December 16, 2015

At its meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Kennett Public Library Board heard reports that the library is making progress in its quest to relocate to a larger property in the borough – and to rid itself of red ink.

Ten board members, including Tom Swett, the newest addition to the 13-member group, and a handful of residents attended the hour-long meeting. Board president Susan Mackey-Kallis participated through a conference call, and Jerry Brown and Chris Britt were absent.

Swett, appointed by East Marlborough Township, said it was a pleasure to return to the library, having served on the board of what was formerly the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Swett cited an extensive nonprofit background and family history of library service. “For my 75 years on Earth, I have been imbued with libraries,” he said.

Library Director Donna Murray said the library’s staff and patrons are excited about a host of programs, ranging from Star Wars to Harry Potter. She said the library is considering the introduction of a “fun, and cool” loaner program for unconventional items, such as baking pans. For example, she said a parent who wants to bake a Barbie cake for a young girl might not want to purchase the equipment but would appreciate being able to borrow it.

Murray introduced Filomena Elliot, the interim manager of the Adult Literacy Program, an applauded initiative that has struggled financially. Elliot said she appreciated the opportunity to be involved in such a worthy program, which provides English as a Second Language and adult literacy instruction.

“I am hopeful that we will find a way to keep the program going,” Elliot said, adding that she would welcome suggestions for keeping the program solvent.

Continuing the focus on finances, Joan Weber, the board’s treasurer, said the library is showing an operating loss for the year of approximately $70,000, which does not include the Adult Literacy Program. “It’s very difficult to go from six-figure losses to a balanced budget in a year,” Weber explained.

Board member Bill McLachlan agreed that the library can’t fix its budget woes overnight, but it needs to continue striving to live within its means. He suggested that making the budget gap more visible might make “people realize we need all the help in the world.”

Carolyn Mohr, the board member who heads the New Building Committee, said progress continues on plans to purchase the Weinstein property at the intersection of East State and South Willow Streets from the borough. She said an agreement of sale was finalized but would not be presented to the board until the contract with the architect could be reviewed.

She said once the agreement of sale is signed, the clock would start ticking on the time period for the library to ensure that the site does not have any hidden problems, such as bedrock or underground fuel tanks, which would make it unsuitable or cost-prohibitive.

Karen Ammon, the board’s vice-president and chair of the Development, Marketing and Advocacy Committee, said interviews are continuing with candidates to lead the communications and capital campaign for the new library. She said the committee also met with Collis Townsend, a former library board member who represents Kennett Township on the Library Task Force (LFT). The fledgling group, formed in response to board turnover and dissension, aims to ensure the communities served by the library that their voices are being heard.

The formation of the task force has generated dissent on the library board. While some members expressed gratitude for its existence and potential help, others viewed its presence as intrusive and unnecessary. At the board’s Nov. 19 meeting, it voted on an awkward compromise to accept “the concept or idea” of the task force.

After the board meeting, Townsend said he told the Development, Marketing and Advocacy Committee that the first meeting of the LTF reaffirmed the results of a feasibility study commissioned by the board from MacIntyre Associates: The community values the library but is not prepared to fund the capital campaign needed to built a new facility. Townsend said he provided an overview of the climate needed to ensure the success of a $6 to $10 million capital campaign.

In September, Bonny Anderson of MacIntyre Associates said mistrust of the library board was too pervasive among potential donors to recommend starting a capital campaign without working to alter those perceptions. The report suggested that changing the board’s leadership would further that goal.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Doug Thompson, chair of the Board Development Committee, said he is working on generating a slate of candidates for board leadership positions.

Asked after the meeting about the budget shortfall and how it would be financed, Mackey-Kallis said in an email that the board has historically used a percentage of the interest from investment income for operating expenses. As a result, she said “it’s incorrect to think of the current 2016 budget draft as projecting a deficit” until the board reaches a decision regarding its investment policy.

In response to a question about how the library would pay for the services required to move forward on the lot purchase, Mackey-Kallis noted that  the library’s investment portfolio has “grown substantially and is, in fact, earmarked exclusively for building a new library.” She said the library could also tap funds from the sale of its existing property as well as the one it owns on Waywood Lane in Kennett Township.

“If our due diligence supports building a new library… then these monies, or loans against them in the case of our existing property, will provide sufficient seed money to pay for the upfront costs of raising money and beginning the process of building a new library,” she wrote.

Mackey-Kallis said a vote on new officers and the budget would occur at the next library board meeting on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m.