentage of the volunteers come from our staff versus the community? What keeps you from doing more? is it access to more volunteers access to more food from the pantry. What are the limiting factors? Ms. Beleske answered 100% of the volunteers come from the community, but we do have staff. Mr. Haynie tries to be at almost all of them. She mentioned she attends as many of them as she can, but most of our volunteers are community members not staff members. President Leonard asked do you get enough community volunteers, or do you need more volunteers? Ms. Beleske answered yes, we generally have a waitlist of volunteers. Ms. Muckerheide commented as far as doing more it depends, we do a guesstimate each month how much food we expect based on the previous month and we had too much, and we must give the food away to a local pantry that is approved by the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and we did. I think just juggling between the branch and what is going on at the branch, and how much of a need, there is in the community, it just depends. CCPL Maple Heights Branch has a lot more pantry locations and the numbers are lower because there is so many other options in that community, for Brook Park there is not much around. Executive Director Strobel thanked both Ms. Beleske and Ms. Muckerheide not only for this presentation, but for all the work they do helping our communities and bolstering our reputation, certainly something that I know is a lasting impact on our customers and they are so incredibly grateful to you all and to the library. Trustee Shlonsky thanked both Ms. Beleske and Ms. Muckerheide for everything they are doing it is amazing! She commented on Executive Director Strobel’s report about helping people find vaccination locations and all the things that the library is doing, and how peculiar the last 12 months have been and when democracy itself is completely under attack. Trustee Shlonsky commented she is so proud of the library, which is the perfect democratic institution, doing everything for everybody and giving the community a sense of stability. Trustee Shlonsky stated she really appreciate everything everybody is doing. 5|Page
6 Human Resources Report: Human Resources Director Good summarized the HR report. We have 5 new hires since the last meeting, 14 separations and 4 retirements. The 14 separations are the non-bargaining unit Pages. A lot of them have found other employment during this time. 04-1/2021 Trustee Shlonsky moved approval, seconded by Trustee Varley. Seeing no discussion, the Human Resources Report dated January 26, 2021, was approved as presented by unanimous vote of the Board members present. (See pages 15-20) Finance Committee Report: Finance Committee Chair DePiero reminded us that the Finance Committee met prior to the Board meeting, and Director Morgan gave an in-depth review of the financials. Director Morgan gave highlights from the Finance report. He stated the December financial report is the end of our fiscal year and when we do a lot of budget adjustments for closing out the year. He stated we looked at both revenue and expense accounts very carefully and we had some revenues that were up some that were down due to COVID-19. We had some expenses where accounts were not fully spent due to the library being closed and not open to the public or not open for parts of the year. Director Morgan stated our actual receipts for property taxes were approximately $170,000.00 short of our estimate. Our actual receipts for the Public Library Fund (PLF) were approximately $4,290,000.00 more than our budget as revised in April for the expected shortfall due to COVID-19. The good news is we did not see the decrease that the State projected.. Director Morgan stated in patron fines and fees we are not collecting any revenue for passport processing due to the library being currently closed therefore, we saw a substantial decrease in December. Our revenue for patron fines and fees was short by approximately $885,000.00. Director Morgan stated we also saw a decrease in our interest account. We had anticipated interest rates would be higher than what they were and what they ended up being. There was a shortfall in that account of $162,000. Director Morgan stated in sale of supplies; bus passes, stamps and some miscellaneous office supplies that account was short $65,000. Director Morgan stated we did see an increase in refunds and reimbursements for $50,000 over our budget. A large amount of that overage is accounted from two refunds we received from Workers Compensation premiums given back to us by the State of Ohio. Director Morgan stated several of the expense accounts were not fully spent and much of that decrease in expenses was due to COVID-19. He stated in salaries and benefits approximately $2,500,000 was not spent. A large portion of this was the Shared Work Ohio program we used during the beginning of the pandemic, reimbursements that came back to us from the State for that and savings, and paying employees half time, and the remainder of those wages coming from unemployment. Director Morgan stated expense accounts that had budget remaining were conference and travel had $95,000, communications, printing and publicity had $120,000 remaining mostly due to us not doing programming. We also saw $375,000 savings in the utilities budget with the building's not being open. Professional services, a lot of consulting that we have planned did not move forward, as well as library programming for $495,000. In the capital area; building improvements and furniture and equipment, a combined amount over $2 million. In the contingency account there is $160,000 remaining. This account is used to transfer money from into other expense accounts needed to cover the budget. With the overages, we did not need to transfer funds from the contingency account. 6|Page
7
Director Morgan stated when you look at the combined picture of expense budgets remaining along with
additional revenue amounts that we had not anticipated based on a budget we cut in April, when
everything is reconciled and closed out, we had a carryover of cash into 2021 of over $9 million. Director
Morgan stated a lot of that is one time money and we do not anticipate repeating that in 2021. We are
hoping that we can open the library and remain open, and some of those reimbursements that we
received back from the State were one-time reimbursements and we will not see these kinds of numbers
continue. He stated our plan is to carry over $8 million and transfer that money into the capital fund.
