Present: Robert Cartolano (President), Library Director Tracy Wright, Rosetta McArdle, Patrick Pilla, Lisa Sclavo, Leslye Davidson and Astra Tudisco. The meeting convened at 6:40 pm.
The meeting was held in the glass conference room. A quorum was present. The June 11, 2025 minutes were presented, reviewed and accepted. President Cartolano moved to approve the minutes. Patrick Pilla seconded the motion.
Pres. Cartolano attended the legislative appreciation meeting on July 22, 2025 at WLS headquarters. Legislators spoke informally with library board members.
WLS supports a GED program for library members.
Terry Kirchner spoke about E-Book licensing and the cap on use and costs.
Pres. Cartolano spoke with both State Senators Andrea Stewart Cousins and Shelley Mayer about E-Book licensing reform for library use.
The legislature is discussing a possible motion to reform E-Book licensing.
Swadesh Pachnanda, the Library Director in Tuckahoe, has retired. The Interim Library director is Elaine Provenzano.
The Elevator has been broken for the past 6 weeks. Otis elevator company and the Town are negotiating on the repair. We have contracted to install the water alarm in the elevator shaft.
Director Wright is following up with Town to find out the status of resolving the elevator repairs.
The temporary ramp was removed by the children’s room door. Currently handicapped access is at the main entrance. This is an inconvenience if parked in the parking lot.
Two New York State construction grants are closed.
The SAM grant is still open. Paperwork needs to be submitted to close out this grant.
The window grant still needs to be closed.
Director Wright investigated costs for a Lula person elevator for the mezzanine. The costs are prohibitive and, based upon the design, would be a large construction project with a lot of disruption to library services and the public.
The Board discussed possible strategies for use of the mezzanine space and ideas for fundraising and the use of construction grants.
Discussed an outdoor handicap ramp. Board Member Davidson suggested a single outdoor lift for handicap use that she has seen in museums. It uses less space than a ramp. Director Wright will do some research and report back to the Board on costs and feasibility.
Director Wright is writing a grant application for heating in the lobbies. The cost is approximately $18,000 for the project.
If the grant is approved, there was discussion of using a portion of the fund balance for the match. It is also possible that the Friends may match.
Jazz Band is scheduled to play on September 28, 2025. This is being advertised on the website.
There was a group of adolescents that briefly came into the library and caused disruption. There is a policy in place when these disruptions occur. The group of adolescents target most of the local libraries.
EPL is discussing adding new digital services to the library. Director Wright is reviewing the service policies for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. We will discuss further at the next meeting.
Library Budget
The Town is following the NYS tax cap.
Director Wright is increasing the following line items:
The library budget was submitted to the Town on August 22, 2025.
Board Member Davidson suggested the following services:
President Cartolano motioned to adjourn the meeting. Rosetta McArdle seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 8:08 pm.
Next meeting is scheduled for September 10, 2025 at 6:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Astra Tudisco