Library Board of Trustees - Minutes - 05/13/2025

Waterford Public Library 
 
Board of Trustees  
 
 
Minutes of Meeting of 13 May 2025 
 
1. President M. Furey-Wagner called the meeting to order at 5:58 p.m. 
 
Trustees present: M. Furey-Wagner, E. Boyce, L. Couture, N. Dragoli, C. 
Giordano, B. Kyne, J. Lehet, J. Merrill, G. Ritter, A. Robarge, A. Rosenberg, A. 
Simpson.  Also present, C. Johnson, Library Director, Laura Erickson, head of 
Library Technical and Circulation Services, Police Chief Marc Balestracci, and 
Jeff Robillard, Director of IT. 
 
2. Public Comment - none 
 
3. Presentation by Jeff Robillard, Director of IT and Marc Balestracci, Chief of 
Police on the Camera installation at the library. 
• The Town, for safety reasons, decided to install cameras in public areas of 
Town buildings.  This is being done, in phases.  Schools last summer with 
the Community Center and Library being next.   
• Installation of cameras at the Library will be at both internal and external 
points.  Checkout desk, self-check-out stations and OPAC footage will be 
blurred.  Cameras should be installed in the next 3 weeks and be up and 
running in 4-5 weeks. 
• Police will be able to access footage immediately if a 911 call comes in.  
Otherwise, no one will be live monitoring the footage.  Recordings will be 
saved for up to 30 days, unless the footage is part of an active investigation. 
All public FOI requests for footage would go to the Waterford Police 
Department. The library board can decide to have an MOU with WPD to 
protect patron privacy per CT State Statue. This MOU can extend to 
determining redaction of footage, if necessary. 
 
4. Report from Laura Erickson, Head of Technical and Circulation Services 
• Earlier this year a long lasting contract dispute between the major 
established Library book vendor, Baker & Taylor, resulted in delayed 
delivery of materials. 
• In response, she evaluated the library vendors.   
• Bottom line, price comparison shopping is here to stay, so she established 
accounts with the other vendors and cancelled backorders for Baker & Taylor 
and reordered from Ingram and Brodart the two other established vendors.  
This involved 500 titles. 
• Unfortunately, all vendors, including Ingram, don’t give the same level of 
service, i.e. jackets, plastic covers, spine labels, ISBN numbers, etc. 
• Through the CT Library Association, Amazon reached out to request that 
Laura meet with their personnel to explain how libraries purchase materials 

 
Waterford Public Library 
 
Board of Trustees  
and what additional services, such as order records, are needed by libraries 
as part of the purchase process. 
• For WPL to do this for an individual title it means additional cost, time, and 
labor by library employees.  Kudos to employees Judy for quickly adapting 
to price checking and ordering from multiple vendors, and to John,  Ed, and 
Hanna for all of the additional processing needed to get the books from 
Brodart and Ingram shelf-ready. 
 
5. Consent Agenda  
  Treasurer’s and Financial Report - G. Ritter 
• Although the portfolio has gone up and down approximately $100,000 it is 
back to approximately the beginning of the year. 
• Recommendation, stay the course. 
• The percentages in equity were up to 80% and will be reduced, over time, 
to 75%. 
• Bond value has gone up. 
• In response to a question, no gold or crypto currency is held. 
• Endowment contribution for FY25 is $151,889, but when you add in grants 
and other generated revenue such as the book sale, Community Foundation 
funds, BorrowIT reimbursement, etc., it totals$230,000.  This represents 
20% of the library budget.   
• A motion was made by A Rosenberg and seconded by A. Simpson, to accept 
the Minutes of 3/11/25, the Treasurer’s Report, and the Financial Report.  
All in favor. 
 
6. President’s Report - M. Furey-Wagner 
• An agreement between the Town and the Library has been postponed since 
the First Selectman wanted to avoid legal costs. 
• Trustees attendance at budget hearings before the Board of Finance and 
Board of Selectmen has been noted by those Boards. 
• The RTM hearing on the final budget is tomorrow night, 14 May at 7 p.m. 
• A request for the additional funds for the HVAC Project in the DPW budget 
was made and approved. 
 
7.  Committee Reports 
 
A. Finance - G. Ritter 
 
• There will be a Finance Committee meeting scheduled with Kevin Grenham, 
portfolio manager at One Digital before the July Trustees meeting. 
 
