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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Library Promotion Committee November 17, 2010a CITY OF PALM DESERT PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Wednesday, November 17, 2010 — 3:00 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Kermode called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Member Joan Beasley Member Lois Cardona Member Marilyn Hahn Vice Chair Bobbie Rosenberg Chairman Louise Kermode Also Present: Absent: Member Betty Carapellese Member Ella Manor Jean M. Benson, Councilmember Barbara Bowie, Desert Zone Manager, Riverside County Libraries Jeannie Kays, City Librarian Tonya Kennon, County Librarian Eileen Strain, Volunteer Coordinator Robin Stewart, Special Events Coordinator Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk Mary P. LaCross, Recording Secretary Ms. Kays introduced the Library's new Special Events Coordinator, Robin Stewart. CITY COUNCIL ACTION APPROVED I)RECEIVED 011 HA", �''� ORAL COMMUNICATIONS MEETING DATE —/�` ., �L, None AYES•, 'Ut�neal NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: �� VERIFIED B": Original on File with City Clerk's Office APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Palm Desert Library Promotion Committee Meeting of September 15, 2010. Upon motion by Member Beasley, second by Member Cardona, the Minutes of the Library Promotion Committee meeting of September 15, 2010, were approved as presented by a 5-0 vote. V. NEW BUSINESS None VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VII. OLD BUSINESS A. PRESENTATION/UPDATE BY HOLT ARCHITECTS/GROUP 4 ON LIBRARY REFRESH PROJECT The following is a verbatim transcript of this portion of the meeting: Key SP Sergio Pena, Riverside County Economic Development Agency TH Tim Holt, Holt Architects LK Louise Kermode, Library Committee Chair BR Bobbie Rosenberg, Library Committee Vice Chair TK Tonya Kennon, County Librarian AR Andrea Redewill, Holt Architects JK Jeannie Kays, City Librarian, Palm Desert Library MH Marilyn Hahn, Library Committee Member JB Joan Beasley, Library Committee Member RDK Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk TCH Thomas C. Howell, Holt Architects JMB Councilmember Jean M. Benson LC Lois Cardona, Library Committee Member BB Barbara Bowie, Desert Zone Manager, Riverside County Libraries I: APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 SP I'll just, again, introduce Tim Holt. I think we've made some more progress from last time we presented. I think we only had enough time to really present the qualifications of the team that we've selected, and I think at this point, we're (inaudible) to show you what the workshops have told us, all the different groups of people ... we've completed a survey, and we haven't been able to incorporate, I think, all those comments just yet, and I don't know if we will incorporate all the comments at the end, but we'll do our best to get everything in. So at this point .... do you need anything to set up? Do you need time? TH No, we're all set. SP You're all set? Okay. Well, Tim, the floor is yours. TH Thank you, Sergio. SP You're welcome. TH We very much appreciate the time to come and spend with you this afternoon and talk about some of the factors that I think will be of keen interest to you ... among them, the (inaudible) effort that's been undertaken and the survey we just mentioned. We gained, I think, a lot of insight here in the last 60 days with regard to, certainly, the current condition of the Library and the direction that we feel is most appropriate for the new improvements to move toward. This afternoon, the presentation actually is going to be given by our project architect, Tom Howell, and Andrea Redewill is our project manager, and she's been real hands-on. I think you'll see that as this unfolds. So, with that, I'd like to ask them to step forward and bring you up to date as to where we are. LK Would you like to introduce the other people here? Tonya was here last time, but some other people weren't here before. Maybe ... could somebody... Sergio? SP Sure, I'd love to. Has Tonya been introduced... have you met Tonya? ?? Before, yes. 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 SP Okay ... who else are we missing? We've got Tom Howell, Tim Holt, Andrea... BR Well, I wasn't here, so I would like to know what Tonya's position is. SP Oh, I'm so sorry. TK My name's Tonya Kennon, and I am the County Librarian, so I'm with Riverside County. BR Thank you. SP Great ... are we missing anyone? No? Okay, just for a matter of clarification, I report to Tonya Kennon. She oversees all the libraries for the County of Riverside, and this is a project for the County of Riverside, and so we have to make sure that we meet Tonya Kennon's vision for the Library System and at the same time, we're talking to Jeannie Kays and her Library staff, so we look for her insight as much as we do Barbara Bowie and, I think, Barbara Howison, who's not able to come today, but we also look for her insight. So I think that's more or less the group that has been trying to develop this with the architects so that we arrive at where we're at now. So I think now is a good time for me to (inaudible) LK Great AR Again, my name is Andrea Redewill. I'm with Holt Architects, and I'm here to share with you a little bit about what we've been working on thus far with the Palm Desert Library. We spent the early part of our process really gathering information from a lot of different user groups when we came back to you earlier at the end of August and early September, and we've worked with a number of different groups at the Library, from the Library volunteers to the staff to different users. Jeannie and her staff have been great in providing feedback, and I wanted to share with you some of the information about the existing facility and the existing library that were some challenges and constraints that were the feedback that we received. So I wanted to go over that with you from the operational and functionality of the building. The lobby itself, as it stands, we've received feedback that it's a really high traffic area. It's kind of a little confusing when you first walk in in terms of knowing where to go and which direction, and there was a request for a more open and inviting 0 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 environment. Right now, as it stands, there's no self -checkout or no self- service hold areas, and the welcome desk is fairly hidden. So there were a lot of requests to improve that entrance area and the lobby to really make it stand out from the moment you enter the Library to create a presence in there. And from the staff aspect, we've gotten a lot of feedback that they're very burdened from the different services that they have to provide, from checking out to dealing with holds, customer requests, and the location of their staff room being such as it is. The Friends book area ... there was a request for ... you need larger space and more room for display, more shelving and display case. More natural light would be great in that area. Better signage and additional storage and workroom space. That was a lot of feedback that we received there. The staff workroom, as it stands now ... there just doesn't seem to be enough work space in there. Right now, as it stands, the Library where the workroom is, or the doorway, it remains open a lot, so the public gets direct visibility into the staff work area, which isn't the most appealing environment as you first walk in to the Library. And in terms of the staff needs, their locker space and this important space, for the staff to be able to break area ... to break ... that needs some improvement as well. Moving over into the children's area, the biggest concern over there was just it's not very visible, from a supervision aspect with parents coming into the Library or even children just occupying this space, from the rest of the Library the way the stacks of books, the shelving, is aligned. It really obstructs any visible sight line into that area for supervision. So there's a request for some improvement in that area. The dedicated computer area for the children seems to be monopolized by people other than children, and that seemed to be quite a concern for many users and staff at the Library. And within the story room area, there seems to be a big need for storage. They have a lot of toys and different display items that they like to bring out, and it's just cluttered, so improving the environment as much as possible would be really great. Moving on to one of your most high circulating area, and that's the new books and media, the location of it off the lobby is great, but again, it needs more space, more display space, and more room for people to really circulate and get an idea of what you're really housing in the shelving. Jeannie, is that right, that's one your highest circulating areas? JK Yes. AR So what a great opportunity to increase your circulation through display and movement in that area. The courtyard... we've gotten some feedback 5 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 that it's just an underutilized space, not very inviting, and from a weather and sun protection, it's not really protected from the sun. It's very difficult to find, there's no real furniture out there to kind of provide an inviting space, so we're looking at that. Within your adult fiction, as it stands now, we got a lot of feedback that it's difficult to kind of navigate through the shelving. The aisle ways within the shelving are somewhat narrow. Again, from this adult fiction area, there's no direct sight line into the children's area, so it's not necessarily conducive to families that are bringing their children in and want to be able to both browse for books and have their children interact with all the great things you have going on there. Moving over into your quiet reading area, there just needs to be the need to utilize that space better. The feedback that we received from some of the users of the Library said it would be great to have more group study areas. So looking at the opportunity of how we can incorporate some quieter areas, some different areas, for people to meet and gather and take the resources of the Library that you're providing into an effectual meeting environment. The reference desk ... there seems to be the opportunity to place the services of the reference desk into an area that could be more central to the Library, not only allowing for more access to the reference but allowing for the people at the reference desk to have more visibility within the Library. And now down to your Community Room. The size of the room is somewhat limited, but there seems to be some improvements needed for storage. Definitely the A/V equipment in that room could be upgraded, and there's a need for shades and furniture that maybe could be more movable and easy to store ... seems to be one of the biggest aspects. And one of the biggest challenges that you'll see as we move on through the Library is the transition to perhaps an automated system within the Library and taking the burden off of the staff in terms of sorting the tremendous circulation that you have at the Library into a system that is automated and can do the sorting for the staff. And hopefully as we go, explain some of the proposed changes that we are (inaudible) to share with you to be some of the solutions to these challenges that we face. (inaudible while turning to the next page on the display board) AR So I want to start off by saying that this is continuing to be a work in progress, but we're continuing every day to refine the plan more and more N APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 as we get feedback, and now that we're in the schematic design phase, we're narrowing down the details of this. This, as of today, stands the proposed conceptual plan as we continue to gather more data. The biggest aspect when we start over in the lobby here is that we really wanted to open that area up. As you enter the Library, we have a really great, inviting space that's just open and warm and just really encourages circulation throughout the building. The biggest aspect, and I know I mentioned the staff work room that was previously here, has been relocated, and we'll talk about that in a second. But what that has allowed us is to really open up that lobby area and provide all that (inaudible) and natural daylight to come in from the eastern part of the site. So immediately when you walk in the Library, you just have that effect of this natural light coming in to the Library from the eastern side of the building. And what you'll see is that we've moved the popular library section over to the eastern side so that it becomes almost this area you enter in, and you can directly see what's new and (inaudible) the media that is presented in this area. We also have our new media equipment over in this location that's proposed. The Friends work room ... or the Friends work room and their alcove has been proposed to be relocated in this section as well to create more visibility as well as to provide them additional storage, shelving, and shelving and display opportunity. What you'll see here, these squares represent a self -checkout area. So no longer do patrons of the Library come and go up to the desk, but they will be coming up to a self -checkout area where they'll be checking out their books. And they will still have the support of Library staff. We have our customer service desk located in a more visible area of the Library, as well as a welcome desk, which is a service you provide now, but in a location that's a lot more visible to people that enter the Library. Moving toward this area, we have proposed this area to be the new computer zone, where we will be proposing a bay of computers for access to the Library, and what they'll provide is more lower sight lines to the rest of the Library, so when you first enter, you'll come up to a computer center area where people can access the use of these computers and continue to circulate throughout the Library in here. The children's area has been extended somewhat to include ... what we are now seeing is a popular library trend ... a tween area, which is more of a juvenile collection, and these children, in the past, have kind of been oversighted because they're not exactly teens, and they're not exactly fA APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 children, but really dedicating some computer areas and some shelving to their interests and what they're interested in. The children's area is being proposed to be reworked in a way that's a lot more visible and a lot more friendly for parents and children to really interact with each other, as well as the shelving over here to be more confined to an area where children and parents can navigate and then sit down and read a book together. From a staffing area, that provides a lot more visibility the way the stacks and the shelving are aligned. It really is directed to your line of sight, so at all times, we're really thinking about ways to really improve the sight and the vision and supervision within the Library as well. Our Reference Desk ... as proposed, we're moving it a lot more central to the Library to really open up that area and make them much more accessible to the patrons of the Library. We're proposing what we consider a "power aisle", which is something that is a larger aisle where we would like to direct circulation, which would be down the central area of the Library where most of the circulation we'd like to occur. The adult fiction has been proposed to the lower area of that circulation "power aisle" that I mentioned, and to the upper part, the east, we'll have more of a nice sitting area ... right now, you have kind of some high top tables ... there was talk that those are actually utilized, and some type of combination of different types of furniture to really encourage more seating because that was a big aspect of the feedback that we received... more comfortable seating in (inaudible) would be great. So this section will really be a nice reading area that ... up against the window to provide natural light to people as they look through the books and magazines. Moving down ... go back down here to the staff work room, which originally, as mentioned before, is located in ... existing location up in this area here ... it is now moved down into this lower area as proposed. What we'd like to do is propose that ... that need to really open up that area that we spoke about, too, but also make this staff workroom conducive to the automated handling system which I spoke about before. And this system is an automated sorting (inaudible) people that come in, enter their books into a slot, and the machine takes the book and circulates it down a conveyor, and understands, based on a chip within the book, what type of book it is. Is it a reference book, is it a children's book? And what it does, it sorts the books for them. So all one of the staff people have to do is go into the cart that is filled with children's books and knows directly where to take it. And I know from those of you who've worked with libraries before, this is a huge burden off the staff, and it frees up their time for a lot more APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 things that the library staff can focus their attention on. And this is a big aspect of this workroom that will really, truly improve the efficiency of the library. And we also have the work stations in this area ... offices and a staff lounge in this area as well. Moving back over to here, we have our Community Room, which we'll be proposing new storage and looking at ways to improve the furniture and the lighting in that area as well as making that room a lot more conducive to presentations, AN equipment, projection screens and whatnot and really improve it. In terms of the footprint, we're a little limited. We're going to be keeping the size of it as is, but I think there are definitely some upgrades that can be made in this area to make it more conducive to a community room where multi functions can happen. It seems like that room is utilized for a lot of different uses, so we're really looking at how we can improve that room (inaudible). Here we have something that we're incorporating that's new ... it's a teen area, which is very popular among libraries. And just from the many times I've been in your library, you have a lot of teens that utilize your library, and dedicating a special space where their books are located as well as a gathering space and a space where they can kind of, you know, be a little segregated from the rest of the library, as they seem to start to like their privacy at that age, but still keeping the stacks fairly low, where they're not completely in their separate area, and there's still someone that is able to look over them and make sure everything is going okay. The adult fiction area here has been modified to allow and encourage sight lines around the Library. We have your magazine area, which has slightly changed but is basically in the same area as proposed. The quiet reading area has been modified and proposed into a group study area, as shown here, which potentially could provide individual... two individual study areas, group study room .... or we're looking at the possibility of opening this ... having a temporary partition that can open and close based on the needs of the Library. If you need a larger meeting room in this area, that room can be somewhat flexible, which I think was a very attractive proposed solution to the constraints of not having enough meeting space in the Library. And over here, we have a multi -purpose room, which could be used for the computer classes and kind of a larger size ... I think we're looking at about 20-person capacity meeting room in that area. We have your local history section here in this area here. And your study carrels, as N APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 proposed, they seem very (inaudible) but we're looking at maybe improving the seating there and seeing how we can improve that area as well. I think that might have covered the proposed changes. And like I said, this is a work in progress, but I kind of wanted to give you guys an update today in terms of the plan changes that are being proposed as proposed solutions to those original constraints that I mentioned before. SP Can I highlight a couple of things, if you don't mind? I couldn't keep my excitement (inaudible)... a couple of things that I remember Tim Holt, Andrea, you guys mentioning (inaudible)... how many of us understood everything that she went through? It's okay if not everyone raises their hands ... it's very small ... so I'd like to say that this is a work in progress. The colors that you see ... they're just groupings right now. It doesn't show the hard materials. We really wanted to set this down before we can get to that level. LK I have a question and a comment. My question is ... is that enough shelving for the nonfiction, particularly since we have to get down on our hands and knees. My comment is ... I think the reference desk should be to the left of the computer room. When you come in, it's nice to have the reference desk there. I mean, I'm not computer -literate, so I don't care where they put that. SP You actually had two questions. And let me respond to one first. We had the programmer... what she did is work with Jeannie Kays. She had all the data for all of the books that you checked out at any given time, and with that date, x amount of volumes a month, x amount of volumes checked out a week, a year, and what they did is they calculated based on the amount of circulation and the amount of books that you currently have in your collection, and they said based on that, you need x amount of feet to hold all these books, taking into account that x amount of books are going to be checked out at any given time. So based on this layout, we do have enough shelving for all of the media, not just nonfiction. The amount of collections did change, and I think Jeannie Kays can help us ... it's rather detailed, and I don't think I'm appropriate to talk to you about the amount of collections for each one, but there was an adjustment made. The quantities of the collections were slightly changed. I think... 