Flemington Free Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
September 15, 2023
The Flemington Free Public Library (FFPL) Board of Trustees Zoom meeting was called to order at 9:34 am by Board President Jane DeHaven. This was a remote meeting via Zoom. Library Director Shawn Armington, Grace Fuoti, Steve Rogow and James Rossetti were present.
MEETING NOTICE STATEMENT
This meeting was called in accordance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act. Notice was sent to the newspapers of record, The Courier News and The Hunterdon Democrat, and posted on the library’s website and bulletin board.
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES
The minutes of the last meeting were reviewed, and a few minor grammatical mistakes were noted and corrected. Jane moved to accept, and Steve seconded.
TREASURERS REPORT
The treasurer’s report was reviewed by Shawn. He highlighted in the May bill: Biblionix (catalog and maintenance) annual fee of $2,200; in the June bill: Demco, Inc. – $1,420 for cards (ordered in bulk) used by the library patrons, the bill from Vector Security for the annual fire inspection – $542, and the bill from Fletcher and Son Electrical Services for the exit signs. Shawn also noted that one of the Bodine CDs will mature on September 24th and answered the concern if the library funds are protected by FDIC. He spoke to Unity Bank and they are. The library will receive $5,000 from the estate of Mary Kleiner. Grace moved to accept, and Jim seconded.
CONTINUING BUSINESS
–Basement Remediation
Adam Finkle, project manager of SSP, reports that they are wrapping up the ad for the basement remediation and coordinating the bid timeline with the town. Adam is working with the borough clerk on this.
–Torchères
Shawn sent out an email to the library board members regarding an estimate from Moorland Studios, on restoring the 2outdoor torchères. After review, Shawn mentioned that he would like to move ahead with the project. Jim noticed that at the bottom of the estimate, there was a notation of “Labor” with the dollar amount. Jim would like to confirm the estimate is inclusive of materials. Jane made a motion to move ahead, and Jim seconded.
–Mediatech Foundation has still not been legally resolved. The library received a collection notice last year from AT&T Mobility even though Mediatech didn’t have an account with AT&T. Shawn contested the billing and believed the issue to be resolved. The library has received another claim but from a different collection agency. It was suggested not to pay this bill (might be fraudulent) and refer the next caller to the Mediatech account contact.
NEW BUSINESS
–Trustee Continuing Education
Jane will attend a conference in mid-November through the Beach Haven Public library. She offered to give a synopsis to the board members in the December meeting to fulfill trustee continuing education requirements. This idea was met with great enthusiasm!
–A staff member has requested an area light to illuminate the parking lot behind the library when closing in the evenings. Shawn will call Fletcher Electric to discuss options.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:02 am. The next meeting will be on October 20th.
–Grace Fuoti