Library Board Swears In Damein Phoenix, Moves to Cover Overdrawn Trustee Trust Account

The Board of Trustees welcomed Damein Phoenix, vice principal of Glen Ridge High School, as its new Superintendent's Delegate, replacing Matthew Murphy. Phoenix abstained on votes to approve the minutes of the June 14, July 5, and August 8 meetings, all of which predated his appointment; Geoffrey Darby also abstained on the June 14 and July 5 minutes votes before voting aye on the August 8 minutes. Carol Harpster was absent for the entire meeting.

The finance committee reported that the Trustee Trust sub-account was $160 overdrawn, and the board voted unanimously to move $5,000 from the Trustee Building sub-account to cover it, noting no penalties applied since both are sub-accounts of the same primary Trustee account. Trustees also unanimously accepted the August bills list and Treasurer's report, with spending pacing on-target at 65.7% of the annual budget through August. The board is weighing whether to keep its current auditor after the firm proposed raising its fee from $6,000 to $7,500; the Director found other libraries paying as little as $2,500 and, along with the Business Manager, will review alternatives. Geoffrey Darby separately suggested moving trustee cash accounts into interest-bearing vehicles such as Treasury Direct, which the Director will research with the business manager and auditors.

On the library's state-funded building project, the board heard that a construction contract with GJG Construction was set to be signed September 14, with a timeline and furniture/flooring quotes expected by the October meeting, and a tentative December 15 installation date was set for a new chiller to be funded by the borough. A proposal for "gender-all" bathroom signage using icons like unicorns and robots drew a pointed objection from Trustee Harry Rush, who said the "whatever" label could read as dismissive; Director Tina Marie Doody agreed to check with the vendor for more inclusive alternatives. The board unanimously approved an updated Safe Child Policy restoring a pre-pandemic requirement that children under 8 be supervised by a caregiver at least 14 years old, along with gender-neutral pronoun updates.

The Director also announced that trustees Harry Rush and Carol Harpster do not plan to renew their terms, with the board planning to recruit replacements from last year's board-candidate pool and through a public posting.

What to watch

• Contract signing with GJG Construction (September 14) for the library's building project, with a timeline and furniture/flooring quotes expected by October
• Decision on retaining or replacing the library's auditor amid a proposed fee increase from $6,000 to $7,500
• Recruitment to fill upcoming board vacancies as Harry Rush and Carol Harpster do not plan to renew
• Vendor review of more inclusive alternatives to the proposed gender-neutral bathroom signage