LFNAC Minutes May 24, 2008

The Library Facilities Needs Assessment Committee met at the Hatfield Public Library at 9:10 a.m.

Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Harold Green, Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick, Lynn Omasta, and Mike Paszek
Absent: Mary Williams

We met outside on the lawn. Our usual meeting space, the adult non-fiction room in the basement, was too dark to use. The lights had overheated two days earlier and cannot be used until they are replaced. There is no other space available for 8 people to meet inside the library.

We began by making a tally of the top 4 choices of architects from each committee member. Durland Van Voorhis and DRA were the top two. Hale, Margo Jones, Michael Rosenfeld and Tappe were tied, and we began discussing these four in hopes of narrowing the choices to two.

MOVED and SECONDED: that Margo Jones be one of the architects interviewed. There are some committee members who know Margo, know her work, like her and know they can work with her. Her firm is small which means she is actively involved in all projects; she is also local. Other members voiced concerns that her firm may be too small and lack depth; her evaluations on DCAM are not as good as some other companies; she has not built many libraries, and her response to our RFQ was not as strong as some others.

The motion was TABLED until after discussing all of the remaining architects.

Do we want to interview all 6? Should we try to eliminate more companies? After more discussion, the five finalists are Durland Van Voorhis, DRA, Hale, Margo Jones, and Michael Rosenfeld.

The committee set 5 dates for interviews. The dates are all Mondays and Thursdays: July 10, 14, 17, 28, and 31 all at 6:00 p.m. Architects are expected to give a presentation as part of the interview process. Interviews will be held at Smith Academy and will be televised for broadcast on the local cable station. Harold will make the arrangements. Sheila will notify the architects as to our choices for finalists and schedule interview dates

Sheila is still working on the building program, specifically the sections on functional space. The draft of what she has completed to date will be sent to the five finalists before the scheduled interviews.

Sheila submitted an invoice for payment for the hours she has worked beyond her regular schedule. MOVED, SECONDED and VOTED to pay the invoice from grant funds.

Next meeting will be Saturday, June 7, 9:00 a.m. at the Hatfield Public Library. We will prepare questions that we want the architects to answer as part of the interview process.

The following meeting will be Saturday, June 21, 9:00 a.m. at the Hatfield Public Library.

Meeting adjourned at 10:33 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary