February 19, 2014 Middletown Township Sewerage Authority Meeting

Here is a video from the February 19th meeting of the Township of Middletown Sewerage Authority (TOMSA). It's quite a bit longer than the previous video posted of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees meeting that took place the same evening. I haven't had time to watch the full video yet and hope to get back to it later.

The meeting opened up by nominating officers for the coming year and nominating/appointing/approving of various vendors and contracts. The board had to go into executive session within the fist five minutes of the meeting to discuss a few appointments.

Interestingly, TOMSA board member Tom Stokes wasn't in attendance. He happens to be a snowbird during the winter months and phones in for meetings, I really don' see why this is allowed. How can he perform the duties of his position if he is out of town for a good part of the year?

February 19, 2014 Middletown Township Public Library Meeting

It you're a library advocate take a look at the latest video from the February 19th meeting of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees. It's a short 19 minute video so you can breeze right through it.

Middletown Library Appoints Kim Rinaldi Provisional Library Director

For Immediate Release:
January 15th, 2014

The Middletown Township Public Library and the Township of Middletown are pleased to announce the appointment of Kim Rinaldi as Provisional Library Director, beginning on February 24, 2014. Ms. Rinaldi will earn a salary of $95,000.00 per year.

Ms. Rinaldi comes to the Middletown Township Public Library after having served as the Library Director of the Margaret E. Heggen Free Public Library in Washington Township, New Jersey. During her tenure in Washington Township, Ms. Rinaldi managed 26 employees and a $2.5 million annual budget. Ms. Rinaldi has also served as the Director of the Brielle Public Library and as a Senior Librarian at the Ocean County Library, Long Beach Island Branch in Surf City, New Jersey.

Ms. Rinaldi holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from Texas Womens College and has extensive experience in library administration, budgeting and project management. Ms. Rinaldi is credited with outsourcing material cataloging and processing at the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library, reducing annual operating costs by $150,000.00. Ms. Rinaldi also managed a successful $2 million library building project.

Ms. Rinaldi is excited to begin her new position as Provisional Library Director and looks forward to working with the Board of Trustees, staff and residents to continue to make the Middletown Township Public Library a premier resource and destination of choice for the residents of the Township.

December 18, 2013 Middletown Planning Special Board & Middletown Township Public Library Meetings

Here are a couple of videos that I had meant to post earlier in the month but due to the holidays I missed posting hem in a timely manner. Both videos are rather long and I haven't had time to review them completely. The Planning Board meeting however did receive a write-up on Middletown Patch. It was at this meeting that the Planning Board was to give final approval for or against the Taylor Lane housing development. I believe that approval of the site plan for Taylor Lane was turned down and the developer is appealing.



The Library Board of Trustees Meeting was held this same night as the Planning Board meeting. Some questions were asked about the new library budget and lively discussion was held about the purchase, rental and subsequent loss of various DVD's and audio CD's. The discussion turned somewhat petty and really was more about how the library spends its funds at year end rather than how the DVD's and CD's are borrowed. Here is a copy of the meeting agenda.

September 18, 2013 Middletown Library Board Meeting

As promised here is the video from last night's meeting of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees. As discussed earlier it was at last night's meeting that the board announced the resignation of Library Director Susan O'Neal.

The video was posted only a few minutes ago so I haven't had the opportunity to fully watch it but the little that I have seen is interesting. The 2 comments by attendees prior to the board going into executive session were impassioned (as were the comments afterwards) but of most interest of course, is the announcement that Ms. O'Neal had resigned her position at the library. The library board voted unanimously to accept Ms. O'Neal's but voted 6-1 on the compensation package given her as a result of her resignation.

Watch it:

Middletown Library Director Susan O'Neal resigns

At last night's Middletown Library Board of Trustees meeting, the Board attorney Mr. McOmber, announced that Library Director Susan O'Neal had resigned her position after securing a package to walk away. There is an article up on the Asbury Park Press's website written by reporter Susanne Cervenka, the article is a little misleading but worth reading. For convenience I posted the article below but will post the video of the meeting as soon as it is processed.

Don't be fooled, getting rid of Susan O'Neal as Library Director will not end the library's troubles...the future of the library is bleaker now than before since Ms. O'Neal will not be there to shield it from township control any longer. Unfortunately you can't reason with psychopaths and expect positive outcomes:

MIDDLETOWN — Embattled Middletown Township Public Library Director Susan O’Neal resigned Wednesday night after controversy that has been lingering for at least two months.

Middletown Library Board of Trustees tonight also approved a settlement with O’Neal. The terms of that agreement were not disclosed. Library Attorney R. Armen McOmber said Middletown Township is also a party to the settlement and still needs to approve it.
No interim director was appointed to replace O’Neal. Library President Brock Siebert said the three department managers within the library will report directly to him for the time being. The library board’s personnel committee will be responsible for making a longer term appointment.

McOmber advised all library trustees against discussing personnel matters.
O’Neal was given a Rice notice, a formal notification that her employment was going to be discussed, in advance of the July 17 meeting.

