March 30 – Allen County Public Library Board Takes Action on Wi-Fi as Master Plan Advances | fwbusiness
Little was said about the Allen County Public Library Facilities Master Plan, and there was no public comment on it at the March 24 library board meeting.
In summary, the board has two options listed on the CPRA website of potential plans and has asked the community to comment on which plan they prefer. In both scenarios, most buildings would be renovated, expanded, or both. The Aboite, Dupont and Shawnee sites would be sold, with only Aboite and Dupont being moved.
Six of the eight members were present. Dave Sedestrom watched via CPRA’s YouTube channel.
Martin Seifert, Board Member and Chair of the Capital Projects Committee, provided any updates he had.
“It’s about moving us along the schedule to have a report presented to us at the April 7 meeting,” Seifert said. “At that point, I would expect us to then ask for the setting of a bond up to the amount. There are certain time limits that we have to meet if we want to go through any type of bond or referendum approval.
He always invites the community to give their opinion.
“I read all the comments, and we always take whatever comments people wanted to give us,” Seifert said.
Chairman of the Board, Ben Eisbart, spoke about it.
“The April 7 meeting, if the board approves it, still does not specifically define the locations or the activity that will take place,” Eisbart said.
Seifert agreed, stating that a general plan will be presented to those present.
At the meeting, representatives from CPRA’s IT department spoke about the current wireless Internet connection provided to the library.
Representatives explained that the current Wi-Fi network is 6 years old, and the equipment itself is at the end of its life. If the equipment needed to be upgraded or replaced, it would be difficult to repair.
Proposals were received and although there were offers lower than recommended, these offers did not include everything the libraries needed. This update would bring more wireless internet access points outside of CPRA buildings for customers.
This project is eligible for the E-Rate. According to the Federal Communications Commission’s website, this program makes telecommunications and information services more affordable for schools and libraries, and technology officials expect the library will not have to provide only 15% of the total cost, or about $25,000.
The council approved the contract with NSI for the purchase and installation of new wireless Internet equipment. From there, E-Rate will review the request and decide if it is approved. The IT department will also need to submit a purchase request.
If E-Rate approves the project, CPRA can begin the upgrade once funds are received. They estimate that work will begin this summer.
The next meeting will be April 7 at 3:00 pm at the CPRA Main Library.
In other news, the advice:
- Listened to a presentation by Rebecca Wolfe, Dupont Branch Manager, regarding outreach to adults with disabilities.
- Approved the request to redesignate a Human Resources staff position from Human Resources Specialist to Human Resources Generalist. With this change, the new recruit will have fewer responsibilities and will be in the same salary class, but not what it is currently. This money will be redirected to the employee experience coordinator.
- Approved the purchase and installation of new wireless internet to allow customers to connect to the internet from outside buildings.