Board of Directors Meeting Minutes – March 20, 2018

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.

AGENDA
 

March 20, 2018, 9:00 a.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street
Lower Level, Multi-Purpose Room

  1. Approval of minutes for the January 16, 2018 meeting (action required)
  2. Election of Officers (action required)
  3. CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)
  4. Special Report: Independence Branch, John Ronan Architects
  5. Commissioner’s Report (info only)
    o Special Report: African American History Month Exhibits and Events
    o Best of the Best
    o Rhona Frazin retires as President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation
    o All Chicago Public Library locations will be closed on Sunday, April 1, 2018
  6. Other Business
  7. Public Comment

Next Board meeting:

April 17, 2018, 9:00 a.m.
Austin Branch
5615 W. Race Avenue

 

Open Session Minutes
 

Physically Present: Christopher Valenti, Lynn Lockwood, Dominique Jordan Turner, Patricia Gaytan Perez, Barbara Bowman

Present by Means of Video or Audio Conference: None

Absent: Linda Johnson Rice, Denise Gardner, Jodi Block

Approval of minutes (action required)

The Board approved (5-0) the minutes of the January 16, 2018 meeting.

Election of Officers (action required)

Director Lockwood represented the Nominating Committee and presented the following 2018 slate of officers for the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors.

• President – Linda Johnson Rice
• Vice President – Christopher P Valenti
• Secretary – Lynn Lockwood

The Board voted (5-0) to approve the 2018 slate of officers for the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors.

CPL Capital Projects and Facilities Report (info only)

Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner of Neighborhood Services, presented the CPL capital projects report:

Now Open

  • Austin – Phase 1 is complete: new roof, skylight restoration, tuck pointing of masonry walls, windows sealed, new circulation desk, relocation of server to basement, new carpet and paint throughout. Phase 2 proposal is under review for pricing for: new entrance doors, lighting upgrades in public areas, additional security cameras, restoration of second floor restroom, repair of terrazzo floor at entry, complete tuck-pointing.
  • Woodson – complete envelope replacement and interior improvements are complete

Major Maintenance, Repairs and Renovations

  • Kelly – Scope: envelope repairs and landscaping, new entry door and stairs, window repairs,  new fire alarm system, additional power and data, YOUmedia and early learning build outs, new LED lighting and new flooring, upgrades to the circulation desk, upgrades to the restroom and staff areas, paint throughout. Milestones and Current Activity: masonry tuck pointing and new limestone entry stair is complete; abatement and BAS work is complete; new fire alarm installation is in progress; interior work including new flooring, build out of YOUmedia, and renovation of the bathrooms and staff lounge are in progress; interior work is scheduled to be complete by the end of the month with the branch scheduled to reopen in April.
  • North Austin Branch – Scope: exterior masonry tuck pointing, new flooring and paint throughout, circulation Desk upgrade, restroom upgrades, substantial completion is anticipated in 2Q18. Milestones and Current Activity - exterior masonry tuck pointing is complete; interior upgrades are in progress; substantial completion is anticipated in April (delay due to installation of new shelving). 
  • Douglass Branch - Milestones and Current Activity: 2FM and CPL are meeting initiate project and confirm scope; exterior scope includes masonry repairs and new energy efficient roof; interior work includes flooring, paint, new circulation desk, added power/data throughout, upgrades to community room, staff lounge and other improvements; design is anticipated to be complete in April with construction starting on exterior in 2Q 2018; interior improvements will begin after the end of the Summer Learning Challenge activities. 
  • Sulzer - Phase 2 scope includes: new carpet and flooring, new meeting room on the second floor, restoration of existing built-ins throughout, paint throughout, electrical and data upgrades, bathroom upgrades and renovation, early Learning Space build-out, upgrades to the circulation desk area, AV upgrades in the auditorium. Milestones and Current Activity: new flooring, including new terrazzo in foyer is near completion; new meeting room construction is complete; addition of more power and data is in progress; lighting retrofit to replace bulbs with LED is in progress; painting throughout is ongoing. 
  • Blackstone Branch - Phase I: Complete. Phase II: Renovation of circulation desk and new building automation system. Current Activity: new circulation desk installation scheduled for April 2.

CPL-CHA Partnership

  • Northtown - Developer: Evergreen Real Estate Group; New construction 16,000 square foot public library building in a planned development with 44 senior housing units; Design Architect: Perkins + Will. Milestones and Current Activity: interior designs including furniture and finishes are being finalized; construction has begun; test caissons have been installed; construction to be completed, 4Q 2018. 
  • Roosevelt - Developer: Related Midwest; New construction 16,000 square foot branch library in a planned development with 73 multi-family housing units; Design Architect: Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Milestones and Current Activity: interior design including finishes and furniture is being finalized; construction has begun with foundation work in progress; construction to be completed, 4Q 2018. 
  • Altgeld - CHA project management; Site to combine a CPL library branch with an early childhood center; Design Architect: Koo & Associates. Milestones and Current Activity: project delayed due to IHPA approval of the design; CHA is working on New Market Tax Credit financing; construction start, TBD; construction to be completed, 1Q 2019. 
  • Chicago Bee - 2FM design and project management with CHA financing. Scope: full renovation and reconfiguration of first floor to provide additional early learning space and a YOUmedia; adult area to be expanded to second floor; new flooring, paint, ceiling tile, and lighting throughout; relocation of the community room to second floor; repairs to façade, roof, fence, and parking lot; upgrades to mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; installation of additional power and data throughout. Milestones and Current Activity: demolition is near completion on all floors and rough-in for electrical has started; project completion is scheduled for 3Q18.

