* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. ALRIGHTY, I CALL [00:00:01] THE MEETING TO ORDER. [Library Board on March 8, 2021.] AND THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE JANUARY 14TH MEETING. I HOPE ALL OF YOU HAVE LOOKED THROUGH THAT. AND DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS? I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP. OKAY. IF NOT, DO I HEAR A MOTION THAT WE ACCEPT THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED, MAKE A MOTION? WE ACCEPT THE MINUTES AS THEY ARE. THAT WAS DOROTHY. DO I HEAR SECOND? I SECOND, THE MOTION. OKAY. LINDA SECOND THAT ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. ALL OPPOSED, LIKE SIGN. NO OPPOSED. OKAY. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LIBRARY DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION AWARD. WOW. BIG DEAL. YEAH. I'M SUPER EXCITED. LET'S SEE, WE RECEIVED THE AWARD AGAIN. I THINK THIS IS OUR 17TH, 16TH OR 17TH STRAIGHT YEAR OF RECEIVING THIS AWARD. UM, WE'RE IN THE TOP 10% OF TEXAS LIBRARIES AND WE WERE ONLY ONE OF 56 LIBRARIES WHO EARNED THIS AWARD FOR 2020. SO IT'S A BIG DEAL AND OUR FLAG JUST CAME IN THE MAIL. WOW. SUPER EXCITED. THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING IT THROUGH 20, 21 AS WELL. YOU'VE GOT A SIXTH OF THE YEAR BEHIND YOU, SO YOU CAN DO IT. YOU CAN DO IT. WE CAN DO IT. WE CAN TOTALLY DO IT. OKAY. THE NEXT ITEM IS THE COVID-19 UPDATE. ALL RIGHT. UM, WELL, SINCE LAST WE SPOKE, THERE'VE BEEN SOME UPDATES AS I'M SURE. YOU KNOW, UM, GOVERNOR ABBOTT, AS YOU KNOW, HAS DECLARED THAT THE STATE IS GOING TO BE BACK OPEN STARTING MARCH 10TH AT A HUNDRED PERCENT. I JUST WANT TO PAUSE HERE AND SAY FROM THE CITY STANDPOINT, I, FOR THE LIBRARY STANDPOINT, UM, OUR PROTOCOLS DON'T CHANGE EXCEPT FOR PATRONS BEING ALLOWED TO COME INTO THE LIBRARY BEGINNING, MARCH 10TH. UH, NOT HAVING TO WEAR A MASK. WE'RE STILL ENCOURAGING EVERYONE WHO COMES IN TO WEAR A MASK, BUT THE PUBLIC WILL NOT HAVE TO WEAR A MASK COMING INTO THE LIBRARY BEGINNING, MARCH 10TH. OKAY. I'M SURPRISED THE CITY IS GOING TO GO THAT WAY. THE, THE CITY'S NEXT, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEETING OR WORK SESSION IS MARCH 15TH. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY GET DIRECTION AS TO WHAT TO DO AFTER THAT DATE. BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, THAT WILL TAKE MARCH 10TH WITH THE PUBLIC BEING ALLOWED TO, UM, NOT HAVE A MASK ON IN THE LIBRARY STAFF, HOWEVER, AND ALL CITY STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE TO WEAR A MASK WHEN THEY'RE AT WORK, UM, IN ANY FACILITY IN AROUND OTHER PEOPLE. SO NONE OF THOSE PROTOCOLS OR THOSE, UM, PROCEDURES CHANGED FOR CITY STAFF, WE STILL WEAR MASKS IN THE BUILDING. WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH OUR REGULAR CLEANING PROTOCOLS. WE ARE STILL HAVING OUR TEMPERATURES CHECKED WHEN WE ENTER THE BUILDING FOR WORK. AND WHEN WE'RE COMING BACK, WE'RE STILL QUARANTINING LIBRARY MATERIALS FOR FIVE DAYS. SO NONE OF THOSE THINGS WILL CHANGE. UM, AT SOME POINT BASED OFF OF THE DIRECTION THAT WE RECEIVED FROM CITY ADMINISTRATION, CITY COUNCIL WILL BEGIN TO, TO MAKE OUR WAY BACK TO, UM, ADDING IN MORE HOURS TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. AND AT SOME POINT I'M SURE INCREASING THE CAPACITY LIMITS THAT WE HAVE IN THE LIBRARY. AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE ARE STILL AT 25% CAPACITY. UM, AND MR. BRADFORD, THE CITY MANAGER HAS, UM, MADE THE CHANGE THAT BEGINNING MARCH 15TH, WE WILL INCREASE IT TO 50% CAPACITY THAT'S FOR BOTH STAFF AND THE PUBLIC. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND I DON'T FORESEE ANY ISSUES OR PROBLEMS WITH MOVING TO 50% CAPACITY. I THINK IF WE WERE OFFERING SOME IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING, WE WOULD HAVE SOME MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THAT, BUT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRANSITION OVER TO 50% WITH NO PROBLEM. UM, WE'RE ALSO, SO AS YOU KNOW, AND I HEARD SOMEONE BEFORE THE MEETING OFFICIALLY STARTED, UH, TALK ABOUT, UH, THE VACCINATIONS, UM, LIBRARY STAFF ARE HELPING [00:05:01] TO WORK SOME OF THE GARLANDS MASS VACCINATION EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING ALMOST ON A WEEKLY BASIS NOW. UM, AND IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THAT AND HELP SUPPORT THAT EFFORT ON THE FRONT LINES AND HELP SUPPORT OUR FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE, AND EMT, WHO ARE A PART OF THAT PROCESS. I THINK WE'RE AVERAGING ANYWHERE BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR STAFF MEMBERS WHO WERE GOING ON THOSE DAYS AND HELPING TO WORK THOSE EVENTS. SO LET ME PAUSE HERE AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING FOR CLARIFICATION? NO, BUT THAT, UH, VACCINATION CLINICS AT GARLAND HAS UP THERE AT THE, UH, YOUNG, UH, AUDITORY. VERY NICE, VERY NICE, GOT THROUGH VERY QUICKLY, VERY WELL ORGANIZED. YOU WERE CROWDED. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED. THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GREAT FEEDBACK THAT'S COMING THROUGH FROM THE OTHER MASS VACCINATION EVENTS THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY WELL RECEIVED OF ALL OF YOU HAD THE VACCINATION EXCEPT MICHAEL AND HE'S TOO YOUNG. UH, I'VE HAD IT, BUT THE LENGTH OF TIME IS THREE OR FOUR WEEKS ON THE SECOND SHOT. SO I WON'T GET IT TILL APRIL. I GET MY SECOND SHOTS. THE 24TH OF THIS MONTH, MY DOCTOR HAS THE EXACT SAME IN HIS OFFICE. I DON'T HAVE TO GO GET IN THE LINE OR I HADN'T HEARD OF ANYBODY THAT HAD THAT WELL, NOT AFTER DOES HE DIDN'T ESCAPE. I LOCATED ON, UH, TAMMY'S BOULEVARD, RIGHT? UH MCDONALD'S AND NEXT DOOR TO THE DOLLAR TREE. I'VE BEEN GOING TO HIM FOR 20 YEARS. I GUESS THAT'S PART OF THE PRESS. THEY ARE TEXAS HEALTH AND THEY SEND OUT THE, THAT THING TO A LOT OF THEIR PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS. THE, I HAVEN'T HEARD OF ONE THAT ADMITTED TO HAVING THAT. THEY ALL TELL YOU GO SOMEWHERE ELSE OR, WELL, I DIDN'T TELL ME TO KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT TOO. DAILY HAS TO BE, YOU KNOW, A PATIENT THERE AND YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE AN APPOINTMENT, YOU KNOW, I'M SIGNED UP WITH THAT CONSIDERING GARLIN AND ALSO BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE. HOW DO THEY NOTIFY YOU? WHEN THEY NOTIFIED ME? I SIGNED UP WITH EVERYBODY. EVERYBODY HAS NOTIFIED ME AND THEY ALL DID IT BY EMAIL. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE EMAIL TOO WELL, THAT'S IT. THEY CALLED ME THAT BETWEEN 10 AND 11, I COULD GO OVER TO THE PLACE AND GET VACCINATED. AND AGAIN, THE DOCTORS NEVER SAY IT. AND I HATE THAT WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS, JUST CALL AROUND AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN GET. SO YOU HAVE ALL THIS RE REPEAT CALLS FROM PEOPLE SIGNED UP, WHO NEVER SHOW UP. COOL. I'VE GOT A LOT OF EMAILS FROM THESE DIFFERENT PLACES JUST BEFORE I EVER KNEW MY DOCTOR HAD IT IN HIS OFFICE. I JUST HAPPENED UP ON THAT. I HAVEN'T TALKED TO MY DOCTOR IN SO LONG. I DON'T THINK HE KNOW, BUT BE THAT AS IT MAY, I SUPPOSE, VERY PLEASED WITH WHAT THE CITY DID. OKAY. LET'S GO ON. OKAY. DO YOU WANNA JUST SAY THAT WE CITY ADMINISTRATION AND CITY COUNCIL ALL HAVE BEEN TAKING, UM, A LOT OF GREAT MEASURE TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION FOR THE CITY. AND I DO THINK THEY ARE TRYING TO COMPLY WITH WHAT THEY FEEL IS THE BEST DECISION TO MAKE WITH THE GOVERNORS REOPENING, BUT WE SHOULD HAVE FURTHER CLARIFICATION AFTER MARCH 15TH FOR IF THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE TO WEAR MASKS OR IF THERE'S ANY CHANGE TO, UM, OUR CURRENT PROTOCOLS. OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU WANT TO GO INTO WINTER WEATHER EVENT? UM, DO YOU HOPE EVERYONE HAS SURVIVED THE WINTER WEATHER EVENT AS, AS GOOD AS COULD POSSIBLY BE CERTAINLY WAS A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND I'M SURE FOR MANY OF YOU AS WELL, UM, DO THIS WELL, I'LL LET YOU KNOW. AND I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT SENDING OUT AN EMAIL TO YOU BEFORE, UH, THE UPDATES TONIGHT WITH AN UPDATE FOR HOW WE HANDLE THINGS. SO THE LIBRARY, AS WELL AS THE CITY WAS SHUT DOWN, UM, SERVICES FOR FOUR DAYS TO THE PUBLIC, EVERYONE STAYED AT HOME. UM, OUR, I SHOULD SAY MOST [00:10:01] PEOPLE STAYED AT HOME. WE DO HAVE A FEW, UH, STAFF LIVE RELATIVELY CLOSE TO DIFFERENT BRANCHES, AND AS IT WAS SAFE, SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS EITHER WALK, WE HAVE A COUPLE THAT LIVE VERY CLOSE TO CENTRAL THAT WOULD WALK OVER AND CHECK THE BUILDING, CHECK, SEE HOW THINGS WERE GOING TO CHECK TO SEE IF WE HAD ELECTRICITY IN THE BUILDINGS. UM, BUT WE DECIDED TO SUSPEND EVERYTHING. SO WE DID NOT OFFER ANY ONLINE PROGRAMMING OR VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING DURING THAT WEEK AND INTO THE NEXT WEEK BECAUSE OF THE, JUST THE, THE IMPACT OF THE STORM HAD ON SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE, ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY AND ALL OVER THE STATE, WE'RE IN A TABLET. YOU CAN'T RUN A COMPUTER, THERE'S YOU DON'T. WE NEEDED TO BE CONSERVING ELECTRICITY. UM, WE DID HAVE, OOPS, GO BACK TO MY NOTES HERE. OKAY. WE ALSO EXTENDED DUE DATES FOR ANY ITEMS THAT WERE ALREADY CHECKED OUT, UM, PHYSICAL ITEMS THAT WERE CHECKED OUT TO PATRONS. SO THEY WOULDN'T FEEL LIKE THEY NEEDED TO COME BACK AND RETURN MATERIALS, ONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM AND THEN TWO IN THE MIDDLE OF RECOVERY EFFORTS BECAUSE THE RECOVERY EFFORTS WERE SO GREAT. AND I THINK KATHLEEN CAN REMIND ME IF THIS IS RIGHT. I THINK WE EXTENDED THEM THROUGH THE END OF MARCH W UH, PEOPLE, MARCH 31ST, MARCH 31ST, JUST TO GIVE PEOPLE A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA, UM, LEEWAY THERE. UM, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT BETWEEN THE FOUR LIBRARIES, WE REALLY WERE EXTREMELY FORTUNATE. WE DID NOT SUSTAIN WELL, WE DIDN'T SUSTAIN SOME DAMAGE. WE DID NOT SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE. UM, LIKE SOME OTHER HOMES DID SOME OF OUR STAFF EXPERIENCE SOME OTHER BUSINESSES EXPERIENCE. YEAH. WE HAVE A LOT OF STAFF MEMBERS THAT EXPERIENCED, UM, A LOT OF DEVASTATION, LOSS OF WATER, LOSS OF ELECTRICITY, BURST PIPES IN THEIR HOMES, BUT I'M GOING TO SHARE MY SCREEN AND SHOW YOU. SO WE HAD A SMALL ROOF LEAK AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY, THAT ROOF LEAK. IT WAS SOMETHING LET'S SEE, WHAT ARE Y'ALL SEEING? ARE YOU SEEING PHOTOGRAPHS? YEAH. YEAH. UM, FOR CENTRAL LIBRARY, WE HAD A, UH, MINOR ROOF LEAK AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT WAS ABLE TO, TO HANDLE THAT PRETTY FAST. I HAVE TO SAY ALL OF OUR STAFF MOVED EXTREMELY FAST DURING THE ROOF LEAK WHEN IT WAS, UM, DISCOVERED AT CENTRAL AND MOVING ANY ITEMS THAT WERE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ROOF LEAK AWAY. SO WE DIDN'T LOSE ANY LIBRARY MATERIALS OR SUSTAIN ANY DAMAGE TO MATERIALS BECAUSE OF THAT ROOF LEAK SOUTH GARLAND LIBRARY. HOWEVER IT EXPERIENCED A LITTLE BIT MORE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE THAN CENTRAL. THEN HOWEVER, HAVING SAID THAT THE DAMAGE WAS CONTAINED IN AREAS THAT WE DID NOT HAVE LIBRARY MATERIALS OR COMPUTERS. SO THE ONLY THING THAT WAS DAMAGED AND THAT'S ENOUGH TO BE DAMAGED, BUT THE ONLY THINGS THAT WERE DAMAGED, CARPET, WALLS, PAINT, THINGS THAT CAN BE REPLACED AND RECOVERED RELATIVELY EASY. BUT I DON'T KNOW, HE CAN'T SEE IT REALLY WELL IN THIS PHOTO HERE THAT IF YOU GO INTO SOUTH, UH, THE MEETING ROOM AND THE QUIET STUDY AREA WHERE WE HAVE THE PERIODICALS SUSTAINED, I THINK IT WAS A BURST PIPE. UM, IT WAS A BURST PIPE IN THE, UH, IN A VERTICAL WALL. