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Friday, June 20, 2025

City Of Wheaton Public Library Board Of Trustees Met May 17

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City Of Wheaton Public Library Board Of Trustees Met May 17.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

I. Call to Order

The Board of Trustees of the Wheaton Public Library held their regular Board meeting. Board President Laurie Metanchuk called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Members present in person at roll call: Christine Fenne, Bob McDonough and Laurie Metanchuk. Attending via Zoom were: Al Herbach, Bob Lyon, Joe McHaley and Simone Morton. Absent: Ms. Staron and Ms. Talapatra. Betsy Adamowski, Library Director, Ed Sirovatka, IT/Facilities Manager, and Lisa Christell-Sandri, Library Finance/Business Office Manager and recording secretary for this meeting, were also in attendance.

Ms. Staron entered the meeting via Zoom at 6:02 and Ms. Talapatra entered in person at 6:03 p.m.

II. Citizens to be Heard

There were no citizens to be heard.

CONSENT AGENDA

III. Minutes for the April 19, 2021 Board Meeting

IV. Financial Reports for April 2021 and Bill Listing for May 2021 Payment

Mrs. Fenne moved and Mr. Lyon seconded to approve the Consent Agenda items.

Roll Call Vote

Ayes: Ms. Morton

Mr. McHaley

Mr. Herbach

Ms. Talapatra

Mr. Lyon

Ms. Staron

Mr. McDonough

Mrs. Fenne

Mrs. Metanchuk

Nays: None

Absent: None

Motion Carried

V. Library Director’s Board Report for April 2021

Mrs. Adamowskistated that the Department Heads have been very busy and it shows in their Board Reports. She said that the City gave permission for Altiro to use “Altiro Wheaton Coffee Shop” as their name. Mrs. Adamowski noted that WPL’s Facebook page has our new DEI logo with our statement. She said that she received a nice note from Elle Withall at the DWA thanking WPL for its DEI statement. Mrs. Adamowski was grateful to Ms. Talapatra for volunteering to help plan the landscaping for the Library. Concerning masks, Mrs. Adamowski said WPL will follow the City’s policy. As soon as she gets the City’s statement, she will forward it to the Board. Mr. McDonough asked if the furniture would be out when the Library reopens on June 1st. Mrs. Adamowski answered that all the furniture would be coming out. She added that there would be no indoor programming, but the study rooms on the second floor would be available, though the ones in Youth Services won’t be because they are still being used by the staff for virtual programming. She also said that the meeting rooms will not open yet.

VI. Unfinished Business: None

VII. New Business:

A. Motion to Approve Non-Resident Card Participation

Mr. McDonough moved and Ms. Morton seconded to approved the motion.

Roll Call Vote

Ayes: Mrs. Fenne

Ms. Talapatra

Mr. Lyon

Mr. McDonough

Mr. Herbach

Ms. Morton

Mr. McHaley

Ms. Staron

Mrs. Metanchuk

Nays: None

Absent: None

Motion Carried

B. Motion to Approve Tax Method to Calculate Non-Resident Fees for Both Homeowners and Renters

Mr. McDonough moved and Mrs. Fenne seconded to approve the motion.

Roll Call Vote

Ayes: Mr. Herbach

Mr. McHaley

Mr. McDonough

Mr. Lyon

Ms. Talapatra

Ms. Staron

Mrs. Fenne

Ms. Morton

Mrs. Metanchuk

Nays: None

Absent: None

Motion Carried

C. Motion to Approve Nominating Committee

Mrs. Metanchuk stated that she asked Mr. McDonough, Ms. Staron and Mrs. Fenne to be on the Nominating Committee with Mrs. Fenne as Chair. Mr. Lyon moved and Mr. Herbach seconded to approve the selections.

Roll Call Vote

Ayes: Ms. Staron

Ms. Talapatra

Mr. McDonough

Mr. McHaley

Ms. Morton

Mrs. Fenne

Mr. Herbach

Mrs. Metanchuk

Mrs. Metanchuk

Nays: None

Absent: None

Motion Carried

D. West Side Plaza Repairs – Selection of Consultant

Mrs. Adamowski said that the West Side Plaza is in dire need of repairs. She requested proposals from 2 consultants that she has worked with before, BTC, Inc. and Studio GC. She said that BTC is a large company, and leans to more engineering work while Studio GC, which is also a big company, is also architectural and was actually involved in the 2006 library renovation. Board members noted that the proposal fees were not comparable as one had dollar amounts and the other had a percentage. They requested that Mrs. Adamowski ask each of the companies for a proposal to scope out the work, providing an estimate of that work. She responded that she would request new proposals and present them at the June meeting.

E. Mechanical Study - Discussion

Mrs. Adamowski noted that the library chillers have been a discussion point since she started. There was a chiller study done in 2018 that concluded that there was about five years left in their service life. This study was done by the same firm, so they had all the information from the last study to compare. Ed Sirovatka, IT/Facilities Manager, explained the findings and gave a timeline for the work that needs to be done. The expenses will come from both the library’s renewal funds and the operational budget and will be spread over several years. He noted that it was recommended to add 3% for each year for cost increases along with a 10% contingency.

VIII. Board Member Comments (Round the Table)

Mrs. Fenne really enjoyed the Department Head Board Reports and is excited about the upcoming library app. There were questions about the Board Meeting start time when the Library resumes regular hours and if Trustees could still attend via Zoom. Mrs. Adamowski stated that, starting in June, the Board meetings will be at 7:00 p.m. She also said that Zoom is being utilized due to the COVID pandemic. When things go back to normal, in-person meetings will be required unless the Open Meetings Act is amended to allow virtual attendance.

IX. Adjournment:

There being no further business of the Wheaton Public Library Board of Trustees, Ms. Talapatra moved and Mrs. Fenne seconded that the meeting be adjourned. A voice vote was taken and the motion for adjournment carried at 7:08 p.m.

https://www.wheaton.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05172021-1651

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