Next Meeting: January 10, 2018
Noon
Library Hot Picks Room
MINUTES of the meeting of the Pitkin County Library Board of Trustees on November 8, 2017. The meeting was called to order at 12:04.
ROLL CALL: Trustees present: John Wilkinson, Judy Wrigley, Barbara Reid, and John Keleher. Board alternate member Elizabeth Nix was also present and served as a voting member. Absent were Trustees Barbara Smith, Austine Stitt, and Judi Harris as well as alternate David Bentley. County Librarian Kathleen Chandler, and library employees Genevieve Smith and Dave Gollon attended the meeting as did Snowmass Village Town Manager Clint Kinney and Pitkin County Finance Director Ann Driggers.
PUBLIC COMMENT: There was no public comment.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Barbara Reid made a motion to approve the Minutes of the October 11, 2017, Board meeting. The motion was seconded by John Keleher and passed unanimously.
Librarian’s Report: Kathy Chandler introduced Clint Kinney, Town Manager of Snowmass Village, saying that she and John Wilkinson had met with Clint and Travis Elliott, the Assistant Town Manager, earlier in the fall and, following approval by the Library Board via a telephone poll conducted by John Wilkinson, she had prepared a letter of interest so that the library might be considered as a possible occupant of Building 6. This is a building that will be constructed in Base Village for a public use in the town of Snowmass Village.
Clint had a brief video about the building which the Board viewed. He gave a quick history of Base Village and said that a goal for the area since 2004 had included a place for the community to gather, “such as a library.” He said the town had received 10 or 12 proposals for use of Building 6. Those that the Town Council were most interested in were from ACES, the Aspen Science Center, the Aspen Discovery Center, the library, Anderson Ranch and JAS Aspen Snowmass.
The Board agreed to keep options open, although there was concern expressed again that locals may be more likely to frequent the Rec Center than Building 6. Genevieve Smith said the Rec Center is very overcrowded at present and any thought of having a small library outpost there might not be possible.
New Business included a discussion led by County Finance director about the audit report prepared annually for the County. She reviewed those portions relating to the library, and cash handling procedures were reviewed. Dave Gollon, who is responsible for compiling the weekly tally of daily cash reports and for depositing revenues with the County Treasurer explained how much of the income now is received through the self-check machines which he and Nathalie Crick empty together every few weeks. It was decided that the Library Board should review the audit report each year when it is complete.
The Board granted permission for the library to be closed an hour early on December 3rd to allow staff time to prepare for the library volunteer potluck, and they agreed that a request to use the entire building for an out of town vendor to host a wine tasting event during the Food and Wine Festival should be denied.
Elizabeth Nix reported that she, Martha Durgy, and Genevieve Smith are working collaboratively to promote the work of the Aspen Writer Foundation’s visiting writers. She provided the Board with details on this year’s Winter Words line-up of writers: Alice McDermott, Tracy K. Smith, Christina Baker Kline, William Finnegan, and Luis Alberto Urrea. She also said that an Aspen Words Literary Prize has been established at a value of $35,000. This is the most valuable cash prize for literature in the country.
John Wilkinson reported that library initiatives in the state are meeting with success. He is the Chair of LAA Advocacy again this year.
Barbara Reid moved and John Keleher seconded that the meeting be adjourned. The motion passed, and the meeting ended at 1:55.
Respectively submitted,
Kathleen Chandler
Acting Secretary