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE OF COURSE IS FROM SPRINKLERS PIPES, PERSISTENT PIPE. SO THESE THREE PHOTOS SHOW THE INTERIOR OF THE LIBRARY. THIS WAS THE, THE INSIDE. WE ALSO HAD A SPRINKLER SYSTEM PIPE THAT BUSTED OUTSIDE OF THE LIBRARY, KIND OF UNDER THE, UM, WITH PORTICO WALKING INTO THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING THAT CAUSED SOME DAMAGE TO THE ROOF OR THE CEILING I SHOULD SAY OF SOUTH, UM, WHAT OUR GOT INTO THE LOBBY AREA. SO FACILITIES HAS COME AND REPAIRED, ALMOST EVERYTHING FOR STAFF, BUT SOUTH WAS CLOSED FOR AN ADDITIONAL WEEK WHILE, UH, FACILITIES, UM, TO DEAL WITH THE BEST OF TIME, TURN OFF THE WATER, GET THINGS REPAIRED. SO WE COULD OPEN BACK UP TO THE PUBLIC. BUT DURING THAT TIME, WHILE WE WERE STILL CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, WE WERE OFFERING A CURBSIDE PICKUP. SO WE DID HAVE STAFF THERE THAT WERE THERE TO, UH, PROCESS THE HOLES AND HAVE THE HOLE AVAILABLE FOR CURBSIDE PICKUP. YES, THAT SOUNDS [00:15:01] GOOD. SO BEN, WE WE'VE FOCUSED ONCE. UM, LET'S MOVE WERE BACK IN THE BUILDINGS, GETTING THINGS TOGETHER. UM, CENTRAL LIBRARY WAS OPEN THE FRIDAY AFTER THE STORM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, WE HAD THE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO WORK, UH, ON RECOVERY EFFORTS FOR THIS CITY. AND THIS WAS A FIRST, I THINK FOR A LOT OF US HERE AT THE LIBRARY TO BE A PART OF SUCH A LARGE MOBILIZATION EFFORT. BUT AS YOU KNOW, THERE WERE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF HOMES AND APARTMENT, UM, APARTMENTS THAT DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO RUNNING WATER FOR SEVERAL DAYS. UM, SO THE CITY, WE BEGAN TO BE A MASS WATER DISTRIBUTION SITE FOR THE CITY. SO IN ALL WE GAVE OUT OVER 180,000 BOTTLES OF WATER TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH THIS EFFORT. AND WE DID THIS FOR TWO WEEKS. SO HERE YOU CAN SEE THIS WAS THE FIRST DAY OR TWO. UM, BUT THE MOBILIZATION EFFORTS HERE, YOU CAN SEE IT. YOU CAN'T SEE IT THAT MORGAN, THIS LADY RIGHT HERE IS ACTUALLY SMILING AS SHE'S DELIVERING WATER. HE WAS SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS. I SHOULD ALSO SAY THAT WE WALKED THE WATER WAS DONATED BY AREA BUSINESSES, DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS WHO CAME BY CHURCHES OR TEXAS FOOD BANK, A GROUP OF COLA. I'M FORGETTING THAT THE STATE BANK, JUST AN ENORMOUS TURNOUT TURNOUT OF PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES DONATING AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF WATER. THEN THE NATIONAL GUARD CAME, UM, WHICH I REGRET NOT GETTING MORE FIGHTERS TO THE NATIONAL GUARD, BUT, UH, WHEN THEY CAN, WE'RE REALLY HAPPY. THEY HAVE, WE WERE BUILDING A LOT OF MUSCLES MOVING PALLETS AND CASES OF WATER UPON ONE ANOTHER UPON ANOTHER, UPON ANOTHER THAT THIS GROUP OF SOLDIERS FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD MADE IT SEEM LIKE THEY WERE JUST LIKE TOSSING THEM BACK AND FORTH TO ONE ANOTHER THROUGH THE PROCESS, WE MET SOME LEARNING HOW TO DO THIS OPERATION, THAT THIS IS OUR TEEN AREA ENDED UP BEING CONVERTED INTO THE MASS DISTRIBUTION SIDE. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PHOTO, THE LONG LINE OF CARS, UM, ESPECIALLY THOSE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS THAT, UM, WE'RE ALIGNING AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN THE DAY TO RECEIVE. WE GOT A LOT OF REALLY GREAT PRESENCE THAT WE, THE CITY GOT A LOT OF REALLY GREAT PRESS FROM, UM, THIS MOBILIZATION EFFORT AND RECOVERY EFFORTS. SO LIBRARY SIDE, WE WERE REALLY, REALLY HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THAT RECOVERY EFFORT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE CAN PUT IT ON IT'S AN OUTREACH COMMUNITY SERVICE GOAL PLAYS PERFECTLY INTO THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND BEING A COMMUNITY PARTNER, WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS AND TRYING TO BE PART OF THAT, UM, GROUP THAT HELPS MAKE GARLAND A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE. SO THAT WAS THAT IT, OKAY. THE NEXT ITEM IS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN SLASH BOND PROGRAM UPDATES, TWO UPDATES FOR BOTH CENTRAL LIBRARY AND WALNUT CREEK. UM, THE CENTRAL LIBRARY, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH MAUREEN ART FROM SEVEN 20 DESIGN ON THE, UM, RENOVATION FOR THIS FACILITY. WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH A LOT OF, UH, DIFFERENT EFFORTS WITH THE COLLECTION AND GOING THROUGH A LOT OF BLEEDING, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE SIZE OF THE COLLECTION AND HOW LARGE THE COLLECTION NEEDS TO BE FOR THE RENOVATED FACILITY AND, AND THROUGH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO OFFER IN THIS NEW NEWLY RENOVATED FACILITY. UM, ONCE ALL OF THE WORK IS DONE THIS BUILDING, IF I'VE NOT SAID IT BEFORE IS NOT GOING TO BE AN EASY PROJECT. IT'S NOT AS PROVING NOT TO BE AN EASY PROJECT. THERE ARE SO MANY MOVING PARTS TO THIS PARTICULAR BUILDING. UM, AND TO COMPLICATE THINGS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON TWO LEVELS HERE, NOT GOING UP AND ACTUALLY GOING DOWN WITH HAVING THE BASEMENT, THIS PROJECT. I MEAN, WE HAVE STARTED THIS PROJECT ALREADY IN THE PRE DESIGN AND PROGRAMMING PHASES. UM, MAJOR PHYSICAL WORK IS GOING TO BEGIN AT THE END OF THIS YEAR. AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE [00:20:01] OUT OF THIS FACILITY FOR PROBABLY 12 MONTHS WHILE THE WORK IS BEING DONE TO THIS BUILDING. SO WE WERE WORK OR ACTUALLY WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO LOCATE AN AREA OR A SPACE THAT WE CAN SET UP TEMPORARY, UM, ELABORATE SERVICES, ESPECIALLY WHERE TECHNOLOGY IS CONCERNED THAT WE CAN OFFER, UM, WHAT I FIND AND COMPUTER ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA WHILE THIS PROJECT IS GOING ON. AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING TO BE ABLE TO FIND A PLACE THAT WE CAN DO SOME TYPE OF LIBRARY PROGRAMMING AND HAVE A SMALL, SMALL COLLECTION OF ATOMS FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND ACCESS OR BROWSE WHILE THE LIBRARY IS CLOSED. UM, WE'RE PLAYING TETRIS A LITTLE BIT TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO HOUSE STAFF WITH DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS OF THE LIBRARY OF ALL THIS IS GOING ON, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS IT'S TEMPORARY. WE'LL MOVE BACK INTO A REALLY AMAZING FACILITY. ONCE IT'S DONE, WE'VE ALL MAY HAVE GRAY HAIR OR NO HAIR BY THE END OF IT. IT WILL BE AMAZING ONCE IT'S DONE. AND I THINK THE BEST PART IS THE WORK AND THE FOCUS THAT'S BEING DONE ON THIS BUILDING WILL MAKE ACCESS FOR PEOPLE MUCH EASIER THAN, THAN IT CURRENTLY IS. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY, REALLY WORKING ON IS WAITING TO IMPROVE ACCESS FOR THE PUBLIC, MOVING THE MAIN ENTRANCE FROM THE, UM, WHETHER THE, THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING TO THE WEST SIDE OF THE BUILDING CLOSER TO THE PARKING LOT. SO YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO WALK ALL THAT DISTANCE DOWN THE PORTICO, INTO THE LIBRARY, MOVING OUR SERVICE DESK AND CREATING SERVICE DESKS THAT ARE, UM, EASIER TO GET TO WITHIN THE LIBRARY, UM, TRYING TO BE REALLY STRATEGIC AND WHERE WE OFFER DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES. SO WE CAN MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU CAN EVER ELIMINATE COMPLETELY, BUT REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HIDING PLACES OR PLACES THAT YOU MAY BE OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND. AND, YOU KNOW, OTHER THINGS HAPPEN IN THE LIBRARY THAT WE DON'T WANT TO HAPPEN, BUT THERE'S, THIS BUILDING WILL BE TOUCHED AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE TOUCHED AS WELL. SO THERE WILL INCLUDE AN UPGRADE TO ELECTRICITY, UH, TECHNOLOGY PLUMBING, THE DOWNSTAIRS RESTROOMS ARE GOING TO BE UPGRADED AND MAKE THOSE ADA COMPLIANT. UM, IT'S HAS THE, THE ABILITY, OR HAS THE, UH, THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR HAS A CHANCE OF BEING A COMPLETE REMODEL TO THIS BUILDING. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET IT RIGHT, CAUSE WE MADE LIVING WITH IT FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS, BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT. CAUSE I, I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE HARD WHILE WE'RE GOING THROUGH IT, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT THE LIBRARY AND DOWNTOWN AND THE WHOLE CITY CAN BE REALLY PROUD OF ONCE IT'S DONE WALNUT CREEK, UH, WE'VE JUST HAD OUR FIRST OFFICIAL MEETING WITH THE NEW ARCHITECTS LAST WEEK FOR THE KICKOFF MEETING FOR THE NEW WALNUT CREEK BRANCH LIBRARY. AND IT IS STARTING FAST AND FURIOUS. WE'RE IN THE PREDESIGN PHASE FOR THAT PROJECT AS WELL. I WANT TO GET A DATE ON YOUR CALENDARS THOUGH, BECAUSE ON APRIL 10TH, WE'RE PLANNING OUR FIRST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENT TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY ON WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AND WHAT THEY WANT OF THEIR NEW, UH, WALNUT CREEK WEST GARLAND BRANCH LIBRARY. WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, V LK AND THEY HAVE A GREAT SYSTEM THAT THEY'VE HAD TO TRANSITION DURING COVID TO A VIRTUAL FORMAT, THAT THERE WILL BE TWO WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO, UM, CONNECT WITH US AND COMMUNICATE THEIR WISHES. ONE GOING TO THE ACTUAL EVENT MORE THAN LIKELY BETWEEN 12 AND NOON, UM, THAT SATURDAY MORNING, UM, PEOPLE WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT PHOTOS, LOOK AT DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS AND SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU LIKE THIS, BUT YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS, OR YOU LIKE THIS DESIGN BETTER, BUT YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS. AND EVEN LOOK AT IT WHERE YOU WANT THINGS LOCATED SPATIALLY IN A LIBRARY FACILITY YOU WANT TO WALK IN AND YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO X, Y, AND Z VERSUS A, B AND C. SO IT'S, IT'S INTERACTIVE. IT'LL TAKE ABOUT TWO HOURS, BUT IT WILL BE A REALLY GREAT EVENT BECAUSE THIS IS VIRTUAL. WE ALSO WANT TO HAVE, UH, A NON VIRTUAL COMPONENT PREP FOR THIS AS WELL FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THAT PARTICULAR EVENT. UM, SO WE'RE WORKING WITH BLK TO COME UP WITH [00:25:01] A DIFFERENT WAY, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE LIKE, UM, BOARDS UP IN THE WALNUT CREEK LIBRARY AND MAYBE EVEN THE REC CENTER THAT WOULD HAVE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND EITHER HAVE A STICKER. YOU HAVE A DOLL THAT YOU HAVE THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN PUT WHAT YOUR PREFERENCE IS, THE SAME PHOTOS, THE SAME CONCEPTS THAT WOULD BE DONE IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT. IT'S JUST, IN-PERSON IN THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND PROBABLY HAVE THAT OUT FOR A WEEK OR TWO AFTER THE APRIL 10TH, UM, VIRTUAL EVENTS. SO WE CAN TRY TO GET AS MUCH PUBLIC