Full Renovation and Expansion

  • Whitney Young - Renovation and addition to the existing library; Design Architect: bKL; Architect of Record (AOR): Johnson & Lee; Project Management: PBC. Milestones and Current Activity: Phase I - Site mobilization completed. Phase II - construction and expansion; interior and exterior selective demolition is complete; installation of under-slab electric and plumbing in progress; the foundation excavation for new addition is scheduled for mid-March; substantial completion 4Q 2018.
  • West Loop Branch - Developer: Sterling Bay; Proposed 17,000 sq. foot library in an existing office building; Design architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Milestones and Current Activity: Project approved by Housing & Real Estate Committee on 2/22/18; construction start 2Q 2018; construction to be completed 4Q 2018.

Special Report

A representative from John Ronan Architects presented a special report on the Independence Branch Library. This is another new 16,000 square foot public library in partnership with CHA located on the corner of Irving Park and Elston that will house a library on the lower floors and 44 affordable housing units for seniors on the floors above the library. The branch will also have an early learning space on the first floor, a small space for teens (YOUmedia) and an area for adults on the second floor and community meeting rooms will also be available for use to the public. The library will be the more public component and public presence in terms of location, while the residential portion is set back so library is more prominent. Parking for residents and library patrons will be located in the back. Additionally, there will be a park space in the back that serves as an amenity for residential units above the library; the library will have access to the park by appointment i.e. children’s reading hour etc.  The project is moving along nicely and is expected to be complete by 4th Quarter, 2018.

Commissioner’s Report (info only)

Michelle Carnes, Division Chief of General Information Services and member of the African American Services Committee (AASC), gave a special report on exhibits and events that took place in February in recognition of African American History month. The AASC’s mission is “to connect Chicago’s neighborhoods to culturally enriching African American programs, events and information.” Last month, the Committee supported this mission by offering 50 AASC sponsored programs and events that accommodated over 1200 patrons, including: 220+ patrons attended CPL’s first ever African American LitFest at the Harold Washington Library Center; 18 presentations were offered over 6 days; 112 patrons attended the “Chasing Light” author program and over 1,500 patrons participated in the Woodson Regional Library’s grand opening event.

Other programs highlighted by Commissioner Bannon include:

  • Children’s Services and the Department of Technology, Content and Innovation hosted the 45th annual Best of the Best on February 6th; the day was offered to CPL, CPS teachers and teacher-librarians, parochial and private school librarians as well as suburban public librarians.
  • After 14 years of service, Rhona Frazin will be retiring as President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation; during the transition, Tom Carroll, a member of the Foundation’s Executive Committee, will step into an interim leadership role to help lead the search and transition to a new CEO. 
  • Commissioner Bannon also reminded everyone that Chicago Public Library locations will be closed on Sunday, April 1, 2018.

Other Business

None

Public Comment

The Board addressed comments from the audience on offering an update CPL’s strategic plan in regards to seniors and youth and more promotion of the special collection at the Woodson Regional Library to the surrounding communities.

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. at the Austin Branch located at 5615 W. Race Avenue.

 

Commissioner’s Report

Special Report: Michelle Carnes, Division Chief of General Information Services

Best of the Best

The 45th annual Best of the Best was hosted by Children’s Services and Tech, Content and Innovation on February 6th.  This day was offered to CPL, CPS teachers and teacher-librarians, parochial and private school librarians as well as suburban public librarians.  It was attended by over 250 people who heard best books for children published in 2017 reviewed by our librarians.  The day was accompanied by a booklist and book sales were made available by Sandmeyer’s Books. 

Rhona Frazin retires as President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation

After 14 years of service, Rhona Frazin will be retiring as President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation at the end of the month. Rhona‘s strategic leadership has launched the Foundation to new levels of success, both in fundraising and reputation. Under her leadership, the Foundation consistently earned a “4-Star” rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-used charity evaluator. And, in addition to building greater transparency, Rhona has been a driving force behind the Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser, the Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner – which raised a record-breaking $1.9M for the Library and Foundation in 2017.

During this transition, the CPLF Board of Directors will begin a search for a successor, and Tom Carroll, a member of the Foundation’s Executive Committee and a former Executive Vice President of RR Donnelley, will step into an interim leadership role to help lead the search and transition to a new CEO.

Please join me in thanking Rhona for her dedication to the library and Chicago and congratulating her on this next chapter.

Reminder

All Chicago Public Library locations will be closed on Sunday, April 1, 2018