That came shortly after emails regarding the library were released via public records request by Committeeman Anthony Fiore between O’Neal’s private Hotmail account and Linda Baum, a library supporter, frequent critic of Middletown government and Democratic candidate for Township Committee. Fiore, who is now on the library board, has said previously he believes those emails prove O’Neal was orchestrating crowds at library trustee meetings to sway board action.

O’Neal’s resignation also came 5½ months after it was discovered that the library actually had an extra $156,000 that arose from a township audit in September 2012. O’Neal has said in public meetings that she did not know about the funds when the library trustees working on their 2013 budget, which eliminated funding for three satellite branches.
The closure of the branches prompted outrage from residents who used them.

Where In Middletown Is Susan O'Neal?

Conspicuously missing from the meeting agenda of tomorrow's (Sept. 18th) meeting of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees is the name of Library Director Susan O'Neal. It's nowhere to be found.

Has Ms. O'Neal been quietly relieved of her duties as Library Director after last weeks special meeting of the Board of Trustees where no public action was taken after the board spent nearly 45 minutes in executive session? That's a distinct  possibility, I've been told that she hasn't been seen at the library for a few days and that her office has been cleared out.

If that is the case than I am truly sorry to hear it.  Ms. O'Neal was a well respected librarian though out the state and true advocate for Middletown's Library system whose downfall was set into motion when she and others who had sat on the library's Board of Trustees openly opposed the transfer nearly $750K of dedicated and surplus funds from the Middletown Library to the Township Committee over the past 2+ years.  

I have an email out to Ms. O'Neal but frankly, I don't expect her to respond. If she does I'll pass along her response. In the meantime, I wish her well and I hope the best for her. She deserves better.



 

No Action Taken At Last Night's Library Board Meeting

I couldn't attend last night's special meeting of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees due to my work schedule but from what I've heard it was rather anti-climatic.

After opening the public meeting and then going directly into executive session for about 45 minutes, then meeting was re-opened for public comments, after which the library board took no action regarding the initial purpose of the meeting which was to discuss the performance of a certain staff member (believed to be Library Director Susan O'Neal).

Board members Tony Fiore and Cynthia Wilson were absent, as were Susan O'Neal and Wendy Latona.
Reporters from the  Independent and Asbury Park Press were there and will more than likely have additional information on the meeting later this week.

Which leaves me to ask, what were these clowns hoping to achieve last night that couldn't have been done at a normal meeting?

The extra $156,000 in library reserves, where it came from, who knew and when

by Linda Baum
Sept. 9, 2013

There is a special meeting of the Middletown Library board this Wednesday, September 11 at 6 pm. The board will go into executive session soon after the public meeting opens. Another public session will follow later that evening, and board action is expected. I encourage residents to attend.

If you’ve been following library news over the last couple of years, you know a lot has gone on, much of it following the installation of an almost entirely new board last year.

On March 1st of this year, the library’s Bayshore, Lincroft and Navesink branches closed following a truly dedicated public effort to keep them open, even for a short while. It came down to money, where about $300K was needed annually to operate all three, not counting renovation or major repairs. Given what was known at the time about available funding, the trustees made the decision to close.

Then in May, an extra $156K materialized. The additional reserve stems from the Township’s 2011 audit, which resulted in the discovery of an error made by auditors earlier in the year. We are not told what the error was, but it suffices to say that this occurrence is out of the ordinary.

Edmunds, the accounting software Middletown uses, is updated by department to reflect the audit results. The Edmunds system should have shown an increase in library reserves of $156K sometime in the last quarter of 2012 – should have, but didn’t. Edmunds system reports dated as recently as April 30th don’t show the extra money. Suddenly, in May it was there.

An important point is that library employees only view what’s on the Edmunds system for the revenue information they need and print what’s there. The Township’s finance department bears full responsibility for the accuracy of what’s listed.

Regardless, Township Committeeman and new library board member Tony Fiore wasted no time pointing a finger at the library’s director. And of course Fiore has made sure to go on record now, after never having voiced an opinion before, that he wouldn’t have approved of the closing of the branches if he’d known. His remarks are disingenuous considering it’s well known that the Township needed those buildings for office space. (The former Bayshore branch now houses the Township offices formerly located at Croyden Hall, and the Lincroft branch will be the new location for the Crossroads Program.)

Other members of our Township Committee have done a good job staying out of this, or appearing to, including current mayor Gerry Scharfenberger and former library trustee Kevin Settembrino, who are up for re-election this year.

While we can only wonder if any member of the Township Committee or library board knew last fall about the extra money, there are two things we do know with certainty:

One, we know that the Edmunds system was first updated to reflect the additional $156K reserve on or about May 1st of this year. We know that because the library has printouts of the Edmunds system report that shows reserve levels in late April and again in early May of this year. See them here. The reports clearly show that the jump occurred on or about the beginning of May 2013. The $209K reserve shown on the May report is the sum of the $156K and a reserve of $53K that the library knew about but that the Township had not yet released for the library’s use.

Further, the library has printouts of the same report for each month dating back to the fall of 2012, and none shows the additional monies.

Two, we know that the Edmunds system has long been the agreed-upon protocol for communication between the Township and the Library. We know that because our Township CFO, Nick Trasente, stated it with crystal clarity in his May 10th memo to Committeeman Fiore. In an excerpt from that memo, Mr. Trasente states, “Each year, after verification of these balances and obtaining adjustments from our auditors, we make this balance available to the library director through Edmunds…” He then goes on to acknowledge the diligence of the library director in monitoring system updates, pretty much confirming the finance department’s failure to make the update timely. You can read Trasente’s May 10th memo here.

Given the damning nature of Trasente’s memo for the Township – the memo is a smoking gun – it’s not surprising that Committeeman Fiore wants to downplay it now. At the August 21st board meeting, he didn’t want to talk about the Edmunds system at all.

Here is a link to the video from the August 21st library board meeting: http://youtu.be/8WBYbllBM5E



See time stamp 1:36:00 on the video to see library director Susan O’Neal discuss the reserve issue. She provides a good summary and chronology of events.

The library trustees are now well aware of the sudden appearance of the reserves in the Edmunds system in May. They should also be aware that the delay in updating the Edmunds system for the reserves is not an isolated problem. Rather, it’s a symptom of the ongoing difficulty the Township is having managing administrative functions, including keeping its accounting system current. Among other issues, the Edmunds system is many months behind on reflecting library bill payments made by the Township. To be clear, while checks may have been cut from the library’s municipal appropriation for vouchers submitted by the library, the Edmunds system does not show the payments until months later. Library trustee Larry Nelsen alluded to this at the August 21st meeting (see time stamp 1:56:30 on the video). Further, Ms. O’Neal has said often that she needs to remind the CFO and his assistant to move year-end reserves into a spending account for the library’s use and that frequent follow-up is required.

These are the facts to the best of my understanding. I welcome input from the Township’s CFO, and I would like the library trustees to address the specific issue of when the Edmunds system update should have been done in line with established protocol. They should also question why the CFO, who must have known that the accounting system was nowhere near up to date, wouldn’t communicate knowledge of a substantial sum of money when he had ample opportunity to do so.

Special Library Board Meeting Scheduled for Sept. 11th

A special meeting of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees has been called for Wednesday night at 6pm in the Community Room of the main library located on New Monmouth Rd. As you can see from the note below issued by Board President Brock Siebert, someone's head may be about to roll!

This is purely speculation on my part, I have no information to confirm my suspicions however, I would think that the staff person in question just my be Library Director Susan O'Neal. Tony Fiore and his hand picked Board of Trustees have been gunning for her for a long time now and they just might be ready to make their move after last month's meeting which can be viewed ... HERE.

I hope i'm wrong and if I didn't have to go to work Wednesday night, I would be at the library to show my support for whoever this mysterious staff member may be. I hope that some of the readers here could show up in my place instead to show support.

The raiding of library funds and the systematic dismantling of the former library board and the defamation of certain members thereof and its Library Director, who only wished to protect the library's best interests and mission over the past 2 years, is a travesty. Middletown is better than this, unfortunately members of Middletown's Township Committee aren't.

In Defense of Library Director Susan O’Neal’s Library Advocacy

Last Wednesday, July 17 there was a small group of 9 or so attendees at the meeting of the Middletown Library Board.   During public comments at the start of the meeting (time: 8:34), Middletown resident Elizabeth Mitchell spoke eloquently in support of Library Director Susan O’Neal’s advocacy for the library.

Ms. Mitchell addressed a number of the unreasonable criticisms in the news of late and provided clear thinking in their place. She spoke without any script and received ample applause from the small group of public attendees. Here's what she had to say:

"My name is Elizabeth Mitchell. I have lived in this township of Middletown since 1967. I was employed as an adjunct instructor at Monmouth University and for about 40 years as an English instructor at Ocean County College.

I am deeply concerned about the issues of FREE SPEECH which I have spoken on publicly and sometimes in very controversial situations throughout my career.

I have a high opinion of the library and the way that it has been run during my nearly entirely adult life in this township.

I do not like the tone of the kind of commentary that is coming from a certain Committeeman and it does not seem to be being responded to by the Trustees of the library. I guess in terms of the agenda what I would be speaking to is your mission statement and it seems extremely startling to me that anyone would expect the head of the library to be passive or to be unconcerned about issues that affect the funding of the library.

What would you think of a football coach whose team, let’s say it was a high school coach whose team fumbled and lost and did not go through proper training processes season after season and the coach said, “Well I’m an impartial person. I’m just you know in favor of athletics and I pride myself on my detachment from the whole concern.

I think that any public librarian much less the head of the library should receive a

HERO MEDAL for standing up for public funding for the library, for wanting open public records when it comes to shutting down branch libraries, who would communicate with people who might be concerned about the fate of the library.

I think that’s a VOCATION and you’re very lucky if you have someone who regards a job as a vocation. Some businessmen are like that, I mean they really want to serve the public. They don’t look at it simply like a cash transfer concern. The best doctors, the best teachers, have a big investment in the concerns that they are employed in and that is certainly true for a library.

I think we’re all dealing with a kind of stereotype of librarians that is terribly outdated. I mean I look at this report that came out I guess in the email of the Asbury Park Press. It says “Susan O’Neal played more than just a passive role in the library imbroglios”. Well let’s hope that its more than just a passive role! 

If the head of the library is unconcerned about the fate of the library, you’ve got a huge, huge, problem, and you should be supporting her to the max.