During our active building program we depleted, a lot of those dollars so we are able to reimburse some
of those dollars back into the capital fund.
(See under FINANCE)
Investments - December
Director Morgan stated we had one purchase of an Agency Security for the month. A purchase from the
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company at a yield of 0.25% with a three-year maturity.
Transfers
Director Morgan stated there were several transfers for the month to close out year end. There were two
transfers into the General Fund from Regular Trust Funds to close out two funds that are no longer used,
but still contained a balance. The first transfer was to move cash collected in the past for the sale of
reusable bags in the amount of $245,828.11 and the second transfer was to move cash collected for
wellness in the amount of $47,108.99.
Director Morgan stated each year the stale dated checks that we have that information is sent to the State
of Ohio for uncollected funds. We then put that money into a separate agency fund. We add several
stale dated checks of 1000 to a total one, totaling $1,298. We had a couple of transfers into Special
Revenue Funds for matches into My Com, Special School Programming and Adult Services Education,
the Aspire program and PNC grant, and the transfer that we had for the $8 million into the capital fund.
This is a summary of where we are in December. Director Morgan stated we will need a motion to
approve the Investment report.
(See under FINANCE)
The remainder of the transfers were from the General Fund into other funds as follows:
Transfer of $1,298.00 to an Agency Fund for stale dated checks.
Transfer of $10,833.33 to Special Revenue Fund – MyCom for a library match.
Transfer of $13,457.80 to Special Revenue Fund – Special School Programming for a library
match.
Transfer of $53,287.50 to Special Revenue Fund – Adult Services Education – ASPIRE for a
library match.
Transfer of $1,320.50 to Special Revenue Fund – PNC for a library match.
Transfer of $8,000,000.00 to Capital Fund.
The total of the carryover for the General Fund was $8,947,747.99. Of that carryover, $8,000,000.00 was
transferred to the Capital Fund therefore, the amount carried over in the General Fund is $947,747.99.
7|Page
8
05-1/2021
Trustee Blakemore moved approval, seconded by Trustee Davies. Seeing no additional discussion, the
Investment Report Fiscal 2020 – December listing all Money Market Funds, Star Ohio Accounts, U.S.
Treasury Investments, Certificates of Deposit and Agency Securities was approved as presented by roll-
call vote.
(See Under FINANCE)
Roll-Call: Yea: Edward H. Blakemore; Allyn Davies; Dean E. DePiero; William J.
Leonard; Patricia A. Shlonsky; Maria L. Spangler; Robert W. Varley; – 7.
Nea: – 0.
Purchase Approval List
Director Morgan stated that the Purchase Approval List (PAL) was reviewed in depth at the Finance
Committee Meeting. He gave highlights of the PAL.
Director Morgan stated there a few encumbrances increases, Item #1 is for our Zoom Video Conferencing
software license for an additional year for $26,256.00. Item #2 is for Ghost Solutions Suite software we
are asking for an increase in the Blanket Purchase Order for an additional $825 due to a price increase in
the new year. Item #3 is for the asbestos abatement that has to do with the tearing down of the Bayway
Youth Cabin which contains asbestos is currently on the property that will be building the new Bay Village
Branch on and we need to increase the purchase order for $4,200.00 to have that work completed. Item
#4 is to install acrylic barriers between all our computer stations that was done in three phases. The first
two phases, we were able to pay the majority of those with some CARES ACT dollars and the last phase
we do not have enough money to complete and we are asking for $26,345.00 to complete that project.
Item #5 is for Davey Tree they are a landscaping company. We are down three maintenance people and
we have hired two, but they are in the process of being trained for personnel plow in the parking lots. We
would like to open a purchase order for $25,000.00 for Davey Tree to fill in for any snow removal that we
need until we get our maintenance staff back up to full capacity.
