ORDER-2023-7 : Disposition of personal property belonging to Melrose Public Library

Transcript (~17 min @ 18:40)

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▶ 18:27 Jen Grigoraitis: Next we have order 2023-7 disposition of personal property belonging to Melrose Public Library. And I know we have Library director Linda Gardner here tonight to speak with us and we're still under suspension of the rules. So the floor is yours.

▶ 18:47 Speaker 5: Good evening. Thank you for having me here tonight. We are as you know, moving into a new temporary space and in that process we are essentially moving out of the house that we haven't moved out of in a hundred years. So there's a fair amount of items that we will not be taking with us. and as I'm sure you could tell by this list ranging pretty widely from old Surplus office supplies to metal lockers to some rugs. So we need to follow the city process for disposition of personal. Personality property. I always hear a little turned around with that personal city property. So that would involve we have made these items available to other departments in the city in case they can be repurposed anywhere and actually quite a few items have have been spoken for about great and then we follow the process of advertising that we'll be having a sale and then although in my head I say yard sale will be within the building.

▶ 20:17 Speaker 5: In that way, we can move forward with properly disposing of any city property. That's no longer being used by US.

▶ 20:26 Speaker 2: Any questions from the council counselor Williams?

▶ 20:28 Ryan Williams: Are you working with any Consultants or services to reduce the amount of material that goes into landfills assuming that some of the stuff just doesn't sell? Yes. We have

▶ 20:41 Speaker 5: some electronics that we have dropped off at recycling places the contractors once we To the property over to them as part of our lean process. They are obligated to try and dispose of things in the most effective manner.

▶ 21:04 Maya Jamaleddine: Counselor Jamal Dean. Thank you madam chair and thank you for being with us and thank you for all the great work that you're doing. I know so it's a lot of work and and

▶ 21:16 Maya Jamaleddine: the word a lot is not enough. So thank you for doing that. Where would be the yard sale?

▶ 21:24 Speaker 2: And health so it would be

▶ 21:27 Speaker 5: in the library building. Okay, and there are because of a variety of items. We're Gathering most of a smaller items in if you recall the children's room had a meeting room space. So we have a table set up Gathering items there and then those other items that would just be throughout the building.

▶ 21:47 Maya Jamaleddine: today we're passed. So do you have a specific date when this would be helped? So once this is passed

▶ 21:57 Speaker 5: I will then need to advertise in the paper. So depending on the timing if I could get in tomorrow, you know, I would meet that deadline it could be in this week. Otherwise, it would be the following two weeks two weeks two weeks about what yep, so we advertise for a week and advertise for another week. And then I think logistically what will work best because I know some department heads have already come over. But we keep we keep you know, finding things and moving things around. So I'd like to have an opportunity to invite them back. Once all of the items they're going to the baby are out of the building and they have an opportunity to really see that clearly. And then mid September we would have the sale.

▶ 22:50 Maya Jamaleddine: So a question out of the subject my kids and other kids are asking when would be the major work be done at the library. They want to come and see and I

▶ 23:02 Speaker 6: don't have answer for them.

▶ 23:05 Speaker 2: so they

▶ 23:06 Speaker 5: the baby will be at the BB. We're planning to open on September 13th. Yes, assuming that all yeah goes well, and then the work will begin at at West Emerson, hopefully in October. So I think when the addition comes down that will definitely be something everybody should go by and and see and we are hopeful that in early 2024 construction will be

▶ 23:44 Maya Jamaleddine: substantially complete. Awesome. Well, thank you again.