Now I do not have any personal connection with Susan O’Neal. I belong to a discussion group that meets monthly to discuss major books and the discussions there are focused on the books. I do not know any of the other people who have been involved in the issues that you’ve been discussing. But I think behind all of it is a terribly important principle that has to do with apparently not expecting leadership from the people that you’ve hired to be leaders. I mean it just seems, it seems incredible.

I’d like to make an analogy and this has to do with the statement that Susan O’Neal approved the closing of the branch libraries and then backed off from that. If you have a prisoner and you lock the prisoner in a cell and you gave him a choice between water or food and they choose water then would you accuse them of deliberately starving themselves to death? Because it seems to me that that is the kind of irrational logic that’s going on here that somebody who has their budget cut is then criticized for making decisions with what can be accomplished with a diminished budget.

I think it’s time for a wake-up call; I am really alarmed at what you are letting happen here."

Well said.

To see what else happened during the July 17th meeting of  the Middletown Library Board you can watch the video below, its run time is a little more than an hour long. A lot happened at the meeting that should be of interest to many, so take the time and watch it.



(Thanks go to M.E. for transcribing Ms. Mitchell's comment.)

APP: Judge's email ruling abets petty politics

In today's editorial section of the Asbury Park Press, the APP has chimed in on the petty politics that passes as governing these days in Middletown.

But before getting to the opinion piece, here's a little background info of my own to fill you in:

Middletown's former mayor, current Township Committeeman Tony Fiore, prior to having himself appointed to the Middletown Library's Board of Trustees last month, requested the township clerk to file a "blanket" OPRA request for 18 months worth of correspondences (both private and public) between library advocates Linda Baum and Melanie Elminger and library director Susan O'Neal. He was seeking information as to how members of the public could have "confidential" library information before that information was made "public" during library board meetings.

In response to this blanket email Ms. Baum, who is a candidate for Township Committee and a frequent contributor here, filed a temporary restraining order lawsuit against Fiore's request, seeking the "right of review" of any emails released to ensure that proper care was given while redacting personal information.

Last week Judge Larry Lawson denied her request stating that the emails in question were of public nature and therefore should be released without review of Ms. Baum, entrusting library board attorney Armen McOmber to properly redact information that was private in nature.

In the days since the release of the emails, Ms. Baum's privacy concerns have been validated. Mr. McOmber was not diligent in complying with the law by making appropriate redactions before the release of the emails. He failed to redact person information such as Ms. Baum's phone number and personal work products.

This clear failure demonstrates why a person with a privacy interest should have a legal right of review and why Ms. Baum's suit was not frivolous in nature.

Now here is what the APP had to say:

You expect local politicians now and then to engage in childish antics. What you don’t expect is for a judge to encourage such behavior. 

But that’s what happened last week when Superior Court Judge Lawrence Lawson ruled that emails between Middletown Library Director Susan O’Neal and Township Committee candidate Linda Baum are public records and should be released. 

Lawson should have refused the request, given the absence of any real public interest.
Middletown Committeeman Anthony Fiore turned to the courts to seek release of the emails and other written correspondence, including those regarding library business sent from O’Neal’s personal account, after he suspected library staff was giving information to the public before the library trustees were aware of it, in order to create “political theater.”
The emails may have been poor form on the part of Baum and O’Neal, but hardly an act so egregious that the court should get involved. There is no hint of illegality in the emails Fiore was seeking, and he seemed less motivated by principle than by politics. 

Fiore insisted, however, that his request was made in the public interest: “To me, (the emails were) undermining the board’s position, even though it didn’t have an opinion at the time,” he said. 

Really? How can an opinion be undermined before an opinion is even proffered?
Judge Lawson should have kept out of it. 

Baum said through her lawyer that she would not appeal. That’s good news. Somebody has to be the grown-up.

Taking Crossroads to Lincroft

Last week I posted how Trinity Hall, the all girls "catholic" school, demanded that Middletown remove Crossroads, the Middletown substance abuse service from its long time home at Croydon Hall by June 30th as part of Trinity's $285K lease agreement.

Crossroads at Croydon Hall

At the time of the posting it wasn't clear where within the township Crossroads could relocate to. It had been rumored that the program would be moved to the old Bayshore Branch of the Middletown Library located in Port Monmouth, since it was township property and Middletown was relocating the Recreation Department and a couple of other services that were housed at Croydon Hall there. That idea was scrapped however when it was learned that the building has structural issues and is too small to provided private counseling areas for the individuals and families that use Crossroads services. So, where will Crossroads be relocated to? It seems that the Township has approached the Middletown Board of Education (BOE) and has requested that Crossroads be relocated to the former Lincroft Branch of the Middletown Library. The BOE owns this build and it has sat empty since the library closed back in April when the Middletown Library Board of Trustees decided to close its satellite branches due to budget constraints . The BOE has pledged to lease the building to the township for just $1.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm happy to hear that the township has found a new home for Crossroads and the substance abuse services that it provides, but there are a few issues with moving Crossroads that can affect its moving to Lincroft:


1st off, the building in general, needs a lot of work - work that the libray was gearing up to fix before Tony  Fiore and his cronies put their fingers into the til and swipped the library's surpluses.

2nd, the interior of the building needs to be remodeld to provide private office space for counselors and other social service workers.

3rd, I'm told that the service contracts of the various counselors are very specific due to state and federal grant money need to fund Crossroads. The counselors can not just move to a new location. The new location needs to be approved by the state before a move could be possible and the counselor's service agreements/contracts need to be amended and approved before they can counsel individuals or families. And what happens with those individuals who are currently performing community service at  as a result of drug and alcohol legal offenses, who are currently working at Croydon Hall, helping out at the Senior Center? You just can't change the terms of their court ordered community service

Lincroft Library

4th, the building is located directly across from the Lincroft Elementary School. If Trinity doesn't want Crossroads at Croydon Hall how will Lincroft parents feel when they find out that Crossroads and those it services will be directly across the street from where their kids are going to school? I doubt they'll like it very much.

So the questions I have in my mind are as follows:

Who's paying for the building upgrades? The BOE, the Township or Crossroads? What are the legal ramifications of moving Crossroads from Croydon Hall?  How will the BOE react if/when school parents start bitching about Crossroads moving in across the street? And what's up with the integrity of School Superintendent  Dr. George? He personally assured a number of Library supporters that before anything is done with the Lincroft building the BOE would hold discussions with library advocates and school groups to determine the best possible use of the facility before any decisions about the build were made. Obviously that hasn't happened.

Middletown needs Crossroads and the substance abuse services that the program provides, it should not be moved. It needs to stay where it is. If /when it does move, it has to be done in timely fashion, it can't be rushed to meet Trinity's unrealistic June 30th time frame.

Middletown Library to be closed Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day

If you have been a Sunday patron of the Middletown Library you need to read this will affect you.

A decision was made at Wednesday night’s meeting of the Middletown Library Board to close the Library on Sundays between Memorial Day and Labor Day, adding Sundays in June and the first week of September to the usual Sunday closures in July and August.

The decision was made in response to higher than expected costs related to packing and moving materials from the satellite branches and extending operation of the branches from January 25 to March 1.

If Truth Be Told, Brookdale Looked The Other Way In Birdsall Conflict of Interest

While acting as chairman of Brookdale Community College's board of trustees for more than 20 years,  Howard Birdsall, was a major shareholder and former CEO of Birdsall Services Group (BSG), which would have seemed to be in violation of the college's strick "conflict-of-interest" policy.  In an article published last week in the Independent titled "County, towns caught up in Birdsall probe", officials at Brookdale stated no:

“At no time during his tenure as a member of the board did Brookdale conduct business with Birdsall Services Group,” the statement read. “The bylaws of the board of trustees clearly state that ‘no board member or employee shall have a direct or indirect interest, financial or otherwise, in a contract with the college,’ and this conflict-of-interest policy is strictly enforced.”

If that statement is to be believed than how does Brookdale officials explain their connection with BSG and its role as energy procurement consultant for the County College Electric and Natural Gas Consortium?

As per BSG's website:

In our role as energy procurement consultant for the County College Electric and Natural Gas Consortium, we initially acquired historical data using an Electronic Data Interchange ("EDI") system, secured, and assembled the most recent 12-month historical usage data from the current supplier(s). BSG prepared comprehensive bid documents that were submitted electronically and by hard copy to all licensed third party suppliers in New Jersey. Upon receipt of competitive bids from third party suppliers, BSG performed a bid analysis and determined that it was in the best interest of to the County College Energy Consortium to enter a utility contract with the lowest bidding New Jersey BPU-licensed Third Party Supplier (TPS). The County College Electric Consortium included Mercer, Middlesex, Union, Burlington, and Bergen County Colleges. The County College Natural Gas Consortium includes Bergen, Brookdale, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Mercer, Morris, Ocean, Raritan, and Sussex County Colleges.

BSG remains the energy procurement consultant for the County College Natural Gas Energy Consortium.

It's pretty obvious from the screenshot above that BSG had a relationship with Brookdale, how else do you explain their use of a picture of the college's Larrison Hall on their website? It is also obvious that as a member of the County College Consortium, Brookdale looked the other way, in clear violation of its so-called "strick" conflict-of-interest policy and allowed Howard Birdsall to remain, not only as a member of Brookdale's board of trustees, but as its chairman.

Why would Brookdale lie about this? Maybe they figured that after Birdsall resigned his position on the board in the wake of the scandal that encompassed former college president Peter Burnham, they thought that no one would find out about this and they wouldn't have to answer any additional questions.

Who knows really? But the bottom line is that it is always better to be up front and straight about a situation rather than try and hide it. If you attempt to hide it, then flags get raised and before you know mountains are made out of mole hills and smoke begins to rise and where's there smoke, there's usually fire.

Middletown Township Public Library Meeting

As promised here is the video of Wednesday night's Middletown Library Board of Trustees meeting



And here is a rundown of what was discussed during the meeting and how the Library Board of  Trustees voted on closing the satellite branches of the library submitted to me by someone who was in attendance Wednesday night:

The Bayshore branch will no longer operate as a library but will still have computers and copiers to accommodate residents who are still struggling after Sandy. Middletown Township owns the building and will likely move offices there. Some materials will be brought back to the main branch and the remaining materials then offered to the elementary schools nearby.