10 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 JK Right, but the overall shelving is going to stay the same. That's what Linda Demmers said, that the number of shelves will be the same. Some of the collections will be small, and some will be bigger. The nonfiction collection, if you look at it, it's actually... they're adding it out into the Library right where the reference desk is now and the computers... they're adding another range of shelving, so it's bringing it out into the main library area. I know, Louise, you and a lot of people have made the comment that they don't like to get down on their knees and do shelving, but I think it's just the curse of a library (inaudible). BR It's a curse of life. JK All across America, a lot of people have the same comments, and I just think it's just unfortunate ... SP (inaudible) We said, okay, what happens if we take out below 24 or 36 inches? What happens is we don't have enough storage space. So let me highlight one more difference. I don't want to want to get caught in just (inaudible)...so the notable differences are, we're almost definitely going (inaudible) computers in the Library, we're almost definitely going (inaudible) seating or seating spaces in the Library, so that's ... fro m a broad stroke perspective, that's kind of the differences you're seeing from what you have now to what's being proposed. And then the generation of this market place. When our side of the Library is closed, we, the City of Palm Desert, still has to operate that central area because of the College, correct? JK Right SP Right. The way it is being proposed now, you can still sell books while your Library is not open. You can still check (inaudible). JK And still check out those popular items when we're closed. SP Yes. MH Well, maybe it's because of my age, although I do use a computer every day. To me, walking into the Library, a nice big open space, the first thing I want to see is not a computer room. I mean, certainly, I'm glad that you're increasing the space, although it would not be what I would want to see first thing, and I think other people might agree here. As I said, 11 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 maybe it's just I'm not sitting there every day and seeing it. It's mainly used by... SP We'll ... I don't think we're going to sit here and, you know, kind of change stuff around. We'll note it, and I think we'll need to address it at a future presentation or evaluation. MH Just a comment. SP That's kind of what we need. That's part of the survey. Yes? JB What are the great ideas for the patio? BR Thank you, that was my question, the courtyard. SP Part of the survey, one of the questions was ... help me out, guys ... what is the desire for the City of Palm Desert residents to have more outdoor spaces, and out of the (inaudible), it was the lowest, so... BR It was ... you know, you speak very softly... SP Oh, I'm so sorry. BR My ears are pretty good, but it's fading away ... when you talk, you kind of fade away, so I didn't hear the end of your sentence. SP Okay. BR Palm Desert residents don't want to be outdoors... what did you say? SP Pretty much, bottom line. BR You mean we're outdoors enough, so we don't need the courtyard ... is that what you're saying? I'm going to wait and let you tell us. SP I'm not saying that entirely. We do have, what, 60% of the respondents said that they would like to see enhanced outdoor areas. 60%... that's fairly good. We received 160 responses... BR What does that mean? 12 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 SP What that means is we're not going to focus on the courtyard improvements. What we did is we ... and I'm sorry if I'm speaking for you, Tim ... the seating areas were relocated so that the courtyard basically has more access. What we have now is we have library shelving and things obstructing the view of the courtyard, making it (inaudible). So what we're trying to do is make it more inviting. Hopefully it gets more use more often. We did see people out there, but we also heard the comments, "hey, it's never used," so we took a look at the seating, we sat out there, we saw people sitting in the courtyard, and we said, "you know, what, maybe it's just not comfortable. It doesn't feel like my (inaudible), it doesn't feel like I can sit there four hours and read," right? And so, some of the ideas were maybe we just change procedure. We don't need to do a lot there because the focus from the survey was more (inaudible), more computers, and so on and so forth. So we really wanted more books, more computers, more children wanting programs, so we really didn't want to concentrate too much effort. Yes, ma'am. JB And what was your decision on making the front of the Library look more like a library? SP Well, we're still there. We haven't really addressed signage. When we're talking about changing the exterior of the building, we're talking about structural alterations. With everything that's proposed now, we are at that kind of threshold of being on budget, but (inaudible). So we're looking at signage being part of the main kind of drivers of symbolizing the entrance of the library. JB So you don't have a design to... SP Unfortunately, we don't, not at this time. JB Are you going to be working on that, or just forget it, or...? SIP Well, I'll take the comments and ... like the comment we received ... is it something we should be looking at? Well, it's really a question for the (inaudible)... RDK Well, I'm not sure ... we've been working with the College through our project management teams and working on this design. I'm not sure we can ... it's still the College's building, and I'm not sure they're prepared to have us alter it too greatly. I think there are some aesthetic 13 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 enhancements perhaps that we can make that would make it maybe more inviting that wouldn't be so costly. We can certainly take a look at that. We talked about the doors, the entry doors, things like that, and maybe some of the furnishings in the front area. SP But make sure there's more seating... JB I was thinking more about the side that faces... BR The street? JB ...the street, so that people know it's a library because people don't know it's a library. BR So that we have two fronts, one that faces the street and one where you walk in. TCH Can I say something? SP Yes. TCH We looked at that, and the building is ... even though it's a building within the City, because it's on the College, it's governed by a different agency, Division of the State Architect, which oversees safety for