DATE: October 17, 2023
START TIME: Meeting 8:00 AM
LOCATION: Yorktown Library
8920 W Adaline St, Yorktown IN 47396
7:45-8:00 am: Doors open/Coffee served
8:00 am Call to order / Pledge of Allegiance
Introduction: Members-Question of the Month. Kristi Ingram
Question of the month: In your business, do you experience busy/slow seasons?
Mary Ann Stroeh, Steve Stroeh, Kristi Ingram, Keith Gary, Tyler Ewing, Katadyn Connerley, Erin Hurley, Dr. Greg Hinshaw, Erin Ailstock, Justin Earls, Marissa Earls, Carolyn Grieves, Scott Metzler, Scott Jordan, Carol Kosisko, , Mark Goodpaster, Brianne Kelly, Toni Price, Brendon Comp, Liz Rozelle
Hot Spot: Breakfast Sponsor (3 minutes): Rees & Comp Insurance- Brendon Comp: Brendon and his wife purchased the business in October 2002. His passion for insurance started in 1991. He sells peace of mind so all of his customers feel that they are making the right decisions going with the agency. Brendon loves to help people! He is an independent agent but works with several different insurance companies. He is a mom-and-pop shop for insurance! He can insure you and your family with all kinds of insurance except health.
Awards Lunch: Tuesday, December 12th, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Tyler Ewing – Categories for awards are: Spirit of Small Business, Community Impact, Lifetime Achievement, Excellence in Public Safety, and Outstanding Contributions to Education. November 21st is the deadline for nominations. Nominations don’t have to be a chamber member.
Approval of last month’s Minutes: Erin Ailstock – approved as submitted.
Treasurer Report: Kristi Ingram – actual Chamber balance at the end of September was $41,952.02 – approved as submitted.
School Report: Dr. Greg Hinshaw: Yorktown Fall sports have had great success. Girls’ soccer, boys’ cross country, and girl’s volleyball all were Sectional Champions. October 2nd was the count day for enrollment. Yorktown Community Schools was up 61 students over last fall. Yorktown only county school that’s up in enrollment. In 2009, they had 2185 students and in 2023, they have 2781. The school board’s target is no more than 3,000 students district-wide. Enrollment is closed in some of the grades. Yorktown has the highest starting teacher’s salary at $52,250, and due to this, they aren’t having a teacher shortage. It is their goal to be intentional to attract teachers. They have submitted a safety grant for $95,000. This year they are spending $130,000 more on RSO and 7 traffic officers. Their school rating is an A from an A- last year.
Town Report: Chase Bruton/ Erin Hurley: Things are a little slow right now so they are taking care of projects. Josh Baker has rated the sidewalks in the downtown area. They will be replacing sections that are bad. They are getting prepared for winter. The salt barn is full and they have 2 new snow plows. They are going through Christmas lights to make sure they are ready to go. This year, they will just be putting lights on the trunks of the trees. Taco Bell is coming to Yorktown. It will be located across from McDonalds. Scott Metzler stated that the Scouts are trying to partner for the luminary. He has tried getting in touch with someone but isn’t getting any response. The Holiday Festival is scheduled for December 9th and they would like to volunteer.
Program: Yorktown Library-Liz Rozelle: Liz started in 2003 as the Children’s Librarian and has been the director since 2005. Why we are here: In 1999, Howard Gregory and Don Bonnet offered the old Rite-Aid building to be used as a public library. Bev LaVelle and others did the hard work and in 2000, the doors of the Yorktown Public Library were opened. Over the last 23 years, the library has expanded in all areas and has become an important part of the community. In 2021 we re-opened after being closed for almost a year due to the pandemic and the construction project.
Mission Statement: The mission of the Yorktown Public Library is to provide a variety of current materials and services to meet the educational, informational, and recreational needs of the community. Every decision we make is based on fulfilling our mission. We serve all members of the community with care and respect. Customer service is the centerpiece of everything we do. Our staff is our most valuable asset and customer service is our top priority.
YPL by the numbers: 58,795 holdings (books, movies, magazines, games, etc.) Collection value of $1,174,480, 6652 library card holders, circulation from 10/12/22 to 10/12/23 was 89,771, 16 staff members; 4 full-time, 12 part-time, 3 librarians with Master of Library Science degrees, 12,000 square feet with a new addition, and total budget for 2023 is $1,099,000.