The Navesink Branch will remain open on a limited basis under the control of the Duryea-Navesink Library Association---it seems they will operate like a reading room with volunteer staff, and the materials will remain at the branch until the Duryea-Navesink Library Association asks the Library Board to remove them. Other details were not discussed. The Association are determined to reach their 100th Anniversary celebration.

The Lincroft branch will close and the property returned to the Board of Education. Maintenance issues and upgrades were cited as the reason for closure by the Board.

The concessions given to the Lincroft and Navesink communities by the Library Board are:

• 1. The Navesink collection will remain mostly intact, but the computers will be removed. After moving some materials to the main branch, they would allow the Lincroft Elementary teaching staff to pick out materials from the Lincroft Library and offer some items to Luftman Towers and senior centers.
• 2. A 4th and 5th grade library training program will be initiated through the schools, either at the library or via internet
• 3. The preschoolers will have Story time for 6-8 more weeks at the branch if the library can find a volunteer among their staff to provide this service.
• 4. The book drop will remain open until May 1.

The votes to adopt the budget which included the branch closures were 5-2 as follows:
Siebert - YES
Nelsen - YES
Vitkansas - YES
Siwiec - YES
Monaghan - NO
Wilson - NO
Breen - YES (She said her heart wanted to vote No, and she asked if she could abstain, and she eventually voted YES)
Cordiano, Mayor's appointee - ABSENT (He knew at the January 16th Library Board meeting that he would not be in attendance tonight, and on that night I asked him to request that Dr. Scharfenberger attend this meeting.)
Convery - RESIGNED; Resignation letter submitted a week after the January 16th Library Board meeting (announced tonight, not prior to the meeting).

Mr. Monaghan showed tremendous courage before the vote by asking what savings could be derived from cutting back hours at the main branch, perhaps by closing Sundays (as in the summer). He asked why the Library Board was elevating the importance of operating hours at the main branch over keeping the satellite branches open. He insisted that there must be other options presented, like a package of cuts to consider besides just closing the branches. He asked for a recess of 5 minutes so that the Library Director Susan O'Neal could find any data defining the cost to operate on Sundays. It turned out that it costs the library $91,000 to remain open on Sundays (41 days total)....not enough by itself to keep the branches open. There was also some discussion on whether the labor contracts may or may not impact that cost.

Library Branches In Middletown To Close

At last night's meeting of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees, the board voted 5-2 to close the 3 satellite branches of the Middletown Library system; The Bayshore, Lincroft and Navisink branches will be closed as of March 1st.

I wasn't at the meeting last night but have heard quiet a bit about it 2nd hand, I'll be posting a video recording of the nearly 3 hour long meeting when it becomes available later.

In the mean time, Middletown Patch has most of the details posted online and I've posted the fates of each branch below as announced last night and appearing on by Patch.

If you jump over to Patch to read the article make sure to read the comments left by readers. It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant, self-centered, cruel and cold most people are when they choose to post under assumed names and aliases. They are cowardly bullies that would be ashamed of themselves if friends and neighbors ever were to find out their true identities and it is even a bigger shame when those post anonymously because they are afraid to show their support for a cause because they are afraid of potential retribution from Middletown administrators or agencies:


BAYSHORE BRANCH

The Bayshore Branch on Main Street in Port Monmouth is actually owned by the township. O'Neal noted the township's governing body has said that if they make use of the space for offices, they have made a verbal commitment to allow residents to come in to use the public computers there during business hours. If another alternative is needed, the Tonya Keller Center at Ideal Beach could be considered.

The library would allow teachers in the Port Monmouth, Bayside, Ocean Avenue and Harmony Schools to come pick out any materials they can use in their classrooms.

A 4th and 5th grade libary skills training program will be initiated with the local schools, either at the library or via the Internet.

Additional storytime for preschoolers by "Miss Grace" will be scheduled on the same day of the week as they were at the Bayshore branch.

Promotion of the "Books in Schools" program will be stepped up.

The book drop will remain there until May 1.

LINCROFT BRANCH:

The Lincroft library will revert back to the Middletown Board of Education. The library will move slowly on the removal of materials, in the event some alternative comes up.

The Lincroft Elementary School teachers will be invited to come pick out any materials they can use in classrooms.

A 4th and 5th grade libary skills training program will be initiated with the local schools, either at the library or via the Internet.

For preschoolers, if the library can find a volunteer among staff to perform an unpaid service, an additional storytime a preschool storytime will be conducted one morning per week for an additional 6-8 weeks.

At the main library, librarians are already scheduling an additional storytime on the same day of the week (Friday) as it was at the Lincroft branch, with "Miss Eileen" when she is available.

Promotion of the "Books in Schools" program will be stepped up.

The book drop will remain there until May 1.

NAVESINK BRANCH:

The Navesink Library, the original headquarters, is owned by the Duryea-Navesink Library Association.
The library will leave the collection intact, save for some materials needed at the main branch, and computer equipment.

A 4th and 5th grade libary skills training program will be initiated with the local schools, either at the library or via the Internet.

At the main library, librarians are already scheduling an additional storytime on the same day of the week as it was at the Navesink branch.

