LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS/Cleveland Heights University Heights Library Board of Trustees meeting highlights

by League of Women Voters Greater Cleveland - Heights Chapter

JANUARY 27, 2025, organizational and regular meetings

Organizational items
Comments from the audience
Security report
Fund for the Future of Heights Libraries
Coventry School facilities assessment
Board action
Human resources report
Director’s report

Present were President Annette Iwamoto, Vice President Patti Carlyle, Dana Fluellen, Anastasia McIntosh, Vikas Turakhia and Halle Turnberrez. Tyler McTigue was absent. The meeting lasted two and one quarter hours.

Organizational items

Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Mark Musson administered the oath of office to new board members Anastasis McIntosh and Vikas Turakhia. The oath of office was also administered to Director Nancy Levin, Fiscal Officer Deborah Herrmann, and Assistant Deputy Fiscal Officer Kimberly Austin.

Committee assignments and the 2025 planning calendar were reviewed.

Comments from the audience

The first presenter asked for an extension prior to leaving the Coventry Peace Building as she is unable to find suitable space.

The second presenter has a potential location but asked to leave supplies and equipment in the Coventry Peace Building from the former Artful tenants until they have completed necessary negotiations to relocate.

Security report

Safety and Security Services Manager Brandon Brown stated the goal of his department is safety and security for everyone. Many objectives were accomplished in 2024 including increased communication, increased access to naloxone, safety inspections, and emergency manual updates. There were 218 incidents reported in 2024. Goals for 2025 include increasing staff education and updating incident report forms.

Fund for the Future of Heights Libraries

President Jack Valancy reported they have met the million-dollar challenge! Ribbon cutting at the PEACE Park is planned for Sunday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. followed by a family friendly fundraiser at the Grog Shop. Note cards with photos from the PEACE Park will be sold.

Coventry School facilities assessment

Heights Libraries requested K2M Design to perform a facility assessment of the Coventry Building to determine the condition and life expectancy of existing building systems, identify issues, make recommendations, and ascertain the likely cost to renovate, demolish, or partially demolish. Comprehensive renovation would cost $14,820,000; complete demolition, $819,000; and retention and renovation of the gym, $3,731,000.

After reviewing a variety of data from many sources, Library Director Nancy Levin explored the options of keeping, selling, or demolishing the building. She recommended that the library continue to maintain the building minimally, implementing suggested best practices to preserve and protect it, and maintaining the services of Playhouse Square Property Management to do so. In addition, she recommended that the library plan for complete demolition, as early as 2026, then level and seed the area, making it part of the Coventry PEACE Park.

Board action

The board:

Approved adding 2024 encumbrances to the 2025 total appropriations.
Accepted 2024 donations totaling $101,036 to be deposited in various funds of the library.
Approved PEACE Park cabling infrastructures allocation of $26, 648.
Approved payment to Playhouse Square Foundation, the property manager of the Coventry PEACE building, of $18,053 for repairs, services, and tenant moving expenses. There is not enough tenant revenue to pay those invoices.
Authorized payment to Northern Ohio Data Information Service of Cleveland State University and Baldwin Wallace Community Research Institute to conduct a study focused on service area demographics and a survey of residents focused on buildings, services, staff, programs, and classes.
Approved 2025 additional salary and earned time off for the fiscal officer.
Approved alternate work arrangements policy for staff to work remotely.
Approved the Coventry School building lease amendment to accommodate Do Good Hub, a tenant who is unable to terminate its tenancy at this time due to Medicaid licensure associated with the building.

Human resources report

A new evaluation system for employees has been implemented to allow opportunities for supervisor reviews and employee self-evaluation. The human resources manual is under review. Application for the FRIENDS of the Heights Libraries Library Scholarship Summer 2025 opened on Jan. 15.

Director’s report

The sustainability team will continue conducting waste audits to assist in deciding what programs need to be enhanced or initiated.

Work will continue at the PEACE Park through May; however, the playground is complete and will be open to the community after the ribbon cutting. The pavilion should arrive in January. The anonymous donor asked that it be called “Friendship Pavilion.” Application for a solid waste district grant will be completed to purchase new garbage/recycling cans.

WEWS Channel 5 shared the story of the partnership between the library and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank for the monthly Mobile Pantry.

Web developers worked with managers on understanding and using a more secure survey and software through the website plugin, Gravity Forms, which provides higher security than Survey Monkey, MS Office 360, or Google Forms as it is housed on the library’s server.

Researching the history of PEACE Park has begun. There will be historical signs throughout the park.

LWV observer: Judith Beeler

Information about the board, board meeting minutes and audio recordings of board meetings can be found at https://heightslibrary.org/locations/heights-libraries-board/