OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

St. Paul Public Library Board Meeting - March 4, 2026

Budget Committee — Wednesday, March 4, 2026
BodySt Paul, Minnesota
SessionBudget Committee
DateWednesday, March 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 54:02

Transcript — Verbatim
5:36

Your board to order roll call, please.

5:42

Bully.

5:46

Coleman.

5:47

Here.

5:49

Johnson.

5:52

Kim.

5:54

Naker.

5:55

Here.

5:56

Yang.

5:57

Here.

5:59

Chair Joels.

6:00

Here.

6:02

Five present to absent two being excused.

6:05

Councilmember Johnson and Council Vice President Kim.

6:10

Well, welcome everyone to the March meeting of the library board.

6:15

We have a couple of items on our agenda today.

6:18

So I'll turn it over to you.

6:21

The first item that we have on the agenda is minutes 26-9.

6:25

Library board minutes for February 4th, 2026.

6:39

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

6:41

Aye.

6:41

Aye.

6:42

All those opposed.

6:44

Five in favor, zero opposed.

6:46

The minutes are approved.

6:47

The next item on the agenda is resolution public hearing 26-49 authorizing the execution of Mo to support the transfer of funds from the friends of the St.

7:01

Paul Public Library to the St.

7:03

Paul Public Library and amending the library's 2026 financing and spending plans.

7:09

So this basically is a resolution that's going to support and execute an MOU between the library and the friends.

7:19

And this will increase create an increase in the capital budget for Hayden Heights by 1.65 million dollars.

7:26

And it allows us to have enough cash from the friends to be able to begin the project this year on schedule.

7:32

So this also is a public hearing.

7:36

So if you're here to speak on this item, you have two minutes.

7:39

So if this is a public hearing, is there anyone here to speak on this item?

7:44

Okay.

7:45

I am not seeing anyone, so I will take a motion from Councilmember Ying to close the public hearing and approve this item.

7:52

All in favor say aye.

7:53

Aye, and aye.

7:54

All those opposed, can't make the comment.

7:57

Oh, sorry.

7:57

Councilman, sorry, Councilman Young has a comment.

8:00

Thank you, Churchills.

8:01

I uh wanted to say thank you to the friends for their amazing work and the partnership to the city when I was looking at the resolution for the resolution.

8:08

I just thought to myself, I wish every city had a front all the friends.

8:12

Um, like how we have them here, and so we are just so fortunate for their partnership.

8:17

I mean very supportive of this.

8:18

Thank you, Council Marie.

8:20

All right, so I think we already took the vote, so five in favor, zero opposed.

8:24

The resolution is adopted.

8:26

The next item on the agenda is staff report 26-20-28.

8:32

Hayden Heights library update.

8:35

Great.

8:36

So um I will turn it over to Director Hartman, and we also have um Marika and Zina here to give the presentation.

8:43

Uh Chair Joel's thank you so much.

8:46

Um as uh the first of the item earlier alluded to, and uh Councilmember Yang's excitement demonstrates we're moving forward with Hayden Heights.

8:54

So I'm Rika Stella Kenzenia Hernandez with our project are gonna give you all an update on that.

8:59

Thank you.

9:00

Zenia, yes.

9:01

Welcome.

9:03

All right.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████33%
Public Safety████████████████16%
Procedural█████5%
Public Works███3%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Paul Public Library Board Meeting - March 4, 2026

The St. Paul Public Library Board convened on March 4, 2026, with five members present (Councilmembers Bully, Coleman, Naker, Yang, and Chair Joels) and two excused (Councilmember Johnson and Council Vice President Kim). The board approved the February minutes, adopted a resolution authorizing a transfer of funds from the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library for the Hayden Heights renovation, and received detailed updates on the Hayden Heights and Rondo Community Library projects.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes 26-9: Library board minutes for February 4, 2026 were approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Resolution 26-49: Authorizing execution of an MOU to support transfer of funds from Friends of the St. Paul Public Library to the library and amending the 2026 financing and spending plans. The resolution increased the capital budget for Hayden Heights by $1.65 million, allowing on-schedule construction. Adopted unanimously (5-0) after a public hearing with no speakers.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the public hearing on Resolution 26-49.