Services: Loan- books, magazines, books on CD, newspapers, movies, TV series, video games, early literacy bags, hot spots, and Roku streaming stick. Databases- Libby (free e-books), Ancestory.com (in library use), AtoZ Databases (marketing and business), Cypress Resume, Scholastic Teachables, Gale Legal Forms, Global Road Warrior and A to Z the USA (Travel databases), and A to Z Food America. 20 Public computers for use by anyone. Library App through mylibro. Outreach services for assisted living facilities, homebound patrons, and temporary disabilities. Free faxing, scanning, and notary service. Low cost coping-.10 for black & white, .50 for color. We are a fine free library.
Programming: Great Programs- bring people into the library, help children with early literacy, offer a safe and welcoming place for all, build community cohesiveness, give families free activities to do together, create a feeling of pride for participants, lead to lifelong learning and better quality of life, encourage parents to be involved with their children’s activities, and create a love for libraries in young people who become future supporters.
Programming Librarian -To better serve all members of our community we created a new job in November 2022. Adult and teen programming librarian, hired current staff member, Alisha Hughey, to fill the job position. Alisha has added a number of programs to engage these age groups. Our current Youth Services Librarian, Lauren Davis, continues to plan programming for children and families.
Children’s Programs: Weekly story times: baby lapsit, tiny tots, and bookworms, Culinary Club for grades 3rd-5th, STEM Fridays, 1000 books before Kindergarten, Read Dragons & Friends, Summer Reading, and Fishing for a good book and other once a year programs.
Teen Programs: Teen Scene, Teen Advisory Board, Teen Book Club, Teen Culinary Club, Teen Subscription Bag, and Summer Reading Program. Dedicated space just for them with computers, places to sit and hang out, and vending machines.
Adult Programs: Any Book Club, Fiber Arts Club (for all ages), Bad Art Night, Crafternoon, Summer Reading Program, Friends of the Library group, and Seed Library.
Outreach Patron Programs: Holiday visits with a special treat at Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (and two librarians dressed for the occasion!). A librarian that tailors outreach services to each individual and their special needs. Outreach patrons deserve and get the same library services as all patrons. Monthly visits with requested library materials. What’s available: Books, Audiobooks, DVDs, Music CDs, Magazines, Interlibrary loan services, and Reference services
Programs for the whole family: STEM Fridays, Fiber Arts Club, Summer Reading programs, Community Day at the Library, Giving Tree at Christmas, and Holiday Programs
Program Highlight: YPL Culinary Club – Started with grant money from the Community Foundation to purchase kitchen supplies. During a construction project, architects designed a kitchen area in the new Program Room. Appliances were purchased with memorial and donation money. Designed for tweens which was an area with little programming. Cooking involves reading, vocabulary, math, critical thinking, and creative thinking, and teaches lifelong skills.
YPL Culinary Club: Limited to 9 students in grades 3 through 5. Each class includes a lesson and a cooking experience. Try to give each student a chance to experience various aspects of cooking including safely cutting with a sharp knife, grating items, measuring ingredients, following a recipe, and making substitutions, etc. At the end of the 8 class session, each student will get to take home an apron and a folder with useful information and recipes.
Programming and our Mission: Programs at the library help us be true to our mission by providing educational, information, and recreational activities to our community. Programming support comes from our budget, donations, grants, and the community members who participate.
We are here for you!-Our goal is to be a great team player in the Yorktown Community. We appreciate the way the new town manager agreed to work with us in any way he can, to collaborate for the betterment of Yorktown. This past summer we partnered with the Town of Yorktown to conduct a community read with a free book and free programming based on the book. What a great way to bring the community together! Let’s do it again, and again, and again! Everyone wins!
Contact Us: Phone-765-759-9723 (phones are open when we are open), Fax-765-759-7260, Website-yorktownlib.org, and Chat: Text 765-405-7530 to chat with a librarian. You can easily renew your books, check the status of your account, or ask a reference question!
Civic Green Report: The last concert is Saturday, October 21st “Stella Luna”
Announcements: Mary Ann Stroeh – 10th Anniversary Open House for Reach Yorktown Ministry will be held on Friday, October 20th, from 3:30-6:00 PM. She handed out flyers for the event.
Tip of the day: Mark Goodpaster: How to avoid jugging. Jugging is a slang word for “making money or stealing”
Adjournment: Promptly at 9:00.m.
Next Meeting ~ November 21st at Whitinger and Company located at 1100 W White River Blvd, Muncie. They will be talking about Tax Tips