schools. And their standards, especially when it comes to structure (inaudible) than you would have even for this building. And as mentioned, the building is currently owned by the College. There is consideration of a transfer of ownership somewhere in the future when the College constructs their own building on campus for a library. In looking at the budget, much of the drive is what's going to bring the best value, taking in all the considerations to make functional improvements. So, we're looking at the fagade and the necessity to gain approval from the College, as it is their building, and also there will be costs associated with qualifying with the Division of State Architect requirements for the safety of kids. It's an area that would become expensive to undertake. And from this standpoint, we've looked at it, and we feel that with the funds, there are other areas that are more beneficial for you to address at this time. We've also looked at energy improvements for this. With the funds, we've worked primarily on the west side, where this glass facing still allows part of the sunlight into the building and corresponding heat gain and the usual dissatisfaction of having light in your eyes. So that's one area where we've developed a IV, APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 budget for improving that glazing along that side and also sun control to automated blind systems... that's one energy impact that could benefit the building ... as well as inside, we're looking at changing the lighting throughout. Many of the fixtures are nice, have good aesthetic impact, but are also not the most effective light fixtures. So that's another area where we're looking to make a functional and energy improvement to a building. The College was good enough a couple of years ago to improve the central plant for this area and cooling tower, so in terms of mechanical, the building performs very well. The area where we can make improvements is in the controls. They use a system that's about 15 years old. It's a proprietary, it's Canadian -based, so every time they need to make a fix, they have to schedule from Canada to come down, so again, it's a College, so we're looking to find something that will work for them to improve that control level, and also perhaps integrate, if budget allows, some lighting into it. So perhaps we might even be able to accomplish with the daylight in there where the sensors could adjust the lighting levels inside to keep an even level depending on the amount of light coming in from outside. Those are considerations that we're looking at within the budget, again, to improve the overall function and operation of the facility. JMB Is there any way, knowing the blank wall at the entrance that faces the parking, to use art on that wall some way that ... you know, years ago, and most people in Palm Desert know, but there was a painting put up in the Target center in the wall there by T.J. Maxx... JB Oh, yes, a mural. JMB An outdoor scene of a couple ... well, we all thought that was a waste of time and it would be graffiti'd all the time ... it never has been. Nobody has touched it, and if you had a series of art pieces on that blank wall, on the whole front side, it would keep the building from looking like an institution. LC That's a great idea. ??? That's a great idea. JMB And it wouldn't be that expensive to have a canvas, so to speak, in intervals along that wall that would look... JB That's a great idea. 15 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 JMB ...some kind of scene that would take away from the prison look. TCH And lighting could be added at relatively low cost to, even at night, to make that very attractive. JMB Right, and it would really soften the looks of the Library a great deal because that is a long space along there, you know, and there's only one bench, which we need another bench or so along there, too. There's only one bench out there, and usually there's some kid doing his homework, and so they're using the whole bench. And just something to soften that hard look. TCH Great idea. It's also worth noting that the roof ... the County is looking, in cooperation with the college, to help to replace the roof. It's been a good system. It's been there since the inception in '95, but the material has reached the end of its life cycle, and the ongoing costs for maintenance on it are quite large, and the curved metal roof on top unfortunately has a seam down the middle, which has been, as for those who frequently attend around rain times can attest to the leak problems that cause with the inside, so that's also a condition the County is looking at, especially with taking over ownership of the building one day ... of looking to solve those issues. JB What have you had to do to adapt to the handicapped? TCH You know, from our assessment inside the building, other than a couple of modifications to existing restrooms and a corresponding to meet the overall requirement of adding two single accommodation restrooms, one which may be targeted towards family, and both being in the area around children's where it would be more advantageous than having to go either to the lobby area or over by the community room. So relatively minor inside ... we are expecting some other life safety improvements ... the fire alarm system ... the sprinkler system we're anticipating being overall good and just having to adapt just for the rooms where we're modifying. Yes... LK Will there be a bathroom in the staff workroom area? TCH Yes, I believe so ... equivalent to what they have now. SP Are there any other questions we can help answer or any comments or concerns? 16 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 JB Will any changes need to be made to the approach in the parking lot for the area where you insert your books into the automatic machine, or is that...? TCH The whole parking area, that's a great point, and that's one of ... I think that's still ongoing discussions with the College, recognizing that the lot outside isn't quite large enough, and the College acknowledges the challenges of students parking in that area and taking away from spaces for patrons. And even one day Jeannie was part of ... we were just setting cones out in the morning, during the big influx and rush, to have students park elsewhere, and that seemed to be a little bit impertinent. JMB I was in Carlsbad one summer, and their patron drop off was at the beginning of the parking lot, away from where this one is right there, which isn't very pretty anyway. It was up at the entrance, so they didn't have to ... you didn't have to come in, you could kind of make a circle some way and drop your books without coming all the way in. TCH As I understand it, even the automation will be a step forward, but they still plan to have the public not have to get too technical or understand the automation, that they can still use the slots in the wall to pass things through and throw into the bin, and the benefit will be in staff being able to load and (inaudible)... so as we work it through, just keeping that same general vicinity but allowing the drops to go into the building, there's a benefit for the staff and operation, so the bins outside will go away, and they'll be able to pass