06-1/2021
Trustee Blakemore moved approval of Purchase Approval List, seconded by Trustee Varley. Seeing no
additional discussion, the Purchase Approval List dated January 26, 2021, was approved as presented by
unanimous vote of the Board members present. (See page 21)
Gift Report
Director Morgan stated we received gifts from the FirstEnergy Foundation for $36,000.00 to pay for some
additional hotspots, a substantial donation from the Carolyne R. Maschuk estate designated for the
Brecksville Branch, along with other donations from some of the Friends Groups.
07-1/2021
Trustee Blakemore moved approval, seconded by Trustee Davies. The gift report was approved by
unanimous vote of the Board members present. (See page 22)
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Resolution Authorizing the Library to Accept Guaranteed Maximum Pricing Relating to the
New Construction of the Bay Village Branch Library located in the City of Bay Village
Director Morgan stated this resolution is for the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the construction of
the new Bay Village Branch. In February of last year, we had bid on all the different packages and then
decided to put the project on hold due to COVID-19. We have now moved forward with that project
again, and we did ask Donley's to go back out and rebid those packages, through that rebidding process,
we were able to bring the GMP down. The difference that we saw from the original numbers in April was
about $327,000.00. The new GMP for the construction of the branch is $8,414,158.00.
08-1/2021
Trustee DePiero moved approval, seconded by Trustee Blakemore. Seeing no additional discussion, the
Resolution Authorizing the Library to accept Guaranteed Maximum Pricing relating to the new
construction of the Bay Village Branch Library located in the City of Bay Village was approved by
unanimous vote of the Board members present. (See pages 23-24)
Amendment to Resolution Authorizing the Library to Enter into an Agreement with
Donley’s Independence, LLC., for Construction Management at Risk Services Relating to
the New Construction of the Bay Village Branch Library Located in the City of Bay Village
Director Morgan stated this is an amendment to the resolution the Board approved back in July 2019 to
hire Donley's as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMR) to build the new Bay Village Branch. At that
time, we only had an estimate of the GMP, and the purchase order and resolution we brought to you is
based upon that estimate with the higher GMP and those fees are a percentage of the project. We are
asking for an increase in Donley’s contract of $304,130.00. The total of their contract will now be
$891,880.00.
08-1/2021
Trustee Varley moved approval, seconded by Trustee Spangler. Seeing no additional discussion, the
Amendment to the Resolution Authorizing the Library to Enter into an Agreement with Donley’s
Independence, LLC., for Construction Management at Risk Services Relating to the New Construction of
the Bay Village Branch Library Located in the City of Bay Village was approved by unanimous vote of the
Board members present. (See pages 25-26)
Resolution to Revise Cuyahoga County Public Library Credit Card Policy
Director Morgan stated this resolution is to revise our credit card policy. We did bring a new credit card
policy to the Board January 2019, based on some work that the legislature had done requiring public
entities to establish credit card policies. From time to time that needs to be modified and when we make
modifications to that we need to bring those changes to the Board. The changes we are asking for have
to do with job titles; Deputy Director of Support Services/ Fiscal Officer, Scott Morgan, and Deputy
Director of Public Services, Pamela Jankowski each of those with a credit limit of $9,000. We also need to
add a new job title for Assistant Director of Human Resources with a credit limit of $7,000, and then we
have two job titles that need to be deleted because of modified job titles, and that is Deputy Director and
Fiscal Officer. Those are the three new job titles that we needed to add to the credit card list of individuals
that cards may be issued to.
08-1/2021
Trustee Blakemore moved approval, seconded by Trustee Davies. Seeing no additional discussion, the
Resolution to Revise Cuyahoga County Public Library Credit Card Policy was approved by unanimous
vote of the Board members present. (See pages 27-32)
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Resolution for the Cuyahoga County Public Library to Adopt Second Amendment to the
Cuyahoga County Public Library Salary Redirection Plan
Assistant Director Dolan stated this was discussed in the Finance Committee Meeting. This is the second
amendment to our salary redirection plan. It is for employees that have Flexible Spending Plan (FSA).
Those with the current policy, can only carry over $500. We are changing that based on the Bill passed
by Congress in late, 2020, for as long as the pandemic is going on employees will be allowed to carry
over the full amount that is not spent. Once the pandemic is over that will go away. This will allow them to
roll over any unspent money into 2021. The other option that Congress allowed and made changes for
was currently employees cannot make a change to what they decide to contribute to an FSA once they
have established their contribution unless there is a life changing event, we are now allowed to set how
many changes the employee can make during the year. We are changing that to two times for the year
until the pandemic is over.
