OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

St. Paul Library Board Meeting Summary - November 5, 2025

Budget Committee — Wednesday, November 5, 2025
BodySt Paul, Minnesota
SessionBudget Committee
DateWednesday, November 5, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 41:15

Transcript — Verbatim
1:01

Meeting of the library board to order, please.

1:03

Roll call.

1:07

Here.

1:08

Coleman.

1:09

Here.

1:09

Jonathan.

1:10

Here.

1:10

Kim.

1:12

Maker.

1:13

Here.

1:13

Gang.

1:14

Here.

1:14

Chair Jones.

1:16

Here.

1:16

Six present.

1:17

One absent.

1:21

One being excused.

1:24

The first item on the agenda is the approval of minutes.

1:27

Minutes 25-43.

1:29

Approving October 1st, 2025 library board minutes.

1:33

All right.

1:34

Um do we have any discussion on the library board minutes.

1:40

With that, I'll take a motion from Council President Naker to approve the library minutes.

1:44

All in favor say aye.

1:45

Aye.

1:46

Aye.

1:46

All those opposed.

1:48

Six in favor, zero opposed.

1:50

The minutes have been adopted.

1:53

The first item up for discussion is resolution 25-1705, recognizing the service of Beth Barnes as the City of St.

2:01

Paul's representative to the Metropolitan Library Service Agency, Melsa's Board of Trustees.

2:07

Woohoo.

2:14

All right.

2:14

Um this is really exciting.

2:17

I'm gonna the resolution's not long, so I'm just gonna kind of read through it a little bit and then I'll open it up for um discussion.

2:22

And then Beth, if you want to come up and say a few words, you can or not.

2:25

But we're we're gonna be talking to you um uh about this this celebration today.

2:32

So um uh as as some of you might know, there the MELSA um board, Metropolitan Library Service Agency is a governing board for Melsa that includes um mostly elected officials that are part of the different library agencies, a lot of them are counties, and Beth Burns, uh who is the president of the Friends of the St.

2:52

Paul Public Library, has um has been serving on this board um on the board of trustees since January of 2017, and she's served as the treasurer since 2022.

3:04

Um this is basically um this board is responsible for setting strategic direction, goals and policies, approving the budget, providing oversight to the organization, and advocating for public libraries through the recommendations of the MELSA advisory committee.

3:22

And um in Beth's role as treasurer, she's led and championed new equity-focused budget allocation formula for member libraries that reflects the evolving role of the libraries.

3:33

And Beth is passionate and strategic advent ad advocacy for the St.

3:37

Paul Public Library and all public libraries has made her a trusted, experienced voice on the Melsa board.

3:44

And whereas her close partnership with the St.

3:46

Paul Public Library Director assures the unique needs and interests of the City of St.

3:50

Paul's libraries are reflected in decisions that affect the broader region.

3:55

Therefore, be it resolved.

4:25

This is funny though.

4:32

That's all right with you.

4:33

Thank you.

4:34

Um Library Board Chair Joast, members of the library board and city council.

4:40

It uh is very nice.

4:51

But I have actually been really grateful for that, and I understand you will be taking on the representation role for St.

4:58

Paul Public Libraries moving forward.

5:00

Paul Public Libraries moving forward and I'm excited for the city for the library for you.

5:04

Um MELSA as a regional library system really helped me who had not worked in libraries previously to understand the larger context in which we exist and do our work.

5:15

And I think one of the things I will just name as I end my nine-year tenure on that board is how truly special it is to be a city library system.

5:29

Um I have learned a lot from my colleagues who oversee county systems and the challenges they're in.

5:37

And I really love the fact that we get to focus so locally um at the neighborhood level on the needs of our branches with the context and challenges of this city at this time.

5:49

So it's been a privilege to represent the library at the MELSA board.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Libraries█████████████████████████████████████████████77%
Community Engagement██████████17%
Procedural██4%
Engineering And Infrastructure█2%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Paul Library Board Meeting Summary - November 5, 2025

The Library Board convened to approve meeting minutes, recognize the distinguished service of Beth Barnes on the MELSA Board, and review the operational transition plan for the Rondo Community Library during its upcoming renovations.

Consent Calendar

  • The Board unanimously adopted the minutes from the October 1, 2025, meeting (Resolution to approve minutes 25-43).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • This section does not explicitly contain formal public testimony; however, Board members voiced strong appreciation for the staff's transparent communication and responsiveness to community concerns regarding the Rondo Library transition.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 25-1705: Recognition of Beth Barnes as the City of St. Paul's representative to the MELSA Board of Trustees.

    • Staff reported that Barnes has served as the City's representative since January 2017 and as Treasurer since 2022, playing a key role in advocacy and leading a new equity-focused budget allocation formula.
    • Ms. Barnes expressed that she felt privileged to represent the library system and noted the value of the MELSA board's regional perspective in understanding the context of local work. She highlighted the unique ability of the city library to focus on neighborhood-level needs.
    • Councilmember Coleman expressed full support for Barnes, noting her leadership and nine-year tenure, despite the role being voluntary.
    • Councilmember Johnson commended Barnes for her effortless advocacy and strategic work on the allocation formula, explicitly stating that the Board could not have asked for a better advocate.
    • Chairperson Joast acknowledged the significance of Barnes' contribution to the MELSA board and thanked her for her partnership with the Library Director.

