Minutes
Library Board of Trustees - Minutes - Mar 16, 2026
Mar 16, 2026
A public record published by the Town of Simsbury (simsbury-ct.gov). mySimsbury indexes it and makes it readable; it is not the official copy. View the original file.
Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting March 16, 2026 – 7:00 P.M. Simsbury Public Library – Weatogue Room 725 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER – Madam Chair McGrath called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. Present: Chair, Holly McGrath; Board of Trustees: Heather Czuchta, Anne Erickson, Marianne O’Neil, and Susan Ray; Chair of Policy Committee, Laurie Shinaman; Co-Chair of Strategic Plan Committee, Don Heymann; Simsbury Public Library Director, Lisa Miceli; Friends of the Library President, Greg Golinski; and Liaison to the Board of Selectmen, Diana Yeisley. Absent: Vice Chair, Polly Rice; and Secretary, Mary Glassman. All present stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES February 9, 2026, Regular Meeting Trustee O’Neil amended: ● Line 52 to read, “Madam Chair McGrath…” ● Line 100 to read,”…seconded by Trustee Heymann…” Policy Committee Co-Chair Heymann amended Line 12 to read, “Chair, Holly McGrath;”. MOTION: Trustee O’Neil made a motion, seconded by Trustee Erickson, to approve the Minutes of the February 9, 2026, Regular Meeting as amended. The motion carried unanimously. (7-0-0) Page 1 of 4 Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Minutes March 16, 2026 III. PUBLIC AUDIENCE Lori Boyko, 15 Oakhurst Road, Simsbury expressed her disapproval of the formation of the Strategic Plan Committee not being consistent with that of the Library Board of Trustees, and that it is having people outside of the Board taking part in decisions for the Library’s future. IV. COMMUNICATIONS None. V. FRIENDS’ REPORT None. VI. CHAIR’S REPORT Madam Chair McGrath reported that the ACLB is hosting a webinar on collection development on Wednesday, March 25th at 7:00P.M. VII. DIRECTOR’S REPORT Library Director Miceli reported: ● The Library is fully staffed. ● The migration of the integrated library systems to Polaris has begun and staff are being trained. VIII. FEBRUARY FINANCE REPORT Library Director Miceli reported that Children’s Reference Materials had a remaining budget error which has been revised to $8,189.62. IX. BUDGET FY 2026-2027 Library Director Miceli stated that the BCC will now be part-time and be shared with Town Hall to work on economic development, there is a $23,107 cut to materials and $1,700 cut to programming, Madam Chair McGrath stated that the Deputy Director position has been approved as part of the budget to be added to the responsibilities of the Head of the Children’s Department, but is still awaiting approval from the Board of Selectmen. Page 2 of 4 Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Minutes March 16, 2026 The Library will begin closing at 8 PM Monday-Thursday beginning July 1 and there was a cut of $1,700 from programming. The Board of Finance is having a public hearing on April 7th at 6 P.M. in the FSPL Room at the Library. X. EV CHARGING STATION GRANT FUND MATCH Library Director Miceli stated the Town has applied for a grant for two EV charging stations at the Library and it requires a match of $15,091. XI. VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION EVENT – THURSDAY, April 23, 3 P.M. Library Director Miceli stated Kim from Le Banh Patisserie is cooking on the charlie cart. She emphasized the importance of volunteers and how they have saved the Library $14,000 through February this fiscal year. XII. LIBRARY ROOM USE FEES Madam Chair McGrath stated that currently groups can rent the rooms for $50 for half of a day, or $100 for a full day. The cost has not been updated for years and needs to be increased to be comparable to other room rentals throughout town and in the nearby area. She recommends sending this to the Policy Committee. XIII. POLICY COMMITTEE a. Innovator’s Workshop Policy Strategic Plan Committee Co-Chair amended the first sentence of the second paragraph to remove the quotations. MOTION: Trustee Ray made a motion, seconded by Trustee Erickson, to approve the “Innovator’s Workshop Policy” as amended. The motion carried unanimously. (7-0-0) b. Personal Belongings Policy Strategic Plan Committee Co-Chair Heymann amended the last line to have it read, “… lost of or damage to…” Page 3 of 4 Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Minutes March 16, 2026 MOTION: Trustee Czuchta made a motion, seconded by Trustee Ray, to approve the “Personal Belongings Policy” as amended. The motion carried unanimously. (7-0-0) XIV. STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE Strategic Plan Committee Co-Chair Heymann stated they had the first meeting at the end of February, with 14 or 15 members. They have held two listening sessions, conducted interviews, and administered surveys. There may be two more listening sessions after the March 25th meeting. All are encouraged to promote completion of the survey on the Library website. XV. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Trustee O’Neil made a motion, seconded by Trustee Ray, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried unanimously. (7-0-0) Madam Chair McGrath adjourned the meeting at 7:49 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Amanda Blaze Commission Clerk Page 4 of 4