08-1/2021
Trustee Shlonsky moved approval, seconded by Trustee Spangler. Seeing no additional discussion, the
Resolution for the Cuyahoga County Public Library to Adopt Second Amendment to the Cuyahoga
County Public Library Salary Redirection Plan was approved by unanimous vote of the Board members
present. (See pages 33-36)
Resolution Authorizing Executive Director to Amend the Borrowing Policies: Loan Limits
and Loan Periods
Executive Director Strobel stated this was discussed at the January 2021Policy, Planning & External
Relations (PPER) meeting and all board members were present. This resolution allows us to adjust loan
periods and loan limits to maximize our budget, especially when it comes to the digital collection, we can
make changes to what customers can have access to. This also allows us to maintain a higher level of
customer service when we have a healthy materials budget, we want to be able to adjust our policy, so
that we can allow customers to have more items and when we need to save dollars, potentially at the end
of the year we can also adjust back and reduce the number of digital materials customers can have out at
any given time.
08-1/2021
Trustee Spangler moved approval, seconded by Trustee Blakemore. Seeing no additional discussion, the
Resolution Authorizing Executive Director to Amend the Borrowing Policies: Loan Limits and Loan
Periods was approved by unanimous vote of the Board members present. (See page 37)
Motion to Adjourn
Seeing no other business under consideration for vote, President Leonard asked for a motion to adjourn
the meeting.
10-1/2021
Upon motion of Trustee Varley, seconded by Trustee Shlonsky, the January 26, 2021 meeting of the
Cuyahoga County Public Library adjourned at 5:54 p.m.
Approved 23 February 2021
X________________________
William J. Leonard
President
X________________________
Allyn Davies
Secretary
10 | P a g e11
Resolution of Appreciation
for
Barbara Glorioso
WHEREAS, Barbara Glorioso has served with great loyalty as an employee of
Cuyahoga County Public Library since her hire on January 21, 1991,
as a Processing Clerk at the Administrative Offices, a position she held
until her retirement on February 1, 2021; and,
WHEREAS, she excelled at book repair and processing. She often received
compliments for the quality of her work. Her friendly demeanor
made her easy to work with; and,
WHEREAS, she had a great sense of humor that made her a good team player who
went out of her way to help her colleagues however possible; and,
WHEREAS, her bubbly personality, her attitude and her work have left an indelible
mark at CCPL.
N
OW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Library Trustees
records its appreciation to Barbara Glorioso for all the years of service she
has rendered to the Library and the public and extends to her all good wishes
for a happy, healthy and rewarding life.
William J. Leonard, President
Board of Trustees
Cuyahoga County Public Library
Date: February 23, 202112
Resolution of Appreciation
for
Linda O’Neil
WHEREAS, Linda O’Neil has served with great loyalty as an employee of
Cuyahoga County Public Library since her hire on March, 26, 2001, as
a Receiving Clerk at the Administrative Offices; her job title was later
changed to Receiving Assistant; on July 16, 2007, she transferred to the
Processing Department in the Administrative Offices as a Processing
Clerk, a position she held until her retirement on February 26, 2021;
and,
WHEREAS, her skills shined at both receiving and book processing, and she
developed a strong bond with her co-workers. Her warm and friendly
personality made everyone feel happy to work with her; and,
WHEREAS, she likes to be modest and quiet; at her heart, she was a strong team
player who went out of her way to help her co-workers however
possible; and,
WHEREAS, her easy-going nature and attention to detail, good judgment and
strong work ethic made her a pleasure to work with at CCPL.
N
OW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Library Trustees
records its appreciation to Linda O’Neil for all the years of service she has
rendered to the Library and the public and extends to her all good wishes for
a happy, healthy and rewarding life.