INTEREST AS POSSIBLE. AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ALL OF YOU IS, UM, THOSE WHO ARE ON NEXT DOOR, PART OF COMMUNITY GROUPS, PART OF CHURCHES, ONCE I GET THE INVITATION NAILED DOWN AND SENT OUT, IF YOU WOULD SEND IT OUT TO YOUR, YOUR COLLEAGUES, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR NEIGHBORS, AND HELP SPREAD THE WORD, WE REALLY, REALLY WANT TO, TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AS MUCH OF THE PUBLIC'S OPINION AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY STAKEHOLDER GROUPS. SO HELPING TO GET THE WORD OUT, UM, WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED, SHOULD ALSO SAY FOR WALNUT CREEK, WE ARE LOOKING AT HAVING THE DESIGN COMPLETE BY THE BEGINNING OF 2022 ISH, MAYBE FIRST QUARTER IN THERE, AND THEN HOPEFULLY KNOCK ON WOOD BEING DONE WITH CONSTRUCTION BY 2020. ANY QUESTIONS? ANYBODY ANYTIME YET? YEAH. THANK YOU. THAT WAS VERY GOOD. KAREN, THIS IS VERY EXCITING. REALLY GETS YOU EXCITED. OKAY. LET'S GO TO LIBRARY HOURS OF OPERATION. I THINK I MENTIONED THIS IN JANUARY, BUT A LOT HAS HAPPENED BETWEEN NOW AND JANUARY. SO REMIND ME IF I DIDN'T, UM, HERE GOING TO, WHEN WE START ADDING BACK HOURS OF OPERATION TO THE PUBLIC, WE'RE GOING TO VENTURE INTO A, A PILOT PROGRAM, JUST HOW CHANGING THE LIBRARY HOURS WORKS WITH THE PUBLIC. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD A LOT, UH, FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT WAS WE'RE NOT OPEN WHEN THE PUBLIC NEEDS US TO BE OPEN. SO WHAT WE WANT TO TRY TO DO IS INSTEAD OF BEING OPEN UNTIL 9:00 PM, WE WANT TO CUT IT BACK TO 8:00 PM AND PUT THAT LAST HOUR ON THE FRONT END. SO THE CENTRAL LIBRARY WOULD LIBRARY WOULD BE OPEN INSTEAD OF FROM 10 TO NINE TO EIGHT AT THE BRANCH FACILITIES. INSTEAD OF BEING OPEN IN THE EVENINGS FROM ONE TO NINE, IT WOULD BE OPEN FROM NOON TO EIGHT AND SEE HOW THAT FADERS, IF WE ATTRACT MORE PEOPLE WITH BEING ABLE TO OPEN AN HOUR EARLIER IN THE DAY, ARE WE ABLE TO SERVE MORE PEOPLE AND MORE FAMILIES THAT WAY? I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH OF A LOVE TO BE ABLE TO BE OPEN ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS AT THE BRANCHES IN THE MORNING BEFORE NOON. AND SOMEHOW WE WILL GET THERE AT SOME POINT. I'M JUST NOT SURE HOW WE'LL DO IT, BUT WE'LL GET THERE AT SOME POINT. UM, BUT WE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN, ESPECIALLY FROM SENIOR CITIZENS, THAT IF WE WERE OPEN EARLIER IN THE MORNING, THEY WOULD COME AND VISIT US AT FOR SOME PARENTS. IF WE WERE OPEN EARLIER IN THE MORNING, THEY WOULD COME AND BRING THEIR CHILDREN AND COME VISIT US. SO WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO PILOT IT FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, SEE HOW IT WORKS. DO WE NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING AND JUST SEE WHAT THE PUBLIC'S RESPONSES BEFORE WE MAKE A, YOU KNOW, CONCRETE, DEFINITIVE CHANGE, UM, ON EVERYTHING. BUT THAT IS THAT PLAN. AND I WOULD WELCOME ANY FEEDBACK OR CONCERN THAT YOU HAVE ABOUT HIGHLIGHTING THIS PROJECT. I LIKE THE IDEA OF OPENING EARLIER IN CLOSING EARLIER NINE O'CLOCK IS KIND OF LATE KIDS TO BE OUT. I JUST THINK IT WOULD WORK OUT BETTER THAT WAY WE DON'T HAVE A START DATE FOR THAT FIGHT YET. I DO THINK IT WILL BE SOMETIME THIS MONTH. UM, AGAIN, THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD DO IN CONJUNCTION WITH OPENING BACK UP AS PART OF WHAT THE COUNCIL AND CITY ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO DO OPENING SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC. OKAY. [00:30:01] YOU HAD TO HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. WHAT TIME IS IT? IS THE LIBRARY OPEN NOW? I, RIGHT NOW WE'VE, WE'RE STILL DOING OUR REDUCED HOURS TO THE PUBLIC. UM, RIGHT NOW, UH, AT 25% CAPACITY. SO CENTRAL