Promotion of the "Books in Schools" program will be stepped up.

The book drop will remain there open until May 1.

1/16/13 Middletown Library Board Meeting: Library Closing Debated; Video

Last week the Middletown Library Board of Trustee met for its first regularly scheduled meeting of the year. After going through the normal routine of reorganizing the board - which seemed to take longer than necessary due to the relative inexperience of the current make up of the board -  a number of members of the public voiced their objections to the Board concerning the previously announced planned closure of Bayshore, Lincroft and Navesink branches the Middletown Library.

I couldn't attend this meeting myself  and have only been able to watch about half of the video below thus far. But thanks to the many articles popping up in the media about the potential closing of these branches and a concerned library patron and MiddletownMike reader named Tara, I've been able to keep abreast of what transpired during the meeting and what has happened since.

Tara was kind enough to share with me her notes from the meeting - which I've posted here -  so that when you watch the accompanying video, you'll be able to identify areas of concern:

Many residents made impassioned appeals to keep the libraries open. The young lady whose petition you posted on your blog spoke and mentioned studies where property values of homes within 1/4 mile of a library are higher than those further away. Of course, she also spoke about the many wonderful things the library offers.

A woman, Bernadette Masi, made an appeal for the Bayshore Library. She mentioned how Sandy had water surrounding the library but that it survived. She said, "God spared it from Sandy and now this board might take it away". She also talked about how so many residents of that area are using the computers there to fill out FEMA and insurance claims. Also mentioned was how the Bayshore area schools require homework to be submitted electronically and how many children in that area do not have computers. I was surprised, as were many others, when Vivian Breen commented a little later that nobody was making an appeal on behalf of the Bayshore Branch. She made a mistake saying that! That did not go over very well.

So much to write about but I have to rush! A new member of the board looked at the budget and asked how could the health insurance for 30 full time workers be $800,000 when the annual salaries for the entire staff is $1,600,000!? The new member was told if he had been at the meeting when the CFO explained it he would have known. When a resident asked the board during the public part of the meeting that, since they were at the meeting with the CFO, why don't THEY EXPLAIN IT. New board president, Brock Seibert, then acted in a rude manner to that man. But the man said he had every right to express himself for 5 minutes without being interrupted. Seibert told the new board member to speak to the CFO and/or the town administrator in the morning. A women from Lincroft said, "Let's ask the administrator now! He is sitting in the back row!" Seibert seemed very annoyed and basically ignored the request.

Many people offered to volunteer. Susan O'Neil said the workers union does not want volunteers to take away a job from a paid employee. Michael Vitkansas protested that, saying if people want to volunteer to save money to keep a library open that should be encouraged!

Some people said fundraising. Some people said fundraising does not work. I think those people just don't know how to throw a good party!

Michael Winchell of Duryea Navesink Libray Association spoke and mentioned reduced hours, which I also suggested to the board. He also said he was informed 20 days ago and told to keep it quiet.

Another woman spoke about the claims filed by the library staff. She said she the claims of the employees cost $500 but the township charged the library system $100,000 for the claims!

Vivian Breen said to the residents 'that you should have been taking to the township committee'. Someone said, we would have if we knew what was happening, if the library board did not first post this on Jan 11th, when residents have library cards with contact information. Notices could have been mailed to everyone with a library card.

Steve Monaghan and Michael Convery, along with the board's attorney, seemed the most willing to let the community come up with solutions. So the board voted to delay voting on the budget until Feb 20th. The residents came up with three representatives. One will represent each branch. Each will work among their local fellow residents to get a plan, then each representative will meet with the board to show a planned solution for each library.

Susan O'Neil said she could work to do that but I will mention that she did say that she was surprised how nobody mentioned what a beautiful library the main branch is and how she feels that the main library could become the hub of the community. Sure! Children and seniors will walk from their homes, along Route 35, to get to the hub of the community. How long would it take someone from Navesink, Locust, Lincroft or Bayshore to walk to 'the hub of the community'?

There was objection among the newly appointed Board members, enough that the Board decided to hold off on the closings until other methods of funding could be sourced. The Board selected volunteers from each area of town that has a branch to work with the Director and the Finance Committee on alternate funding, in addition to the portion of property taxes already designated for Library funding.

Here is a copy of the meeting agenda which includes the minutes from the December 18,2012 meeting of the library board.

Update on Middletown Township Public Library 2013 Budget and Branch Closings

Closure of the Bayshore, Lincroft and Navesink Branch Libraries has been postponed until March 1, 2013 by the Board of Trustees so that representatives of these local communities within the Township have an opportunity to work with the library’s Finance Committee to develop a viable alternative plan. Representing the Bayshore area will be Bernadette Massey, Melanie Elmiger will represent Lincroft, and Michael Winchell will represent Navesink. On the Library Finance Committee are Brock Siebert, President of the Board, David Siwiec, Treasurer, Lawrence Nelsen, Vice President, new Trustee Robert Cordiano, and Library Director Susan O’Neal. An invitation to join this committee will be extended to the Middletown Township Board of Education.

If a viable plan is not developed for a branch by the February 20th meeting of the library board, it will be closed on March 1. Please check the library’s web page [www.mtpl.org] for updates including contact information for the members of the committee. This information will be posted as soon as possible.