William J. Leonard, President
Board of Trustees
Cuyahoga County Public Library
Date: February 23, 202113 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE OUR DOORS ARE OPEN The Cuyahoga County Board of Health lifted its stay-at-home advisory on January 31. I am pleased to report that our branches are now open for normal hours of operation: Monday – Thursday / 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Friday & Saturday / 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sunday / 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. We are thrilled to welcome you back to our buildings and we are taking many steps to create the safest possible environment for our staff and customers. First, we are requiring face masks to enter any Cuyahoga County Public Library location. Gaiters are also acceptable, but face shields, bandanas and any face covering that does not cover the nose or mouth will not be permitted. Children under the age of 2 are not required to wear face coverings. If you are planning to visit one of our branches please mask up to protect yourself, our other customers and our staff. Second, we have resumed the social distancing and cleaning protocols we had in place prior to closing our doors last November. The amount of people we are currently allowing in our buildings at any given time has been reduced to 25 percent of normal capacity, we are cleaning high touch surfaces throughout the day and quarantining returned materials for 96 hours between borrowers. More information about our COVID-19 response plan is available at cuyahogalibrary.org/COVID19. In-person programs are still suspended, and our meeting rooms remained closed, but our study rooms are now open for public use. We recently invested in equipping our study rooms with video conferencing technology so our customers can meet virtually via any of the most popular video conferencing platforms. Study rooms can be booked online up to 1 week in advance for up to 2 hours, and they are cleaned thoroughly between users. Staff are available to help customers navigate the video conferencing equipment. With this new service we aim to connect county residents with telehealth and social services; and provide a place for job seekers to connect with potential employers. For those who still are not comfortable entering our buildings, we continue to offer curbside and drive-through materials pick-up, a growing number of virtual programs and our robust digital collection of eBooks, eAudiobooks, streaming music and movies, and online learning platforms. We also recently added Zoom rooms that customers can use to host their own virtual meetings. Zoom rooms are virtual – not physical spaces – that can be reserved up to 2 hours at a time and can accommodate up to 300 participants. Our Zoom rooms are paid licenses, meaning they do not have the limitations of the platform’s “basic” tier which limits the size and duration of meetings. We are very excited about this service and its potential benefit for our customers. Whether you are ready to visit our branches in person or prefer to take advantage of our remote services instead, we are here for you. Stay safe. Tracy R. Strobel Executive Director
14 SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS Facebook Fans: 33,228 Twitter Followers: 10,978 Instagram Followers: 5,399 My mom is 94 yrs young and while we are separated by thousands of miles during COVID I am ordering her books online from her public library @CuyahogaLib. They offer home delivery. I love your books @ kellyyanghk and can’t wait to read with my granddaughter. Happy BD to your mom. @LindaKekelis, Jan 30, 2021 A thank you to our partners & friends at @Cleveland_PL & @CuyahogaLib for your continued dedication, support, & resources you provide to your communities. These numbers prove that your readers and communities are grateful for your hard work. @OverDriveLibs, Jan 28, 2021 Need assistance finding a vaccine provider or registering for an appointment? You can call your local branch of the @CuyahogaLib for assistance! Currently in Phase 1B: Ohioans 75 and older. Not sure if anyone in that demographic is following me. @BisonPrincipal, Jan 26, 2021 Strongsville Branch partnered with and hosted its first virtual Southwest General Health Talk for 2021. Physical Therapist Tressa Kemer from Southwest spoke on “Keeping Hydrated for Older Adults.” It was an informative presentation with 11 participants. The branch will continue to present this health series with a new topic each month. Berea Branch Manager Cathy Schultis facilitated two virtual outreach programs in January. The first was a discussion on a segment of the documentary King in the Wilderness with the Berea Rotary. Tania Benites- Galvez, Adult Programming Assistant, generously supported this program by sharing material from the filmmakers and questions she had developed for a similar program. Seven were in attendance. The second program was the inaugural discussion of ChambeREADs, a media discussion group formed by the Berea Chamber of Commerce and Plexus LGBT & Allied Chamber of Commerce. The lively discussion among 8 focused on the podcast Curiosity, Generosity, and the Hedgehog by Brené Brown. Brooklyn Branch was one of two that were asked to pilot the laptop lending program, which started on January 6. A total of 18 customers used the laptop during the 10 days of the pilot, all of them needing to apply for a job, or to submit information to receive needed benefits. Branch staff were excited to be able to offer this service to customers in need. A Parma Branch customer was thrilled to find out that he could come in and use a laptop to fill out his paperwork for Job and Family Services. He brought his job coach with him and they successfully uploaded his documents by the deadline. He was so thankful and appreciative that the library responded to customers’ needs and made computer access possible during the recent shut down.