them through, and then on the inside, the staff can then take from there and will have the baskets spring -loaded so it will help decrease the wear and tear on bending over and (inaudible) LK But then you can't do it from your car. JMB Well, there ought to be one drop off from the car at some point. LK Yeah, l think so, too. JMB There should be some place on the site for car drop off because that is very important during the summer time, especially. TCH We'll take that forward for further consideration. IVA APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 JK And the City discourages drive-throughs of any kind, right? RDK That may be true but (inaudible) JK If we put one book drop on the curb, we'd have to have all three because nobody would get out of their car. This way, the idea, the concept of (inaudible) directly into the building is that they would be instantly checked in, and it would save time and doing the bending, and it would also cut the damage if there is weather because every time it rains, the books just kind of curl just from the moisture outside. It was out hope that we could possibly get, like, a loading zone area. And a lot of people ... I watch them because my window is right there, but ... some people do just drive up and drop them in, but a lot of people park their car in the red zone and get out and walk them to the bin, and they could just as easily walk three more feet to the window and put them straight in, and they would be checked in and sorted and save our staff I don't even know how long ... over an hour's worth of labor with bringing them in and checking them in and sorting them ... at least an hour. So this was our ... the concept was to get them straight in to the building. SP Any other comments? JK We would like to do a lot more, but a lot of things cost so much more money than we imagined ... the roof is a huge chunk. So a lot of the things that are going to happen in the remodel aren't even going to be seen by the public, and they'll say well, where'd all the money go? But it all went to, you know, it went to the roof and to the restroom improvements and things. And I know I'd love to have the courtyard completely redone, and I'd love to have new things ... I'd love to have a new parking lot, I'd love to have covered solar parking and other stuff. But then they start writing down the price, and I'm like, whoa, okay (inaudible) I have chairs and furniture and a nice, attractive library. And I know that, Louise, you were talking about the computer zone... LK Yeah. JK ...and having the reference desk closer, but the way we've positioned it, we've put the customer service desk and the reference desk on each end so that both groups of staff could monitor, and then the reference desk can still monitor the nonfiction room and that area and the children's department. So by bringing the reference desk where it is, it's still able to APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 still monitor the nonfiction room and the children's department at the same time. LK Why is the computer room ... if they want to use the computer, wouldn't they like it to be quiet and people not wandering through? I would put that as far away as possible. MH I would, too. JK There are some people who use the computer who ... well, I understand what you're saying, too. A couple of groups of people use the computers, and some of the groups of people are 13-year-olds who like to play games and are very busy and active. I think that by putting all the computers in this area, it will ... at Cathedral City, I think they're not too noisy. JK They're all in a similar area like this. SP If I can point out ... there is a children's computer area different from the general computer area, so right now (inaudible) we have four or six computers that are supposed to be for... JK We have four in the adult area and eight in the children's department, and it's only because of the electricity, the reason why they're that way. SP But they're used by... JK They're used by everybody. SP ...by everyone, and so I don't think we can mitigate all of your comments, but kids are a little noisier. In fact, my kids went to the office yesterday, and I didn't know how quiet my office is until (inaudible) screaming. So, you know, the kids being away does help. We will take a look at it with Jeannie and some of the other people making recommendations to see if there is another appropriate place. This is one scheme out of six that were developed, and it's not perfect yet. We're going to get there, but its' the best fit for everything we've heard, and we're massaging the comments that were given to get to that place, to that soft spot. Any other comments, questions? So hopefully, we're thinking... what happens next, how do we move forward? Keep the comments coming. Jeannie does 19 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 have a set of these documents if you'd like to see them and provide some additional feedback. So does Tonya, myself, and the architects, Barbara Bowie, Barbara Howison, Rachelle... they all have copies of the materials, and we'll continue as best we can to incorporate all of the comments that we hear. Sometimes the comments will take us in different directions, so when we say we hope we can do everything, that's what I mean by it because sometimes you just can't make those things happen. So what'll happen now is there are some rather, you know, bigger issues we have to resolve. Once we have an approval from the group and an approval from the Board of Supervisors and approval from you, approval from the City, this will be deemed an approved schematic design, and then we'll move into more of the detailed incorporation of all the finishes, the floors, the walls, incorporation of the mechanical system, the lighting system, and so the project just proceeds. I think we're still on pace for fall of next year for start of construction. We're still on budget, you know, we've had to make some hard choices. Jeannie was part of those discussions, as was everyone else ... sorry, I didn't mean to single you out there. JK It is hard when you want everything. SP So, at this point, I think we'd like to conclude unless there is any other feedback. Yes... JK Do you want to talk at this time about the possibility of what's going to take place when we close ... or when we go into construction, are we going to close, are we going to (inaudible)... SP Okay, we'll just leave the question on the table, okay? And I'd like the discussions to start (inaudible). So, when I was introduced to yourselves and this project, we were told the Library must remain open while construction is taking place, and we've moved along those guidelines. So, now that we have a general sense of where things are, we can take various approaches. So at the phasing, you know, where construction occurs first, what has to be maintained open, places where people can enter, where people will exit ... that's Tim's job. So that's one option. Linda Demmers has been a librarian, just like Jeannie. She's done quite a few remodels. She's done a lot of projects for a lot of areas ... I think it's in the hundreds ... and her recommendation is that we think of alternatives rather than keeping the Library open, for the safety