  • Staff Report: Rondo Community Library Update

    • Alex Riley (Branch Manager) and Marlena Okechukuo (Public Services Manager) presented on the temporary relocation of services to the Halley Q Brown Community Center starting in January 2026, while the current facility closes by year-end for renovations.
    • The report detailed that the 2006 building design has created congestion and safety challenges, particularly at the entryway and restrooms. The $793,000 renovation is scoped specifically to the foyer, safety improvements, entryway expansion, and restroom relocation.
    • Staff stated they are fully committed to maintaining all existing programming, hours, and a majority of the staff at the temporary location to ensure equitable access.
    • Discussion occurred regarding the lack of a specific reopening date for the Rondo building. Director Hurtman explained that while the project is anticipated to complete in 2026, the exact timeline is not yet finalized due to the design and construction phases.
    • Councilmember Bowie expressed gratitude for the responsive, transparent governance and the detailed communication plan. He noted the uncertainty is acknowledged but emphasized the need for a clear return date.
    • Councilmember Coleman expressed concern about the lack of a definitive timeline and questioned the urgency of closing without a plan. Director Hurtman clarified that the closure was timed for December to minimize disruption to high-attendance programs like the homework center and to align with 2025 renovation funding and 2026 lease funding.
    • Council President Acre raised two operational questions:
      1. Transit Accessibility: Inquiry about utilizing the Frogtown Rondo Loop (circulator) to transport patrons, including adults, between the Halley Q Brown Center and the Rondo Library during the transition. Staff indicated they are in conversations with the program manager regarding potentially tweaking age requirements or arranging specific family rides to ensure access.
      2. Operational Planning: Inquiry into whether operational planning is occurring alongside construction to address community expectations regarding facilities (e.g., restroom access) and potential permanent repurposing of the current cafe space. Staff confirmed the library remains a public space with full access to restrooms and internet, and Chairperson Joast noted that the design team is open to innovative ideas for the renovated space, though currently, the focus is on safety and welcome.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 25-1705 adopted unanimously (6 in favor, 0 opposed) recognizing Beth Barnes' nine years of service on the MELSA Board.
  • Operational Move Confirmed: Rondo Community Library services will temporarily relocate to the Halley Q Brown Community Center beginning in January 2026. The current library building will close for renovations to improve safety and entryway flow.
  • Communication Strategy: The Board and staff will notify the public of the specific closure and return dates via website, email, newsletter, social media, and signage as soon as the construction timeline is finalized. A specific return date is expected to be communicated in early 2026.
  • Funding Alignment: The renovation is funded by the $793,000 2025 budget, with lease and security costs for the temporary relocation covered by 2026 one-time funding.

Meeting Transcript

Meeting of the library board to order, please. Roll call. Here. Coleman. Here. Jonathan. Here. Kim. Maker. Here. Gang. Here. Chair Jones. Here. Six present. One absent. One being excused. The first item on the agenda is the approval of minutes. Minutes 25-43. Approving October 1st, 2025 library board minutes. All right. Um do we have any discussion on the library board minutes. With that, I'll take a motion from Council President Naker to approve the library minutes. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed. Six in favor, zero opposed. The minutes have been adopted. The first item up for discussion is resolution 25-1705, recognizing the service of Beth Barnes as the City of St. Paul's representative to the Metropolitan Library Service Agency, Melsa's Board of Trustees. Woohoo. All right. Um this is really exciting. I'm gonna the resolution's not long, so I'm just gonna kind of read through it a little bit and then I'll open it up for um discussion. And then Beth, if you want to come up and say a few words, you can or not. But we're we're gonna be talking to you um uh about this this celebration today. So um uh as as some of you might know, there the MELSA um board, Metropolitan Library Service Agency is a governing board for Melsa that includes um mostly elected officials that are part of the different library agencies, a lot of them are counties, and Beth Burns, uh who is the president of the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, has um has been serving on this board um on the board of trustees since January of 2017, and she's served as the treasurer since 2022. Um this is basically um this board is responsible for setting strategic direction, goals and policies, approving the budget, providing oversight to the organization, and advocating for public libraries through the recommendations of the MELSA advisory committee. And um in Beth's role as treasurer, she's led and championed new equity-focused budget allocation formula for member libraries that reflects the evolving role of the libraries. And Beth is passionate and strategic advent ad advocacy for the St. Paul Public Library and all public libraries has made her a trusted, experienced voice on the Melsa board. And whereas her close partnership with the St. Paul Public Library Director assures the unique needs and interests of the City of St. Paul's libraries are reflected in decisions that affect the broader region. Therefore, be it resolved. This is funny though. That's all right with you. Thank you.

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