15 Bay Village Branch Manager Jessica Breslin received a call from a customer who had tried to no avail to get help printing an urgent job application from both Rocky River and Westlake libraries. He then called the Bay Village Branch and was assisted by BSA I Peg Tomek. He was so pleased with her exceptional customer service in helping him print from his USB via curbside service. He said the level of professionalism and care she gave him made him hopeful for the world and that she was such an angel that he would now be able to get his documents to the post office to make his deadline. Strongsville Branch Manager Donna Meyers gave a presentation by conference call to a local low-vision support group on January 26. The 10 seniors in attendance were excited to learn of the many CCPL services. Emphasis was placed on items and services available to meet this group’s specific needs. Magic Class With Mr. Zap On Zoom was held Thursday, January 21, led by Brook Park Branch BSL II Rhonda Kiefer. Mr. Zap (Bob Durante) demonstrated several magic tricks using household objects. Kiefer found it to be a different experience to run the program on Zoom, rather than in-person, but was glad that more people across the county were able to attend the after-school program. Registration was filled with 30 people and the waiting list was filled with 10 more! Middleburg Heights Branch BSL Supervisor Rebecca Price-Donahue presented a special mock Caldecott storytime for 17 second graders at the Academy of St. Bartholomew. Students read, reviewed, and voted on their favorite books. Ms. Price-Donahue shared the results and read their winner, Jason Chin’s Your Place in the Universe. Brooklyn Branch continued to help feed the local community in a variety of ways in January. The Food Distribution on January 11 provided shelf-stable meal kits to 91 households, with a total of 255 family members. Brooklyn Branch was also selected to pilot the Greater Cleveland Foodbank Backpack Program, and served 42 backpacks filled with meals to help kids stay fed over the weekend. This was in addition to the 164 Kids Café meals that were handed out curbside during the month. Brooklyn area families continue to be extremely grateful to CCPL for the additional help during this challenging time. Red Cross blood drives at the North Olmsted Branch continue to be incredibly successful. At this month’s blood drive on January 15, the Red Cross’s goal was to have 29 participants, and there ended up being a whopping 41 donors!! Since each pint of blood has the potential to help up to three patients, that blood drive could potentially impact over 123 lives. On January 21, a patron came to the Olmsted Falls Branch hoping to use a computer to type up a resignation letter, not realizing that the branch was closed to the public. Teen Librarian Lee Ikimis informed her that we had a laptop to checkout and that printing was free while we were closed. She was excited that the library was able to provide her with what she needed, even while closed to the public, and she was able to complete her letter. On January 26, Parma-Snow Branch’s Adult Librarian hosted a declutter and organizational program for 14 customers. The attendees learned various ways to organize and were given opportunities for discussion during the program. One lucky customer won a couple of books on the subject, sponsored by the Friends of the Parma Libraries. Due to popular demand, South Euclid – Lyndhurst BSA I Aaron Fried assembled a take-and-make craft using embroidery thread and craft sticks to customize a Truffala Tree from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. The craft was so popular they were all cleared out in under a week at the drive-thru window!
16 Maple Heights Branch BSL II Kyra Nay was invited to serve on a committee with the Maple Heights City Schools as a community partner on their “Portrait of a Maple Graduate” initiative. This month a customer called the Orange Branch to get her husband registered for a COVID-19 vaccine after unsuccessful attempts to do so with University Hospitals. An Orange Branch staff member gave her an alternate phone number at UH that allowed her to connect with someone and get her husband an appointment for a vaccine. She called back to say thank you because they “were almost ready to give up.” Not only does the Brecksville Branch community utilize CCPL’s Personalized Picks via the website on a regular basis for families and children, but there is an increase in browsing-service telephone requests for specific picture books, first readers, fiction and non-fiction books for children of varying ages. Often times, calls are received for staff to select a number of books with specific interests of their children; such as pirates, princesses, heroes, Disney, etc. It has been extremely enjoyable for staff members from the Brecksville Branch to deliver these treats (including Take and Make crafts) and see the children’s looks of excitement. The Chagrin Falls Branch Children’s Department invited children ages 5-7 to participate in a virtual program “All About Octopuses!” BSA-II, Mary Slater, kept the 19 kids entertained with fun facts, jokes, STEAM demonstrations, crafts, and reading recommendations. She used a ketchup packet suspended in a water bottle to demonstrate how an octopus uses a swim bladder to sink or float, and an inflated balloon to demonstrate how chromatophores work to help provide camouflage for an octopus. Families picked up a craft kit in advance, and Slater walked them through using the materials to create a “sock-topus” and a “bottle cap octopus.” BSL II Alex Ward facilitated the Southeast Branch’s first live storytimes on Tuesdays January 12, January 19, and January 26, in which a total of 55 participants ages birth through preschool and their caregivers were able to interact with storytimes, music, rhymes, and fingerplays in real time. While Ward has been posting weekly pre-recorded storytimes in Summer and Fall 2020, these were Southeast’s first live storytimes, and it was wonderful to interact with youth again after nearly a year without real-time programming! Alex also continued posting weekly pre-recorded storytimes to the CCPL Facebook page on January 5, 12, 19 and 26. Beachwood Branch BSA I Matthew Weitendorf received a phone call from a customer praising him for the Personalized Picks selections he made for her. She read The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles and enjoyed it. Next, she read A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline and found that the main character of the book was a descendant of William Hathorne, the “hanging judge” of the Salem Witch trials. She said that when we say that when personalized picks, we really mean it because her husband is also descended from William Hathorne. She joked that we must check Ancestry.com and that she was looking forward to reading the other books we had chosen for her. On January 21, Solon Branch BSA I Emily Schroeder presented the virtual program “Discovering Your Roots at the Library: Digital Genealogy Resources.” Schroeder guided the group through the ins and outs of various genealogy-related library databases, such as Ancestry Library Edition, Fold3, and several digital historical newspaper archives. The 16 attendees were particularly thankful for the informative handout that was emailed to them prior to the program, and interested in future genealogical programs.