of the patrons and the safety of the staff. So we're hearing that, we're going to be providing recommendations to the City, to Tonya, to this group. We don't have 20 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 those recommendations at this point. We just have options that we're developing. So that's option number one, keeping the Library open while construction is under way. Option number two is relocation the Library for the duration of construction. This allows us to reduce the construction period. We would have to find a facility nearby and lease it for a certain time period and take that cost (inaudible) the project. That's Option 2. Option 3 would be to have portables located on site for the duration of construction, possibly allowing us to reduce the construction period. Questions probably that would come are what happens to circulation? Does it shrink? We agreed that, yes, it does. So those are some hard questions that we have for the group ... how does the community feel, or what is the tolerance for the services that we're providing during these renovations? Yes... LK I thought you wanted to start construction around the busiest time of the year (inaudible) SP We still can do that. We have the flexibility of starting construction, quite frankly, later rather than sooner to accommodate the least (inaudible). We think that's a secondary kind of question (inaudible) when does construction start, and I think that the big question is should we be looking at alternative sites, portables, or (inaudible). If we commit to phase construction, then yes, we'll pinpoint the time when (inaudible). JK My comment about phase construction is if we do the roof, we would have to be closed during the roof replacement, I would assume, right? SP (inaudible) JK Well, but I thought we need electrical upgrades ... the electricity is going to be out, which means no air conditioning or no heat. If you're doing plumbing, no water. When we have no water, we have no air conditioning because it's a water run air conditioning system. So....lots of noise. But we also have a contractual obligation to be open for the College as well, so we've considered setting up a temporary desk on their side... BR Doesn't the roof cover their side as well? JK Yeah, the whole roof... BR The whole roof. 21 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 JK And so there's a lot of (inaudible) and dust, and I know a lot of employees who will not want to work in a dusty environment. They'll become sick. SP I don't want to sound gloom and doom. I personally have done remodels within hospitals. Can it be done, can you control dust, can you control noise, can you do the (inaudible) so that the area is not affected? Yes, you can. BR But when you don't have to tiptoe around and keep things safe and dust - free for you and me, can't you move an awful lot faster and just get it done? And not only get it done faster, but can't it also really be more cost- effective? TH Absolutely. I think you just outlined two factors that are of key importance to arriving at the most appropriate decision here. Within the construction industry, no question ... if the adage "time is money" is true, it's clearly true within the construction industry. There's just not any question. Our concern is for primarily the staff and the patrons to the Library. Jeannie mentioned the dust issue, and I think it's a real concern that we have. We have considerable dust here in the desert anyway, and it moves around quite a bit. Leave your house for ten days and come back. We all know the dust issues are really here, whether you can readily see them or not. But, really, there are a number of inter -relational construction activities here that have to occur. We'll have significant improvements, for example, to the fire alarm system to bring it up to current standards, code standards today. There'll be some modifications to the fire sprinkler system, the roofing that's been mentioned, and the access issues in the partitioning that is necessary to keep public activities adjacent to active construction. It is a day to day challenge on both sides, for both the contractor and for Jeannie's entire operation. We'll probably be bringing forward a consistent point of view for you to consider, and that would be to vacate this building during this period of time. The construction period would be considerably reduced, maybe cut in half, if we can have this building and get in, do the work, get all the materials ordered ahead of time, so there are no delays, and just turn this over to our contractor and have the work done ... it would probably save half the time ... get out and when you move back in, it will be completely finished. BR And how much money would that save? Would that save half the money also? 22 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 TH Well, I don't think it would save half the money, but the contractors will be speaking loud and clear with their bidding responses to a phased program in comparison to their have (inaudible) access to the entire building. LK If you closed, how long a period would you be closed? TH It's a matter of four to five months, perhaps. LK Closed four or five months? Really? TH There's going to be about two and a half million dollars worth of work done here. It's not going to happen in three weeks. This is a lot of work. You're going to get an all new interior to this library. All the surfaces will be new, all the floor coverings will be new, all the racks have to be taken out and moved. There will be people on scaffolding and with tarps. It's a significant effort that you're undertaking here, and I don't want to underestimate the impact that it will have both in terms of cost and dust and the whole operation. LK Factored in to your costs ... if we have to rent another facility, that will cost, and the cost of moving everything... is that all factored in? SP I'll answer that. TH Thank you. SIP So the way we would answer that would be ... when we have a cost estimate now that takes into account phased construction ... we take a look at what the savings is for just non -phased construction, just construction outright, and we take a look at what the market is for leased facilities, we take a look at what the market is for the portables out in the parking lot, you know, and then we make the best decision. We do have a contingency for the project, and I'm not ... I don't expect to use it to do the temporary closure, but it is available for that if we need it. BR I have a question. Sometimes things happen that you have to be (inaudible). We're talking about well, should we open it, should we keep it open, should we keep it safe, should we have portables, should we move it to another ... all of those things cost boo-koo bucks, boo-koo bucks. Isn't it the Cathedral City Library that burned? 