Board Minutes March 2026

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of the CUYAHOGA FALLS LIBRARY and The William and Margaretta Taylor Memorial Association

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CUYAHOGA FALLS LIBRARY and The William and Margaretta Taylor Memorial Association 

REGULAR MEETING 
Tuesday, March 18, 2025 
Sutliff Room 

Call To Order 

Nikki Cebula called the meeting to order at 6:01 pm. 

Attendance 

Sean Blake, Nikki Cebula, Debbie Ziccardi, Rick Rubin, Sandy Zirke, Bradley LeBoeuf, Bryan Van Sweringen, Robin Worthington, Mike Dunton, Karen Schofield, Cheryl Bruce, Director Andrew Harant, Assistant Director Jennifer Reynard, Fiscal Officer Kevin Gemmell  

Adoption of Agenda:  

Karen Schofield moved to adopt the agenda. 2nd by Robin Worthington. Motion passed unanimously. 

Approval of Minutes  

Sean Blake moved to approve the Regular Board Meeting of February 18, 2025. 2nd by Karen Schofield. Motion passed unanimously.  

Board Education: 

  • Children's Services Manager Amy Galluch & Children’s Librarian Patty Guinto explained their experiences and results of their 4th Grade Outreach Visits. Patty used visual aids like a robot and puzzles to talk about books with the kids. It was very well received by all parties involved. 
  • Director Andrew Harant gave a demonstration of Aspen. He presented the highlights of Aspen and showed off features like using the search bar and how the results of a search are displayed. 

Public Participation: None 

Treasurer’s Report 

Sandy Zirke moved that the Board approve the payment of bills for February 2025 in the amount of $351,404.35. 2nd by Bryan Van Sweringen. Motion passed unanimously. 

It was reported that the library received $125,859.51 in PLF revenue. 

Sandy Zirke moved to accept the February Financial Report subject to audit. 2nd by Debbie Zicardi. Motion passed unanimously. 

Board President Report: 

  • Once again, I get to praise our wonderful Library, our staff, our director, and even our trustees. We truly are “the place”. Before I say anything, I’d like to start by appreciating that when I was talking with Andy and Kevin, and asked, “Who needs a shout out this month” the response I got was, “They all always need a shout out”! I love that! I would like to start by shouting out our adult librarians. It seems that we hear a lot about our children’s department- and they are truly an amazing group of people and our programming and staff are BAR NONE! What we don’t hear a lot about is how our adult librarians work to keep us going. There are a lot of adult patrons, and they like fun and programming a lot as well! Did you know that this past month they held 38 programs, with 733 attendees- which is a growth of 232% from last year?! WOW! Just wow! Or how about Elizabeth M, who has secured a virtual author chat series? And Lily B, who has begun- what I think sounds SO FUN- a SPICE CLUB! They are also putting that Charlee Cart to good use! In this program, adults are learning about cultures through foods and trying out recipes with spice blend kits that they can take home then share with the library. Last month the kits included Amchur, an Indian spice made with mango powder. Our adult librarians are getting the job done, getting it done well, and ensuring that our adult patrons are engaged (or re-engaging) into the most wonderful place in our world- the library. 
  • Our notary service is working- I had the opportunity to use it this month. I understand that Katherine V keeps it on point- what a gift! 
  • I’d like to thank Andy for saving the library $50,000 with just a phone call. Not only will this be a cost savings for us, but our staff will not have the burden of learning 2 new platforms (since we are just learning ASPEN). I appreciate that we need to go slow to go fast sometimes, and with all the wonderful things our staff is doing- I love that we are going to keep the focus on engaging our patrons. I’m also happy to report that are partnership stipend was received again, and our washer and dryer is up and running!!!! 
  • Thank you to the anonymous donor for the $50 donation! 
  • Kevin- Great Job in getting the Hinkle report in on time (as we all know how important that is). 
  • Finally, I would like to thank Bryan for repping us trustees at OLC. I look forward to hearing about it. 
  • Let’s Welcome Mia Pier to our staff- she hit the jackpot with a great place to work, I am sure of it! Also, we are FULLY STAFFED! Imagine the greatness to come! 

Committee Reports: 

  1. Building: 
    Now that a washer and dryer are being involved, there are plans to have a safety talk about the operation of the machines.     

  2. Policies/Bylaws Review: 
     Approve Employee Handbook Section 10 

    RESOLUTION 2025-11: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees approve Section 10 as amended of the Employee Handbook. Robin Worthington. 2nd by Sean Blake. Motion passed unanimously
      
  3. Finance/Audit Committee: No Report 

  4. Graefe Memorial: No Report 

  5. Personnel Committee:  
    RESOLUTION 2025-12: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees increase Director Andrew Harant’s salary by 2% retroactive to January 1, 2025, Karen Schofield. 2nd by Bradely Leboeuf. Motion passed unanimously. 

    RESOLUTION 2025-13: Move that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees increase Fiscal Officer Kevin Gemmell’s salary by 2% retroactive to January 1, 2025 Karen Schofield. 2nd by Bryan Van Sweringen. Motion passed unanimously. 

  6. Affleck Scholarship Committee: No Report  

  7. Strategic Planning Committee: No report 

  8. Art Committee (Ad Hoc): No Report 

Director’s Report: 

  • Director Harant provided updates on the Public Library Fund portion of the current State Budget proposal, other proposed legislation, and advocacy efforts with OLC 
  • Director Harant, Assistant Director Reynard, Temporary PR & Marketing Contractor Willett, Admin Assistant House, and Trustees Rubin and Dunton met with State Representative Derrick Hall on March 7 
  • Director Harant provided an update on the potential impact to CFL from the recent federal executive order involving the Institute of Museum and Library Services 
  • Director Harant reviewed upcoming OLC events for Trustees and encouraged participation 
  • Director Harant shared that OhioLink and SearchOhio will be out-of-commission for several months each to update their platforms later this year 
  • Director Harant shared details for social media posts and staff appreciation for National Library Week 4/6-4/12 (National Library Workers Day 4/8) 

Personnel Report: 

Karen Schofield moved that the Cuyahoga Falls Library Board of Trustees approve the February 2025 Personnel Report. 2nd by Rick Rubin. Motion passed unanimously. 

Unfinished Business: None 

New Business:  

  • OLC Trustee Workshop – Trustee Bryan Van Sweringen spoke about the topics from the Trustee Workshop including the PLF in 2024, an OLC overview, and the authority of libraries according to the ORC.  

Adjournment: 

Karen Scholfield moved to adjourn the meeting. 2nd by Rick Rubin. Meeting adjourned at 7:54 pm. 

Approved by Nikki Cebula Board President

Approved by Bryan Van Sweringen Secretary