17 On January 25, Warrensville Branch Manager Ali Boyd delivered the introduction for award- winning author Kwame Alexander before a Zoom crowd of over 600 registrants for the “My Brother’s Keeper Initiative” (MBK). In addition to Alexander’s presentation other speakers at the event included Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Director Felton Thomas of the Cleveland Public Library. The event marked the kick-off for several book discussions with MBK students over the next few months. Also at Warrensville, the branch had 24 customers enter the building for appointments with a laptop. Many of the customers expressed a sincere thanks for the opportunity. Likewise, the tremendous efforts to provide computer access in the homes of our community through PCs for People has truly been a bright spot during these challenging times. Garfield Heights Branch Adult Services Supervisor Maryann Penzvalto hosted a virtual author event for The FBI Way by Frank Figliuzzi on January 27. The many engaged viewers asked questions about writing, national security, and what it’s like to work for the FBI. To date the event has 630 views on Facebook! January 26 marked the first book discussion of 2021 for the Solon Branch Adult Department. BSL Adult Supervisor Mark Faldowski led the discussion of Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile. He was joined by eight readers, most of them coming from two different groups that met in-person with the Solon Branch staff in the good old pre-COVID days. The discussers loved the book, but even more loved the fact that we will be Zooming regularly now for book discussions!
18
CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FEBRUARY 23, 2021
ACTIVITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
January 27
Facilitated the CCPL virtual Foundation Board Meeting
Meeting with Curt Williams, Digital Innovation Fellow, Cleveland Foundation, and
Workforce Committee to discuss Digital Equity Coalition
Meeting with Michelle Francis, Executive Director, Ohio Library Council (OLC)
and Library Metro Directors
Meeting with Jazzy Celindro, American Library Association (ALA), and Hallie
Rich, CCPL Communications & External Relations Director
January 28
Meeting with CCPL Executive Leadership Team, Scott Morgan, CCPL Deputy
Director-Support Services, Pamela Jankowski, CCPL Deputy Director of Public
Services, Hallie Rich, CCPL Communications & External Relations Director, Monique
Good, CCPL Human Resources, and Bertha Arrington, CCPL Executive Division
Manager
Presented CCPL Foundation Board Orientation
Meeting with Curt Williams, Digital Innovation Fellow, Cleveland Foundation,
Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Coalition
Participated in meeting with Susan Benton, President and CEO, Urban Libraries
Council and ULC Directors
January 29
Meeting with Hallie Rich, CCPL Communications & External Relations Director to
discuss strategic planning
February 1
Participated in New Visions Group Government Relations bi-weekly meeting
Meeting with Stuart Mendel, Executive Director, National Center on Nonprofit
Enterprise, and Hallie Rich, CCPL Communications & External Relations Director
February 3
Filmed with WKYC-TV to discuss Library opening
Meeting with Michelle Francis, Executive Director, Ohio Library Council (OLC)
and Library Metro Directors
Meeting with Mike Schoenbrun, Publisher, Crain’s Cleveland Business, and
Loren Breen, Brand Strategist, Crain's Cleveland Business, and Hallie Rich,
CCPL Communications & External Relations Director
Participated in CCPL Strategic Planning Kick-off with Janus Small, Consultant, and
Randy McShepard, Vice President, Public Affairs and Chief Talent Officer, RPM
International, and Hallie Rich, CCPL Communications & External Relations Director,
and Pamela Jankowski, CCPL Deputy Director of Public Services19
February 4
Weekly meeting with CCPL Executive Leadership Team Scott Morgan, CCPL Deputy
Director-Support Services, Pamela Jankowski, CCPL Deputy Director of Public