Discussion Items

  • Hayden Heights Library Update (Staff Report 26-20-28):

    • Director Hartman, along with staff Marika and Zina, presented an update on the Hayden Heights renovation. The project will transform the library to be more visible, flexible, and connected to nature, with a new story time garden and green space.
    • Construction contractor has been awarded to Stall Construction (same as Hamline Library). The library will close to the public on March 24, 2026, with construction starting mid-April and expected to take up to 18 months (opening Q4 2027).
    • During closure, materials will be moved to Sunray Library; holds can be transferred. Library Go service is not available at county libraries, but St. Paul Public Library cards can be registered at Ramsey County libraries.
    • A community meeting is scheduled for March 10, 2026, to gather input on temporary service needs and potential mobile library stops.
    • Councilmember Yang expressed strong support and gratitude, noting community excitement. Chair Joels echoed gratitude for the library team.

  • Rondo Community Library Update (Staff Report 26-29):

    • Branch Manager Alex Riley and Public Services Manager Marlena Okechuku reported on the temporary location at Hallie Q. Brown Center since the January 8, 2026 ribbon cutting (attended by ~200 people).
    • Highlights: Homework center is full; Createch and Fun Lab programs reaching new youth; computer classes leading to employment; partnership with Friends of the Library for author events; community engagement for renovation design (surveys, dot polling, coffee & community events).
    • Design options for the permanent Rondo location (461 Dale) have been narrowed to one that includes relocated restrooms (multi-stall), separate teen space, larger meeting rooms, additional study rooms, a wellness/lactation/prayer room (with sink), and staff focus rooms. Surveys have been translated into Somali.
    • Councilmember Bowie raised questions about safety at the Rondo corner, noting improvements due to multi-agency presence (Ramsey County Sheriff, Metro Transit), but emphasized ongoing need for collaboration with ONS, small businesses, and community partners. Director Hartman confirmed coordination with ONS, SPPD, and other departments.
    • Councilmember Yang asked about broader safety conversations; Councilmember Bowie outlined plans for a Ward 1 meeting and use of opioid settlement dollars.
    • Renovation timeline: community engagement through March, schematic design and cost estimates in March, construction documents in April, bidding in May/June.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes: Minutes (26-9) approved 5-0; Resolution (26-49) adopted 5-0.
  • Hayden Heights: Closure date set for March 24; construction to begin mid-April; community meeting March 10.
  • Rondo Community Library: Staff to continue community engagement on design; safety discussions to continue with city partners.
  • Next Meeting: Board adjourned; referenced upcoming Read Brave event on March 5 (Lobizona panel at Arlington Hills Library).

Meeting Transcript

Your board to order roll call, please. Bully. Coleman. Here. Johnson. Kim. Naker. Here. Yang. Here. Chair Joels. Here. Five present to absent two being excused. Councilmember Johnson and Council Vice President Kim. Well, welcome everyone to the March meeting of the library board. We have a couple of items on our agenda today. So I'll turn it over to you. The first item that we have on the agenda is minutes 26-9. Library board minutes for February 4th, 2026. Seeing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed. Five in favor, zero opposed. The minutes are approved. The next item on the agenda is resolution public hearing 26-49 authorizing the execution of Mo to support the transfer of funds from the friends of the St. Paul Public Library to the St. Paul Public Library and amending the library's 2026 financing and spending plans. So this basically is a resolution that's going to support and execute an MOU between the library and the friends. And this will increase create an increase in the capital budget for Hayden Heights by 1.65 million dollars. And it allows us to have enough cash from the friends to be able to begin the project this year on schedule. So this also is a public hearing. So if you're here to speak on this item, you have two minutes. So if this is a public hearing, is there anyone here to speak on this item? Okay. I am not seeing anyone, so I will take a motion from Councilmember Ying to close the public hearing and approve this item. All in favor say aye. Aye, and aye. All those opposed, can't make the comment. Oh, sorry. Councilman, sorry, Councilman Young has a comment. Thank you, Churchills. I uh wanted to say thank you to the friends for their amazing work and the partnership to the city when I was looking at the resolution for the resolution. I just thought to myself, I wish every city had a front all the friends. Um, like how we have them here, and so we are just so fortunate for their partnership. I mean very supportive of this. Thank you, Council Marie. All right, so I think we already took the vote, so five in favor, zero opposed. The resolution is adopted. The next item on the agenda is staff report 26-20-28.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com