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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board Minutes 2026 07-13-26APPROVED 8/10/26 Page 1 of 5 Yorkville Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Monday, July 13, 2026 7:00pm Michelle Pfister Meeting Room 902 Game Farm Road, Yorkville, IL The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by President Theron Garcia, roll was called and a quorum was established. Roll Call: Theron Garcia-yes, Sharon Mix-yes, Tara Schumacher-yes, Jason Hedman-yes, Keri Pesola-yes, Jackie Milschewski-yes, Wendy Gatz-yes, Ryan Forristall-yes Staff Present: Library Director Shelley Augustine Others Present: Friends of Library President Kathi Bell, Alderman/City Council Liaison Craig Soling Williams Architects: Andy Dogan and Carrie Kotera Product Architecture & Design: Tiffany Nash and Dan Pohrte Recognition of Visitors: President Garcia recognized staff and guests. Amendments to the Agenda: President Garcia asked to move the Space Planning Consultant Presentations forward on the agenda. Presentations: First Space Planning Consultant Presentation Williams Group: Andy Dogan and Carrie Kotera presented information regarding their company as a possible candidate for library space planning. Mr. Dogan gave his background and experience and said he would be the project manager. Ms. Kotera said their company of 55 employees has been in business for 52 years and they focus on community-based projects. They had previously visited the library and said the library has great architectural features, natural light and is well-maintained. They said the square footage is very adequate and they identified some “needs” including meeting spaces, flex areas, tween/teen destination, staff service points, study rooms and optimized collections. Mr. Dogan said step 1 is planning and step 2 is design/execution. He addressed the topic of costs and said it's building costs vs. construction costs. He said they have had great success with procuring grants and they are very conscious of budget adherence. He said they would tailor their work to the Yorkville library needs. Q &A from Board members: Ms. Garcia: Give example of how you implement projects with budget constraints? A: Mr. Dogan gave the example of Hinckley library with a cost of $2.5 million. A building was donated to them and they had a healthy contingency for the various building deficiencies. They also considered needs vs. wants and re-purposed some items along with donations of furniture. Can you provide a list of contractors that you work with? Yes. We will work with the library regarding costs and construction management input. If you work with a general contractor, we will give recommendations. Page 2 of 5 Mr. Forristall: Would you two be the main points of contact? A. Yes Regarding the Hinckley Library, $2.5 million is a hefty budget for 6,000 sq. ft.? A. They had to replace the roof, windows and systems and structure was the only thing that remained. The construction contracts were about $1.5 million and they used a construction manager on that job which was helpful. Do you do in-house estimating? We do estimating based on recent experiences and will assist in a choice of general or construction manager. Closing the library a couple days can also save substantial money. Ms. Pesola: Do you prefer construction manager? They are a second set of eyes. Mr. Hedman: How do you balance designing for today with trends in the future? Flexibility is key in every aspect. Shelving on wheels is expensive, but very flexible. Regarding maker-space, new 3D printers draw about 1/3 of power as those of 5 years ago. It is a balancing act. What are trends now that you would avoid? Intricate designs and themes in kids' departments and intricate light fixtures that are custom. We suggest purchasing easy to replace items. Second Space Planning Consultant Presentation Product Architecture & Design: Tiffany Nash and Dan Pohrte said their company was started 20 years ago and they have 9 employees. They only work with libraries and they would be the contact persons. The company uses a construction manager and would start with a base project, then an ala carte menu. The 2 representatives said the library is in great condition and suggested possible improvements. Mr. Pohrte noted some of the collections were in odd spaces, there is a need for variety of spaces for additional programs and that Yorkville offers more programs than they usually see. For the first floor, they suggested several changes including study room, combined staff spaces, and areas for new materials and other ideas. They suggested an added study room on the 2nd floor, opened center space and rearranged collections. Increased adult seating was also suggested. The use of casters for some items and movable rooms would help with flexibility. Both reps cited changes they made at other libraries. Ms. Nash said people also like reading nooks. Mr. Pohrte said they would focus on the budget first and also listen to staff requests. They addressed 3 questions they had been given prior to the meeting. They are well versed in funding and obtaining grants and noted that funding might be more forthcoming if a focus is on accessibility. Library Security Grants are new and another funding source. Q & A from Library Board: Mr. Hedman: How do you balance for today and have space to be able to change for the future? A: Ms. Nash said they try to design so there is flexibility in the middle. They also look at collections that are phasing out and not needed. Casters are helpful to move items and they look for furniture that can be moved. Mr. Pohrte added that new furniture that can be moved and rearranged allows for much more flexibility and is a good solution if construction costs are more. Approval of Minutes: June 8, 2026 Personnel Committee and June 8, 2026 Board of Trustees Moved by Ms. Garcia and seconded by Ms. Milschewski to approve both sets of minutes as presented. Roll call: Mix-yes, Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes. Carried 8-0. Correspondence: Ms. Augustine said a letter was received from the Secretary of State advising that the library has been awarded an Illinois Public Library Per Capita grant in the amount of $36,606.10. This is a 20% increase over last year. Public Comment: None Friends of the Library Report: Ms. Bell said the Friends met this morning with 19 members and the Treasurer provided the financial report. She said several members marched in the July 4th parade and distributed 2,900 glow bracelets. Leftovers were given to Jennette Weiss for Youth Services. Another t-shirt fund-raising project has been started to coincide with the used book sale. Five additional tables were purchased. Mini-food pantry has been delivered and Ms. Bell