B. Development and Fundraising - A. Simpson 
 

 
Waterford Public Library 
 
Board of Trustees  
• The Spring Jewelry Sale was a lot of work but the community came out with 
donations and buyers.   
• It was a success with on the day sales of approximately $5,000. 
• A trained appraiser, Sharon Egan, from Anna Pearl's Curiosities in Niantic, 
priced gold and gemstone items, and sold them to a gold dealer, which 
resulted in an additional $2,000 being collected. 
• Total sales were approximately $7,000. 
• An event for area Realtors at Langleys will have vendor tables. WPL BOT has 
been offered a free table to sell the remaining items. 
 
C.  Building and Grounds - M. Furey-Wagner 
 
• The contract for the HVAC project was signed and purchase orders have 
gone out. 
• A project kick-off meeting with the Library in coordination with Public Works, 
Fire, IT, Planning, and the Contractor was held on 1 May. 
• The contractor was provided with a list of the library’s major events over 
the summer to use in planning his work schedule. 
• Two construction dumpsters and a trailer will be installed in the left rear of 
the back parking lot. 
• The library will be a work zone over the summer. 
• It is anticipated the new HVAC system will be on-line by the end of August. 
• Temporary cooling units will be installed in early June. 
 
D.  Policy and Personnel - A. Simpson 
 
• The Bylaws are being revised.  The entire Board will vote on changes. 
• A question on liability and insurance was raised.  C. Johnson will survey 
other Association libraries in regards to their purchase of Directors & Officers 
insurance. 
 
8.  Director’s Report - C. Johnson 
 
• Leaks continue with the heavy spring rains. 
• Kathy James was celebrated in April for her 50th work anniversary at WPL.  
She started as a student page and never left. 
• M&T Bank awarded the library $3,000 towards youth summer reading 
programs. 
• We are still waiting to hear if the $20,300 AARP Community Challenge Grant 
will be awarded to WPL. 
• An ALA grant request was made for $10,000 to continue to offer a weekly 
English conversation circle and citizenship classes. 

 
Waterford Public Library 
 
Board of Trustees  
• The 2nd Annual Community Fair held in April was a success with 137 
attendees and 21 organizations represented. 
• Two Garden Pavers decorating sessions were led by E. Boyce, M. Furey-
Wagner, and M. Benvenuti.  They were at capacity. The groups decorated a 
total of 45 pavers that are now bordering the front pollinator garden. 
• The Library is partnering with Human Services, to host suicide prevention 
training for the public on 24 May. 
 
 
9. Old Business 
• Pollinator Garden - The Gold Barberry (an invasive) will be taken out and 
replaced.  A Blue Spruce will also be added and dedicated to former Head of 
Adult Services, Judy Liskov who died in April. 
 
10.  New Business 
A.  A motion was made by A. Rosenberg, seconded by B. Kyne, to close the 
library on Saturday, July 5th. Friday is a holiday, Saturday would be 
summer hours.  Full time personnel will have 40 hours in, the PT person is 
amenable, and it will involve no extra cost to have a 3 day week-end.  The 
Board concurred.  All in favor. 
B.  Discussed earlier. 
C. Renewal of Trustee Terms - C. Giordano 
• Current terms end 30 June for L. Couture, B. Kyne, G. Ritter, and A. 
Rosenberg. 
• All have agreed to renew for three more years, terms to end on June 30, 
2028. 
D.  Slate of officers for the coming FY will be voted on in July:  M. Furey-
Wagner, President, C. Giordano, Vice President, G. Ritter, Treasurer, and E. 
Boyce and J. Merrill as Co-Secretaries. 
E. Discussion on capturing patron data was tabled. 
F. Board declined to participate with Town Parade float. 
G. A motion was made by C. Giordano, seconded by J. Merrill to fund an annual 
summer staff event in the amount of $1,000.  All in favor. 
H. A motion to approve the bi-monthly BOT Meeting schedule for FY26 was 
made by A. Sinpson, seconded by C. Giordano.  All in favor. 
 
11. A motion was made by A. Simpson and seconded by N. Dragoli to adjourn.  
All in favor.  The meeting adjourned at 7:28 p.m.. 
 
 
Respectfully submitted 20 May 2025 
 
Joy S. Merrill, Co-Secretary