The Kennett Public Library Board of Trustees began its monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 15, by voting unanimously to add a 12^th member.

The board then welcomed Kennett Consolidated School District Supt. Barry Tomasetti to the group. Tomasetti, a father of three who lives in the Landenberg area, said he believes the library has benefitted the community in many ways. “It’s my pleasure to serve,” he said.

Board President Tom Swett reported that he and Vice President Jeff Yetter have met with the Home & Garden Tour Committee, which organizes the annual fundraiser for the library, and plan to continue doing so. "We want to show them how we value what they do for us," Swett said.

Yetter said in addition to the promised 24 bottles of wine from the board for raffle baskets, the committee is seeking volunteers for the popular June 4 event. He said board members could sign up for four-hour shifts in the morning or afternoon for a variety of duties including serving as docents or parking attendants. He said the tour generated more than $30,000 for the library last year.

Treasurer Bill McLachlan reported that the library has been operating “above water” for two months. He said the adult literary program is only slightly in the red. “We have a cash hill to take us into March,” he said, cautioning that the library still needs to address a $75,000 deficit in the 2016 budget.

McLachlan noted that the library is fortunate that past boards created a reserve fund; however, it is “not an endless pit” and should be used only as a last resort.

Swett said the library is working hard to take advantage of grant opportunities. He said Filomena Elliott, who heads the Adult Literacy Program, gave an excellent presentation to United Way recently. "Filomena conducted herself with aplomb," he said.

He also praised Yetter for quickly galvanizing support from all eight municipalities the library serves — the Borough of Kennett Square and East Marlborough, Kennett, Newlin, New Garden, Pennsbury, Pocopson, and West Marlborough townships – to apply for a Vision Partnership Program grant from Chester County, one that had a tight March 1 deadline.

Yetter pointed out that it was a team effort that included other board members as well as Carl Francis, a strategist hired by the board last month. The board enlisted Francis’s services to assist with issues such as the name change in April from the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library to the Kennett Public Library – a decision that incurred the wrath of some patrons and donors.

Making his annual visit to the board, Joseph L. Sherwood, executive director of the Chester County Library System, added that funds might also be available for the library through Keystone Grants or through Sen. Andy Dinniman.

Board member Carolyn Nicander-Mohr, who heads the library’s New Building Committee, said the group’s last meeting provided an education for the committee on selecting an architect for a long-awaited new building. More than a decade ago, stakeholders for the library recognized that the well-used facility had outgrown its space in the 200 block of East State Street, but the path to new construction has proven daunting.

Mohr said Donna Murray, the library’s director, described the extensive vetting process, including numerous site visits, which ultimately led to the choice of Lukmire Partnership, Inc. by a previous board.

Mohr said that Jim Nelson, an architect serving on the committee, provided insight into what should go into an architect’s contract, which has not yet been signed. She said she hoped Nelson would be able to attend a meeting that would be scheduled with Lukmire.

Swett said Francis, who meets with the executive board every Monday, is working on a presentation for about 150 invitees. Swett said Francis would explain the process that would be used to select the library’s name. After a reminder from several board members that the whole board needs to sign off on the presentation, Swett changed the date from April 5 to April 12.

Stressing that the session is “not a focus group,” Swett said the list of participants would include past donors, supervisors, borough council members, Historic Kennett Square and its subcommittee. Once the library’s name is finalized, the board will receive the library’s first-ever annual report, Yetter said.

In her monthly report, Murray said that the library is working with People’s Light & Theatre Company in Malvern, which is presenting an adaptation of Linda Sue Park’s Newbery Award-winning novel “A Single Shard.” She said the library is also seeking sponsors to assist the library in a shredding event on April 23, the library’s contribution to a borough cleanup day.