Susan O’Neal, Director

Please Save The Navesink Library

The following emailed letter was sent to me, as well as members of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees, Middletown's mayor and some members of the media.

This email is for all those interested in the future, and aware of the history, of the Navesink Public Library. I recently heard that three branches of the Middletown Township Public Libary System were recommended to be closed by the Library Director, Susan O'Neal.

I appeal to you to address this recommendation with love for the community! I know many residents of Lincroft passionately feel the Lincroft Library should remain open and I suspect residents of the Bayshore area have concerns as well. I especially feel deep concern over the suggestion of closing the Navesink Library, which serves the residents of Navesink, Locust and other residents of Middletown Township. It is such a special library that was donated with such special intentions of enriching Middletown.

I am so concerned that the branch location page on the libary system site states the Navesink Library "is scheduled to close on January 25 at five 5:00 p.m." for what is understood to be closed permanently. How can the site state the library is scheduled to be closed when the Board of Trustees has not reached such a decision yet?

http://mtpl.org/?q=locations

I read on Middletown Patch that Libary Board President, Lawrence Nelson, was open to suggestions that would would reduce the financial needs of the branch libraries. I have several! Volunteerism is one suggestion and I also suggest benefits to raise funds.

Addressing the Navesink Libary, I personally will volunteer there several hours one day a week and I know so many others that will happy to do so as well. I have a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature and my education exceeds that. Also, I will be happy to assist, even chair, any benefits that will raise funds for the Navesink Library.

http://middletown-nj.patch.com/articles/wednesday-s-vote-could-shut-the-book-on-three-library-branches

Another suggestion is reduced hours/ reduced days of operation at the Navesink Library. Maybe if the library was only open after school hours until 5:00 a few weekdays and open on Saturday in the morning that will part of THE SOLUTION that includes volunteerism and fund raising benefits! The reduced schedule will also reduce the cost of heating and electric! Volunteerism will save on salaries and benefits for paid employees! Sounds good to me!

Another issue I want to address in regard to the Navesink Libary is the historical significance of it to the Middletown Library System and to Middletown itself. Since this was the first main branch of the Middletown Library System wouldn't it be wonderful to preserve it? Is it even legal to close it considering it was built and donated to serve as a library and a place to stage performances that the residents of Middletown could enjoy? Since it was built and donated for that purpose isn't a responsibility of the Library Trustees to honor the intent of that donation?

http://209.212.22.88/data/rbr/1960-1969/1967/1967.10.03.pdf

http://books.google.com/books?id=KD9VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=herman+b+duryea+navesink+library&source=bl&ots=eOzNp09-3R&sig=DGy0xj45GjjEzqtGw_KsTE4fZgE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bZLzUIOBEua40QHVvICoDg&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=herman%20b%20duryea%20navesink%20library&f=false

I have taken my little girl to story time at the Navesink Library for several years. The stories that Ms. Grace read and the craft that centered around a book that was also read that day were so wonderful! It has been an experience rich in benefits with children learning to love books and learning that what is read in a book can grow into something more than words and pictures on a page. What these experiences, shared in the warm, cozy and inviting atmosphere of the Navesink Library, has provided cannot be measured! I think it  will be a shame to rob the children whom currently enjoy the Navesink Library, and the children that could benefit from it in the future, of this wonderful experience!

It would be false to think that the aboved experience can be matched at the main branch. It cannot. I have taken my daughter to the main library for Mother Goose and I have also taken her there just to do some reading in the children's section. I will tell you that only once a staff member at the main branch smiled at me and at my little girl! The environment is cold and unfriendly! When my child was very young I would drive to the main branch a week prior to Mother Goose each week JUST to sign my daughter up! The story time for children filled up very quickly and would often be closed to adding another child to the list! How is closing other branches going to effect the number of children that benefit from story time if the branches are closed and the number of children allowed to attend at the main branch is already very limited?

Let me add that the list to sign up for children's programs was often not in the spot is was supposed to be and when I asked to librarian in the children's section where it was I was meet with rudeness. Once the only response I received was a finger pointing in that direction! When I said it wasn't there, I received rolled eyes and, when she did walk over and see for herself that it was not there, she stated the list was not ready yet even though it was the afternoon of the day when the list to sign up is first is set out. I am a very pleasant and courteous person so I know that my questions should have been addressed in a more appropriate manner. There were other occasions when I have asked to locate the list I was told it was filled up already!

In addressing the limit of children that will be allowed to participate in the programs if the branches are closed, let us also consider the parking! Often, there is not enough parking at the main branch! Will funds suddenly be found to expand the parking lot? That would be sad when the funds could have preserved a library branch! The children that now walk to their local library when parents might be unable to drive them to the main library should also be considered. The Return of Funds back to the state of unused money is a consideration also because any money that could have been used to provide library services to the area should be used to continue to provide those services.

I have reached out to the media and to state offices. Maybe with the media attention this issue may receive, additional funds will be raised to save at least the Navesink Library! I appeal to you to not close the Navesink Library with its rich historical significance, its history of enrichment of the community and the promise it offers to continue to enrich the community.

Thank you very much,

Tara Kane
Middletown, NJ