Glen Ridge library board approves $105K furniture buy as renovation moves forward
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The board approved a series of construction-related expenditures tied to the ongoing library renovation funded partly by a state Bond Act grant. Trustees approved up to $105,000 for furniture and décor from Creative Library Concepts and up to $9,000 for shelving removal and collection moving/storage with Anchor. The borough had transferred its $250,000 matching capital contribution into the Trustee Building Account (bringing that account to $371,000), with 75% of the state's grant match now received.
On finance, the board voted to move nearly all library cash reserves — general operating funds above a $25,000 working-capital cushion, plus the Trustee Building, New Technology and Trustee Capital accounts — into the New Jersey Cash Management Fund to capture roughly 5% interest, after Treasurer David Lefkovits determined municipalities can't use Treasury Direct but can use this state-run alternative. The board also adopted the borough's amended COVID-19 policy, which will update the personnel manual to require immediate notification of exposure to a contagious disease.
In other business, the board revised its notary policy — barring notarization for the first and last 15 minutes of open hours and raising the out-of-town fee to $2.50 per signature — and approved a Mango Languages database subscription for up to $1,200. Duct cleaning was postponed until after construction wraps up, and Geoffrey Darby, Jeanna Velechko and Bernice Bonnett were named to a search committee to fill two open trustee seats.
In the vote to approve the September 13 meeting minutes, Board President Carol Harpster abstained; all other votes that evening, including the furniture, moving, notary-policy, Mango Languages and NJ Cash Management Fund motions, passed unanimously.
What to watch
- Director to finalize the process for investing library funds in the NJ Cash Management Fund
- Trustee search committee working to fill two open board seats
- Duct cleaning with Shoot Masters postponed until after construction completes