Services, Hallie Rich, CCPL Communications & External Relations Director, Monique
Good, CCPL Human Resources, and Bertha Arrington, CCPL Executive Division
Manager
Phone interview with Reem Usmani, Cleveland State University
Phone call with Mayor Katie Gallagher, City of Brooklyn
Participated in meeting with Susan Benton, President and CEO, Urban Libraries
Council and ULC Directors
February 5
Participated in Community Solutions Board of Directors Meeting
February 8
Participated in Ohio Library Council (OLC) Budget Advocacy Webinar
February 10
Meeting with Michelle Francis, Executive Director, Ohio Library Council (OLC)
and Library Metro Directors
February 11
Weekly meeting with CCPL Executive Leadership Team Scott Morgan, CCPL Deputy
Director-Support Services, Pamela Jankowski, CCPL Deputy Director of Public
Services, Hallie Rich, CCPL Communications & External Relations Director, Monique
Good, CCPL Human Resources, and Bertha Arrington, CCPL Executive Division
Manager
Check-in meeting with Executive Team direct report Hallie Rich, CCPL
Communications & External Relations Director
Participated in meeting with Susan Benton, President and CEO, Urban Libraries
Council and ULC Directors
February 12
Vacation
February 15
Meeting with Thomas Marascio, Senior Account Executive, Energage, and
Monique Good, CCPL Human Resources Director to discuss Cleveland Plain Dealer
Top Workplaces Survey
February 16
Meeting with Scott Morgan, CCPL Deputy Director-Support Services to review Capital
Expenditures 2021
Meeting with Marina Jackman, Co-Founder, Time2Talk, and Joe Cimperman,
President, Global Cleveland, and Hallie Rich, CCPL Communications & External
Relations Director
Meeting with Chris Quinlan, Account Executive, Energage, and Monique Good,
CCPL Human Resources Director to discuss the Plain Dealer Top Workplaces
program
Chaired in Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) Community Collaboration
Task Force Meeting20
February 17
Participated in The Greater Cleveland Food Bank Harvest for Hunger - 2021
Virtual Campaign Kickoff
Attended City Club - A New Era of Justice
Meeting with Michelle Francis, Executive Director, Ohio Library Council (OLC)
and Library Metro Directors
February 18
Meeting with CCPL Leadership Team, includes CCPL Executive Leadership Team,
and Caroline Vicchiarelli, CCPL Branch Services Director – West, Enda Bracken,
CCPL Branch Services Director - East, Daniel Barden, CCPL Technical Services
Director, Jim Haprian, IT Director, and Jeffrey Mori, CCPL Facilities Director
Attended the Youth Forum: The Lasting Effects of Internet Inequality
Participated in Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) Mock Interviews with
students from John Marshall High School
Participated in meeting with Susan Benton, President and CEO, Urban Libraries
Council and ULC Directors
February 19
Meeting with Edward H. Kraus, Mayor, City of Solon, Angee Shaker, Director of
Business Development, City of Solon, and William Russo, City Council, City of
Solon, and Scott Morgan, CCPL Deputy Director-Support Services
Phone call with Mayor Paul Koomar, City of Bay Village
February 22
Meeting with Karen Estrovich, Senior Regional Sales Manager, OverDrive, and
Hallie Rich, CCPL Communications & External Relations Director
Participated in State Budget Advocacy Update
Participated in New Visions Group Government Relations bi-weekly meeting
February 23
Participated in Library Journal Virtual Summit
Participated in Broadband Maps CCPL, with Dorothy Baunach, Chief Executive,
DigitalC, Jeff Brancato, Thoughtful Innovation, DigitalC, Rolando Alvarez,
Technology Director, DigitalC, Angela Bennett, Administrative Director, DigitalC,
and Katie Grootegoed, Director, Digital Adoption, DigitalC, and Hallie Rich, CCPL
Communications & External Relations Director
Facilitated CCPL Finance Committee meeting
Facilitated CCPL Board of Trustees meeting
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