▶ 23:47 Speaker 2: Cancel garepe. Thank you. Madam. Chair. Thank you,

▶ 23:48 Mark Garipay: Mrs. Gardenia. Thank you Mia brother. I voted for the library. It took me a while to get there, but I voted it and voted for it and I still support it glad but I mean, I'm still I'm concerned. Regarding the potential cost of this project now and and we've seen some emails and everything's going up. A lot has changed over the last last year since we voted in almost a year ago. Inflation raw materials lead times and it's almost fault. It's it's the environment where we're living, right? So It's all out of our control. But what's in our control is is making sure we know not travel too far down the road and not not be able to come back if this this project does come in over the bid it right now. It has not been all to bid. So what I'd like to see is hold off a little bit until after the bids come out in September 14th. So we really know what we're looking looking for. I mean, I think none of us would start a construction. project an addition on our own house without actually having the cost of it. We wouldn't move out. And that's kind of what we're doing here. We're moving out. We're moving to Temporary space. And if this if this these bids come in way over what we can actually afford this other projects within they could affect other projects when they're not Community you could we have a CIP with a hundred million dollars. Of other projects, so I'd like to see this just get held into all the bids get opened on September 4th. I'd like to see this get help for three weeks. And then reassess everything at that point. I'm hoping that all the bids come in. Where We Are where what we approved but if for some reason they come in 20 25% over. Which you stand to see that you hear grumblings about, you know, potentially The Vocational School coming in way over to and that's another that's another large item that we're going to take on in the budget. We can't bond. So I do have a little little concern in. Putting the card before the before the horse down right now in this project. I'd like to see three more weeks. We'll have the bids we'll know exactly where we are. Right now. We've already moved out and if we get too far down the road, that's somehow we we can't can't afford the extra money and it's not in what Patrick Delarosa said for for the debt model then we we're gonna have some tough decisions to make and we have people wanna look at the BB school. That's down the road too. When we have Public Safety. We have a lot of a lot of other items, so At this point I'd like to make a motion to hold this in committee until till after the bids are open September 4th.

▶ 26:40 Paul Brodeur: I'd be happy to respond to that to that because we

▶ 26:42 Jen Grigoraitis: have a motion. Can we just if there's a set whether or not there's a second to the motion to hold so we have a second. Okay. So there's a motion to hold the disposition of personal property made by counselor garapay seconded by counselor Stewart on discussion Mr. Mayor.

▶ 26:56 Paul Brodeur: So the the scope of this order, I think we have to kind of wrap our hands around. This is really mostly ministerial. I would invite you to look at the list of the things that we're trying to dispose of plastic and stackable middle chairs that are probably 40 or 50 years old. I'm guessing seasonal Decor. That's basically holiday decorations a TV. That's not a flat screen with a stand if you want to stand for a non-flat screen. I've got a dinosaur sitting in my house. It's a beautiful cherry item. I haven't been able to give away for free. Some benches a wooden rack some small area rugs. DVD players anyone's anyone's got any use for one of those that would be terrific. This is really, you know, we're trying to get a couple bucks basically as opposed to just throwing the stuff away it all goes it all certainly goes to the cause this also, you know means leans on some costs meaning We know unless something does go horribly. Awry which could certainly happen with any projects quite frankly. We saw that delay in the in the salt shed and the resulting price increase there. It is the nature of the business that we are in and sometimes the market Burns you and sometimes it doesn't and we certainly hopeful that that the market corrects but these items in this cost is really designed to we have to Contract with movers in order for this process to move forward and stop further delays. We would like to move as little as possible. While we do this and that is really what this process is all about. I don't want to I don't want to Tamp down anyone's enthusiasm for the sale. But this is not a lot of attractive stuff. So we really I would offer I would inquire the whether I'm a little bit off base here, but most of the things that we're getting rid of. You don't really have a use for even if the status quo. Moves forward it will be time to make some investments in things like furniture from this from this Century regardless of how things come out and that's why you know want to be clear procedurally. This is completely in line with your rules and what the ordinances of the city require? And I hope you will move forward on this so we can. Get the ad in the paper and move this stuff out of the building.

▶ 29:49 Speaker 5: And if I may add just quite simply. There is nothing on this list if this will all gone tomorrow, there's nothing on this list that would prevent us from being able to continue offering our library Services because everything that we actually need we're taking with us.

▶ 30:11 Jen Grigoraitis: counselor demolidine counselor Stewart and then councilor Karm chadey

▶ 30:16 Maya Jamaleddine: Thank you madam. Chair. Thank you mayor for that clarification. I'm going to assume the worst case scenario happened, which is not anyone's mistake as counselor garape have mentioned. But it's the market and everyone is struggling with that. However, this is not the time when we can afford to negotiate or debate whether or delay this project. It's the library it's where everyone in the community from age. Less than one. To nineties or above? go to the library and and sit there read visit for so many reasons and

▶ 31:06 Maya Jamaleddine: Going to be supportive of the project no matter what changes we're gonna face or what challenges we're gonna face. So, thank you again.

▶ 31:16 Speaker 2: Counselor Stewart. Thank you manager.

▶ 31:17 Paul Brodeur: This might be for the mayor Mr. Mayor. What's the plan for the money? What when you raise some money, you're going to have the sale. What are you planning to do with the money? Actually, it's addressed in the body of the material that was submitted on August 9th. The money will go into Library renovation account fund number 3390 to be used for the benefit of the building project itself. Great again, I want to be clear though. That having been said we're you know again, I'm not an Auctioneer. I'm not an appraiser. If we do a couple Grand we've had a good day.

▶ 32:01 Robb Stewart: And then also the amount of material that you're talking about because you had mentioned that you're trying to reduce moving costs, which I appreciate. It's a short distance, but doesn't matter right? How much stuff are we talking just to give us a sense? Like is it a truckload? Is it too just roughly I'm not good with square footage again in the in the packet was submitted a list. It is about a precise a list as you can give I wouldn't want to guess a truckload a dumpster full but you know, probably the biggest things I'm seeing here. It's a couple gym Walkers. There's some filing cabinets. Some small area rugs a couple rocking chairs. A sofa that's pretty big item. I suppose I wouldn't want to I wouldn't want to have to guess but again the the comprehensive list in the packet, they can give you a decent sense of volume and and you're saying to us that regardless if we do or do not have the sale it does not preclude any of the activities going on in the contractual bidding and negotiation process. All it is is a room full of stuff that we're either going to have cleared out or not cleared out, but it's not it's not going to impact whether we stay leave whatever I just want to continue that I don't want to Take words out of your mouth, but it will not impact in any way our ability to deliver. Library services that our patrons of come to expect regardless of you know, the extremely unlikely worst case scenario that we don't go forward with this project due to radical change in market conditions or something like that. We don't need this stuff. Right and I don't think anybody in this Council a chamber wants that so, okay. That's great. Thank you.

▶ 34:01 Speaker 2: Madam. Chair Council Carm chadie.

▶ 34:03 Manjula Karamcheti: and I appreciate counselor garapay's concerns around financing of the library building and bids and those pieces. I have similar concerns only from the knowledge of cost of building Contracting all of those things going up and that is something we need to be mindful of and be thinking about however, I do not see the connection at all between that problem and this order this order seems very clearly to be we're getting rid of stuff. We don't need and that doesn't impact the library building project in any way shape or form. So again, I appreciate counselor garapace concern, but I think this order is a completely separate entity from that issue. So, Sometimes you just need to get rid of stuff and it sounds like that's what we need to do and it's not going to impact. Services to the library. Well, it's in the BB or if we have to cancel our project and move back into the library with nothing done. It won't impact that either so

▶ 35:14 Jen Grigoraitis: So we have a motion to hold before us so all in favor of holding this order. Okay, we have one opposed. Okay, so the order fails so this matter is still sorry the motion fails. This matter is still before us is their president sonala motion to recommend second. So we have a motion to recommend made by President Cinella seconded by councilor Williams all in favor. I any opposed. Okay. So that passes with I have to do math how many of us are here seven in favor in one opposed. So thank you for being here with us this evening. Thank you. Thank you