Board of Trustees of the St. Helena Public Library

Minutes of the Meeting of January 11, 2006

The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order by Dr. Darter at 5 p.m. Trustee Chairman Dr. Darter, Lynda Burton, Julie Dickson, and Bonnie Long were present, as was Friends of the Library President Dolores Torrigino and Library Director Larry Hlavsa.

A motion to approve the consent items was seconded and passed. Minutes of the meeting of December 14th were approved as mailed.

Library Director’s Report

Tweed Trust update. The City Council last night approved acceptance of the Tweed Trust real property on behalf of the library. Once title vests, the City Attorney can oversee its sale, which is expected to take up to a year. Larry will draft a letter of thanks to Jean Phillips, longtime friend of Dorothy Tweed, for Dr. Darter’s signature. Larry will also approach attorney Carol Sobczak regarding moving ahead with formation of a library foundation.

Development of Adams Street Property. The City Council last night offered two seats on the Adams Street Development Subcommittee to represent library interests, and the trustees nominated Dr. Darter and Julie Dickson. Since “permanent preservation” of the library’s view corridor was the expressed preference of the council, Julie agreed to approach the Napa County Land Trust for their suggestions and cooperation to achieve this end. Concerning parking, which also was a topic at the council meeting, Larry will approach Jonathon to explore alternatives on Library Lane (e.g. 90 degree parking on the west, none on the right) which could be undertaken independent of the Adams Street development.

Library Associate recruitment. Recently retired Library Associate Betty Saler offered to return to staff as an "on-call" replacement when needed. The use of Betty on an on-call basis has been approved and she will work no more than 100 hours a year. Interviews are now ongoing for the permanent part-time Library Associate position and we are pleased so far with the candidates. A decision on that position will probably be made early next week.

Carpet replacement. The damaged, moldy tiles underneath the rubber mats in the staff work room will likely be replaced with carpet squares. The work will take approximately one week this coming summer.

Interior design architects. The three designers who visited the library last month now have our list of projects. They will be advising us on which projects they feel they can help us with.

Bereavement; illness. There will be a gathering at Bob Brownscombe’s home on January 28th from 1 to 4 p.m. to remember his partner Wilma Keenleyside who passed away last month. Former St. Helena Library director Clayla Davis is nearing completion of her chemotherapy series.

Friends of the Library. Dolores reported that "home delivery" is commencing to Silverado Orchards and one individual. Two directors are being sought for the Friends' board of directors. Also, the Friends will once again support the summer reading program. Larry reports this year we will be participating in the national 2006 Collaborative Summer Library Program whose theme is: "Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales!"

Wine Library Association. Julie reported that Carolyn Martini and Craig Root will join the board at its annual meeting January 19th. The eighteen magnums of the 2003 vintage of “Barney’s Backyard” Petite Syrah have been secured and will be labeled and boxed for distribution to local organizations presenting auctions supporting education.

St. Helena Historical Society. Larry announced that the next six months’ of society activities are listed on the Web site. A membership “launch” is scheduled for January 29th.

The meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m.

Julie Dickson, recording secretary