City of Yorkville Public Library Board of Trustees met Feb. 13.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by President Darren Crawford, roll was called and a quorum was established.
Roll Call:
Theron Garcia-yes, Bret Reifsteck-yes, Tara Schumacher-yes, Sue Shimp-yes, Keri Pesola-yes, Jackie Milschewski-yes, Darren Crawford-yes, Ryan Forristall-yes
Absent: Rosie Millen
Staff Present:
Library Director Shelley Augustine
Others Present:
Friends of the Library Co-President Susan Neustrom and Mr. Shawn Ajazi from Progressive Business Solutions
Recognition of Visitors:
President Crawford welcomed staff and guests.
Amendments to the Agenda: None
Presentation:
Shawn Ajazi – Progressive Business Solutions
Mr. Ajazi is Vice-President of Progressive Business Solutions and his company built the Kendall County solar project and others. In 2021 his company began discussions with the city regarding sites for a solar project. Progressive has identified 11 sites including the library building. The metal library roof was looked at and 432 panels were estimated to fit on the roof. The panels clamp to the roof seams rather than attach to the roof and a more detailed look at the roof would be needed. An RFP was done and 6 companies responded and did a walk through of the sites. Progressive would look at one aggregate price and there would be no capital investment by the city. He said Illinois has the most incentives of all states and would pay for 60-70% of the total solar installations. He explained how the city could keep costs down through a franchise, increase the solar energy and return dollars to taxpayers. A power purchase agreement was looked at along with a 25-year agreement where a third party would own, operate and maintain the system and the city would lease out the site. Based on the current city/ComEd agreement and the power purchase agreement, the city would save $16,000 a year if they switched to the purchase agreement. He said for most of the municipal projects they have done, the municipality takes advantage of the power purchase agreement. ComEd installs smart inverters that track the power from the grid to be able to track usage.
Discussion:
The following questions were asked by Board members and Mr. Ajazi's answers follow:
1. Would the library remain on the city agreement? Yes, it's a franchise for the city, but there has only been a preliminary conversation with the City Administrator.
2. What is Progressive's role in this? We are a solar developer and an energy commodity broker. We are licensed and work as the city's energy broker for their commodity buy. We serve as a liaison and have 2,000 customers in many states.
3. Does it ultimately fall on the city to make the decision? Yes.
4. Regarding number of panels on the roof, can this roof support the weight--if there is buckling, the library has a collection that could potentially be water-damaged? Typically there is a weight of 4 pounds per square inch per panel. During the design and engineering phase, a full detailed engineering inspection is done and if the roof cannot support the solar, the project does not go forward.
5. Does the Board have a say in this? Yes
6. Is there enough sun? Yes, a shade analysis was done and the experts also looked at the pine needles.
7. Mr. Ajazi: The panels last 35 years and can be removed under the decommissioning plan at no cost to the city
8. What if lightning damages some of the panels? They are under warranty and a third party replaces.
9. Do the panels support the library's electric consumption? Yes, you are offsetting the grid power that you purchase and you produce more power during the day when the ComEd price is higher.
10. What if the panels produce more than the library consumes? A credit will be on the bill or you get a zero bill for the electricity portion.
11. The library currently does not pay for electricity and if franchise fee is lower, will residents benefit? All residents and businesses would pay the franchise fee and the bill is lower by purchasing the 3rd party supplier electricity rather than from ComEd.
12. Is there a penalty if the library opted out of the program? No.
13. What are the next steps? We are in conversation with the city and a rep has been at a City Council meeting. We did the Plano Sanitary District and Kendall County and have 22 projects at this time.
14. How do you determine panels last 35 years? There is case study and the typical lifespan is 25 years.
15. Does there have to be a fence around the project? The Kendall County project fence was part of an agreement with the city and the sheriff. If the panels are on the roof, no fence is needed.
16. Mr. Ajazi: Progressive will possibly re-bid the sites as stand-alones since it is not known if all city departments will participate. We would look at bundle vs. stand-alone.
17. Is there heat underneath the panels and will it feel warmer on the 2nd floor? The panels absorb the heat.
President Crawford said the library will speak with the city to see how to proceed.
Approval of Minutes: Finance Committee January 4, 2023 and Board of Trustees January 9, 2023 President Crawford moved to approve both sets of minutes which was seconded by Trustee Milschewski. A correction was noted by Ms. Augustine in the January 4 Finance Committee meeting. On page 2, under Backflow Testing, the $87,000 should be on a second line under Professional Services. On a new motion and second by Mr. Crawford and Ms. Milschewski, respectively, the January 4th minutes were approved with the correction. In a second motion, Mr. Crawford and Ms. Milschewski moved and seconded, respectively, to approve the January 9th Board of Trustee minutes. Roll call for both motions : Reifsteck-yes, Schumacher-yes, Shimp-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Crawford-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes. Carried 8-0.
Correspondence:
Director Augustine read a letter from Dixie DeBord announcing her retirement on May 5, 2023 after 23 years at the library. A small party will be held on that day.
Public Comment: None
Friends of the Library Report:
Ms. Neustrom said the mini-golf was a huge success and over $10,000 profit was made, half of which was raised by Katelyn Gregory. She said there were many positive comments. She detailed the money being appropriated for specific programs during the Friends meeting today. They will also supply the refreshments for Ms. DeBord's party. She said that Mike Curtis created a wish list and costs for programs he would like to present. The Friends will be applying to become a 501(c)(3) allowing them to apply for grants. She provided additional facts regarding the costs and she said it takes about 3-6 months for approval of the application. President Crawford commented that there is a large amount of money earmarked for libraries.
Staff Comment: None
Report of the Treasurer:
Financial Statement
Treasurer Milschewski highlighted some of the bills for the month including the $14,081 Trico bill for 72 hours of work including parts. Ms. Milschewski has asked the Director to provide a detailed report /total of the Trico invoices for 2022.
Payment of Bills
Treasurer Milschewski entertained a motion to pay the bills as follows and President Crawford seconded.
$41,501.93 Accounts Payable
$35,789.79 Payroll
$77,291.72 Total
Roll call: Reifsteck-yes, Schumacher-yes, Shimp-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Crawford-yes, Forristall yes, Garcia-yes. Carried 8-0.
Report of the Library Director:
Director Augustine reported the following:
1. Over 800 people attended the mini-golf and 500 people paid to play golf.
2. Mike Curtis is putting together a volunteer information meeting on February 22nd for an English Language Learners class. He is also doing a climate change meeting on February 15th.
3. Ms. Weiss is holding a SAT/ACT success Webinar class.
4. A poetry in art program is being done by Ms. Iwanski-Goist on February 25th.
5. A “military healthcare 101” for veterans is being held by Mr. Curtis to help them sign up for Medicare.
6. A paranormal group reached out to Mr. Curtis and on March 29th they will talk about their research.
7. April 11th will host a “Belly of the Beast” Martin Luther King program.
8. Received quote of $1,200 to repair roof drain leak.
9. HVAC had some glitches causing the air handler to shut off fans when it went into night mode and Mr. Raasch re-set the computer.
10. Staff will take CPR training as a result of a recent medical emergency at library.
11. Resignation letters were received from Ms. DeBord and a part-time staffer, both jobs are posted.
12. Received a reminder from Kendall County Clerk that Board members must file Statement of Economic Interest, deadline of May 1. There is a financial charge if that date is missed.
13. Ms. Augustine attended library road trip meeting. Yorkville has partnered with 18 other libraries and the event opens in March through end of May. Friends will sponsor grand prize and giveaways. President Crawford noted the great increase in visits to the library and that the programs have doubled from last year. Ms. Augustine said Mr. Curtis has added many programs with 61 this year and 31 last year for the same time period.
City Council Liaison: None
Standing Committees: None
Unfinished Business:
HVAC Update
Ms. Augustine noted the $14,000 HVAC bill with details of the services provided. She said the system seems to be working well at this time.
New Business:
City of Yorkville Solar Plan – Library Site
The Board reviewed the presentation from earlier in the meeting. Comments and concerns included: the project was possibly put on hold with the city, concern for possible loss of franchise, not sold on the project, the roof's age may preclude the project, a flat roof has a lower lifespan than metal, must sign agreement before engineering study, locked into agreement for 25 years, timeline is aggressive, would be beneficial to have someone from the city meet with the Board, might need new roof, if not enough roof is covered it won't be beneficial, savings might not be adequate, most projects are ground-mounted and concern for 25 year guarantee. The next step will be to have a discussion with the city.
Reminder to File SEI Form with County
Ms. Augustine reminded Board members that these forms are due May 1st. She can provide a link for information and the County Clerk website has information. There is also a facts sheet which is included in the agenda packet.
Set Finance Committee Meeting Date for FY24 Budget Planning
Ms. Augustine has received a revised budget from the city and a meeting date of February 27th at 6pm was set for the Finance Committee.
Review of Executive Session Minutes
Tabled until March.
Executive Session: None
Additional Business: None
Adjournment:
There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 8:13pm
https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5064
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