Page 3 of 5 will follow-up for donations. Murder mystery scripts have been chosen and they will take place in November and April. Two members have inspected the mini-golf equipment and repairs will be made. The Panera fundraiser was held today and the library will receive 30% of sales. A committee has been formed to oversee the membership campaign in September and they also reviewed the membership brochure to make sure it is current. Additional donations have been received from the lobby book sale. The calendar of events for this year has been finalized. Staff Comment: None Report of the Treasurer: Financial Statement and Payment of Bills Treasurer Milschewski said there was nothing outstanding to report this month and she entertained a motion, seconded by Ms. Schumacher, to pay the bills as follows: Accounts Payable: $ 22,531.17 Payroll: $ 52,109.14 Total: $ 74,640.31 Roll call: Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Mix-yes. Carried 8-0. Report of the Library Director: Ms. Augustine reported the following: 1. Pictures are included of a “world cup” pop-up event to coincide with the recent FIFA World Cup. Several patrons, including new faces, completed books of 900 trading stickers. 2. Alarm Detection fixed a defective sensor. 3. Facebook stats are included in the agenda packet. The recent job posting garnered 18,000 views and 41 people applied for the job. After phone and in-person interviews, 2 job offers were made. 4. The library attorney notified the library that their hourly rates will raise from $225/hour to $245/hour on July 1. 5. Ms. Augustine submitted the IPLAR report and the report has been approved. The data goes to the Secretary of State and the State Library Specialist acknowledged an increase in programming. 6. A memo and the IPLAR report were submitted to the Mayor and City Council. 7. The library received a large donation from the family of a man who was part of the Men's Book Club. He recently passed away. A sundial and plaque were purchased in his memory and is in the courtyard and several books were also purchased in his name. 8. The Director is looking at a new “people counter” solution to more accurately count visitors going in/out of the library. She has asked other Directors for input on their counters. 9. Library stats will be included in the packet each month and they reflect significant growth. City Council Liaison: None Standing Committees: Personnel President Garcia said the Personnel Committee had met just prior to this Board meeting and discussions will be held later in this meeting. Unfinished Business: The Board entered into a discussion of their impressions of the 4 companies that gave presentations for space planning. Ms. Augustine noted she had included reference checks in the packet for those companies. Ms. Augustine said she thought all of the companies would do a good job. Board members offered their opinions of each company. Ms. Schumacher said she liked Studio GC (from the June presentations) since they have a Yorkville resident on staff, they are working with the school district and are more in tune with Yorkville. Mr. Page 4 of 5 Hedman cited Williams Architects as being the better fit for this project for several reasons-- they recognized that a Strategic Plan had been done already and would build on it, they considered the fiscal focus, upfront budget and cost conscious. They help with grants as part of their process and provided grant amounts they were awarded for other projects. Ms. Garcia noted Williams said they would tailor the process to the library's needs. Mr. Hedman continued saying, their approach matches with the library and he likes their years of experience. He said Williams is everything the library needs and they would better utilize the space. Alderman Soling said the library should have a construction manager who should be independent of the firm selected. He added that the construction manager will have a list of contractors they use so the library can choose. Ms. Milschewski asked if the future data centers can donate money to the library? Mr. Soling said money is earmarked for the library in the Cardinal data center project. Trustee Schumacher asked what the fee should be and said the library should know upfront. She suggested choosing 2 firms they like. Board members suggested asking other libraries what their costs had been. Director Augustine said the Board could pick one firm and negotiate the fee. If it is not met, the second company could be considered. If the costs are over $25,000, she noted the project would have to go out to bid and she will consult with Bart Olson regarding the RFQ process. After discussion, the Board chose their top 2 candidate firms: Studio GC and Williams Architects. A final decision will be made at next month's Board meeting and Ms. Augustine will send a thank you to all 4 firms for giving their presentations. New Business: 2026 IPLAR Report Ms. Augustine said program numbers have increased greatly. FY2026 YPL Annual Report and Memo to City Council She also included the annual report for the Board and noted that Megan had assisted. Pictures and testimonials were added along with the Director's letter to the City Council. Election of Officers and Set Committees Ms. Garcia reminded the Board of the nominations made at the last meeting and there were no further nominations made. Vice -President: Keri Pesola, unanimous voice vote approval, no opposition Treasurer: Jackie Milschewski, unanimous voice vote approval, no opposition Secretary: Jason Hedman, unanimous voice vote approval,no opposition President: Theron Garcia, unanimous voice vote approval, no opposition Committee assignments for 2027 were also handed out to Board members. Ms. Augustine also provided a list from the ALA , of Board and Director responsibilities. Other: None Executive Session: At approximately 8:48pm, Ms. Garcia made a motion to enter into Executive Session for the following reason which she read. For the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity. Ms. Milschewski seconded the motion. Roll call: Garcia-yes, Mix-yes, Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Pesola- yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes. Carried 8-0. The Session concluded at approximately 9:20pm. Following discussion in Executive Session, Ms. Garcia said the Director's annual evaluation had been completed, 3 goals were determined and a 3% increase in pay was agreed upon in Executive Session. Page 5 of 5 Roll call for pay increase: Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Mix-yes. Carried 8-0. Adjournment: There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 9:20pm on a motion by Ms. Garcia and a unanimous voice vote approval. Minutes respectfully submitted by Marlys Young, Minute Taker