23 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING BB Yes. BR Okay, so there's an instance anything about, it happened. use it for quite a while. NOVEMBER 17, 2010 of something happening that you can't do They couldn't use it for a while, they couldn't BB No. The City of Cathedral City offered the old Senior Center... BR To do what? BB ...and we opened a temporary library in that location. BR And it didn't cost anything because they offered the Senior Center which, of course, is something that might happen, but we have such a really wonderful community here with so many wonderful libraries, truly, truly. It would seem to me that we need to think about ... could we do without this library for four, five, or even six months, save that money, and do something wonderful in the Library with it, and folks around here bite the bullet and go La Quinta Library or one of the other terrific libraries we have here. Is that a staffing problem, too? Probably, but maybe not. I think we should really seriously consider closing the Library for that period of time, saving the money, and using it better, using it more efficiently... forever... because, you know, if there's something more that we can do with that money, it benefits the community much more than that little inconvenience of closing our beautiful library for five or even six months. I'd really like to see us consider that hard. JMB Well, it might be worth looking into at our Senior Center because they do have a big rec room, which they quit doing plays for the time being because they're not financially viable at this time, so it might be ... and there is an access from the parking lot at that rec center without going through the main place, so it might be worth looking into to see if our Senior Center could accommodate that. JK To keep our events going, for our special events? JMB What? JK For our special events, to keep them going? APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 BB Or are we talking of putting in actual shelving and putting in a collection of books? BR You know, I believe they're actually using that library ... I think they're actually using that room ... they are having entertainment there —they're having events there. They're just doing it in a different way. Now, I don't know how they're doing it, but I know they're selling tickets, so they're doing something in there. You know, there are lots of other things there ... if you've looked around, folks, there are empty properties all over the place, but all of that costs money. All of that, no matter what we do, they give us a space, it's going to cost money. I think we ought to think about, you know, making the best use of the buck. BB And the Bookmobile does go to the Palm Desert Country Club area for four hours a week. We could maybe change the location of where the Bookmobile goes that morning, Tuesday morning. LK Well, if you're closed, how are you going to get books? BB No, the Bookmobile, the Coachella Valley Bookmobile. JK It has books on it. BB It has books. RDK And you can make your requests, and it comes on the Bookmobile. BB Yes. So you can make requests online, and the books would be available for you on the Bookmobile. LK (inaudible) other libraries. RDK Would you still have access to our collections? Would it be (inaudible) BB No, it would be stored. JMB Well, we might be able to have it in our parking lot. BB Yes, we could change the location (inaudible) 25 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 JK Is it possible to come up with a price list of phasing, closing, closing and opening at a separate location ... so we can look at the price and go okay, this is worth it or not worth it. SP Yes. We'll bring that to this group. JK And we're still early in the project at this point. SP Better now than (inaudible) months from now. LK Any more questions, comments? SP Well, great. Thank you, everyone, for having us again. VIII. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Council Liaison None B. Librarian Ms. Kays provided updates/reports on the following Library Statistics for months of August, September, and October — The door count increased by about 4,000 per month in September and October this year compared with last year. The reason might be due to the fact that College of the Desert closed its open computer labs on campus, and the only computer lab for students was now at the Library. One thing that caused her concern was that circulation seemed to be stalling out, dropping in October by 2,000 items compared with October 2009, although the overall numbers were still very good. She felt this might be related to the reduced book budget, which had been cut approximately 60% over the last two years from the City and the County. Upon question by Ms. Klassen regarding the need for having new books on the shelves every month for people to check out, Ms. Kays responded that the Palm Desert Library had a huge demand for the hot -off -the -press books, hot fiction, etc. 26 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 Ms. Kays noted that the La Quinta Library was catching up to Palm Desert as far as circulation. She said when she first started working for the Library system, the La Quinta Library was circulating approximately 4,000 items per month, and circulation now was up to approximately 20,000 items. She added that the City of La Quinta gave its Library $200,000 per year for books, compared to the City of Palm Desert's contribution of $28,000 to the Palm Desert Library. Program Attendance — Numbers are still good. Last night was a Harry Potter program, with about 75 attendees. Instead of the usual Gingerbread "House," this year will be a Gingerbread "Barn" program. C. Event Coordinator Ms. Stewart distributed copies of the special events brochure and the monthly calendars for the adult and children programs. Chef Series — The program for November 18th was Betty Ford's personal chef, and attendance was expected to be over 100 (89 reservations so far). Sunday Sounds — Numbers are a little low, but the numbers are expected to increase. Featured Event — Screening of The 800 Mile Wall is scheduled for January 18th. This event has been put on Facebook to help promote it, and the response has already been terrific. "T is for Tuesday" — Different events have been held, including Best Buy with its "petting zoo," the Tomato Man last week, etc. Ms. Stewart said this series was starting to gain momentum. D. Volunteer Coordinator Ms. Strain reported that volunteer hours for October were up from September, with 524 total hours (462 adult and 62 young adult). There were three additional volunteers on board. PZA APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2010 Homebound numbers were up because volunteer Jean Stone was a spokesperson for Atria on Monterey and had talked to a lot of people about the program. October Homebound deliveries were down to 31 books. Ms. Strain noted that she had gone to McDonald's on Friday and noticed the Library ad in the newsletter that is put on the trays. She added that planning for the Volunteer Holiday Party was in the final stages, and a nice response had been received so far. E. Friends of the Palm Desert Library Ms. Beasley noted that income for the Friends Bookstore was approximately $5,000 ahead of this time last year. She added that some of the savings had been used to keep books ordered. F. Committee Chair None G. Committee Members None H. Staff Ms. Klassen reminded everyone of the City of Palm Desert Committee/Commission Annual Appreciation dinner scheduled for Wednesday, December 15, 2010. IX. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 4:22 p.m. Mary P. Cr ss, Recording Secretary