LIBRARY IS OPEN ON MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY FROM 10 O'CLOCK TO EIGHT O'CLOCK AND TUESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY FROM 10 O'CLOCK TO SIX O'CLOCK SOUTH GARLAND LIBRARY IS OPEN, UM, TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS FROM NOON UNTIL EIGHT AND WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FROM 10 TO SIX. AND THEN NORTH AND WALNUTS ARE OPENED FROM, UM, TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS FROM NOON TO SIX AND WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FROM 10 TO SIX, I'M PERSONALLY ANXIOUS TO GET HOURS RESTORED IN THE EVENINGS TO THE BRANCH LIBRARIES AND GET US ALL BACK ON THE SAME PAGE AND RESTORE THE TWO EVENINGS THAT ARE HERE AT CENTRAL. AND THEN AT SOME POINT, HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THE MONTH, IF NOT THE 1ST OF APRIL OR ADD CENTRAL SATURDAY, SUNDAY HOURS BACK INTO THE ROTATION AS WELL, AND BE BACK OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK TO THE PUBLIC PRE COVID. YEAH, THAT'S GOOD. WHAT ARE THE, UM, REGULAR SUNDAY HOURS? TWO TO SIX. TWO TO SIX. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT? NO, MA'AM OKAY. WE HAVE NUMBER THREE IS MISCELLANEOUS AND WE'VE GOT A CAPITAL B AND THEN WE HAVE A LITTLE, A HUNDRED. SO I DON'T KNOW. WELL, I DO HAVE ONE MISCELLANEOUS THING THAT I NEED TO BRING UP THAT I DIDN'T PUT ON THE AGENDA. THE OTHER PART ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION OF WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING WELL, WE'VE GOT THE APPROVAL TO BE ABLE TO DO IT, BUT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO ADVERTISE FOR A NEW POSITION AT THE LIBRARY THAT WOULD BE DEVOTED TO A SPANISH LANGUAGE LIBRARY SERVICES. AND THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING NEW FOR US BE STEPPING OUT IN, BUT WE POKE. IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A POSITION THAT WOULD BE DEVOTED TO SPANISH LANGUAGE SERVICES AND COMMUNICATING AND DOING OUTREACH PROGRAMMING FOR OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE COMMUNITY THAT LIVES IN GARLAND. SO HOPEFULLY WE WILL HAVE THIS POSITION OUT THERE, ADVERTISED, HIRED, AND READY TO BE ABLE TO, UM, IMPLEMENT SOME NEW PROGRAMS AND IDEAS TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH GOES ALONG WITH OUR STRATEGIC AND MASTER PLAN GOALS AND INITIATIVES. THAT IS TERRIFIC. I LIKE THAT. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE I ASK FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT ON YOU'RE QUIET BUNCH TONIGHT? WELL, I DO LIKE THAT IDEA OF HAVING THE LIBRARY OPEN AT EIGHT. THAT MEANS SOME OF THOSE COLLEGE STUDENTS CAN GET A RUNNING START WITH THEIR PROJECTS. WELL, OPEN AT EIGHT IN THE MORNING, IT'LL OPEN AT NINE AND CLOSE THE DAY AND CLOSE AT EIGHT. OKAY. D EXTENDING THE HOURS. IT'S REALLY JUST, YOU KNOW, PUSHING THEM AN HOUR. THAT'S FINE. IT GETS MORE PEOPLE HERE. ANYBODY ELSE? ANYBODY HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? SO YOU'LL BE SENDING UP AT WALNUT CREEK BRANCH FLYER FOR APRIL PANTS AND WIGS UP TO US FOLKS TO GET IT OUT TO THE PEOPLE IN THE AREA. NOW I'LL BE SENDING IT JUST AS SOON AS WE GET IT ALL NAILED DOWN SQUARE. [00:35:08] ANYBODY HAVE A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM. THEY WANT TO PUT ON THE AGENDA FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH. I LIKE THAT. GARLAND LIBRARY, MASTER PLAN BOOK. IT'S A VERY HANDSOME AND SOME BOOKS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE CLOSE? APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. AND ONE DAY WE'RE GOING TO BE BACK IN PERSON AND SABRINA'S GOING TO HAVE US SOME SUPPER THERE. I THINK IT IS POSSIBLE FOR ALL NOW. AREN'T WE? THE MEETING IS IN ADJOURN. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.