New London anticipates staff changes
By Robert Cloud
Ann Hunt, the New London library director, presented her preliminary estimates for the proposed annex’s operating costs at the city’s June 2 Finance Committee meeting.
The city of New London is currently exploring the possibility of building an annex across the street from the public library.
At a May 4 Committee of the Whole meeting, Virginia Schlais, president of the library board, said project construction costs are estimated at about $3 million and donors have pledged $1.5 million.
Hunt estimated the annex’s additional operating costs for 2022 would be $72,211.
She hopes to cut operating costs for the main library by $72,290.
Hunt said a full-time library employee plans to retire. Her wages and benefits total $66,770.
The retiring employee will be replaced by three-part time staff, who will be assigned to the annex.
Currently, the library employs seven full-time staff.
Total projected operating costs for the main library will drop from $539,705 in 2021, to $467,415 in 2022, Hunt said.
Staffing
She is also projecting nearly $6,400 in overtime pay, due to the library being closed on Sundays.
Both the library and annex will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. five days per week, plus five hours on Saturdays.
However, the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) room and the Fab Lab will only be open and require staffing from 3-8 p.m. during the week.
Two part-time staff will work in these two areas of the annex.
Two other staff will work full-time in the annex’s reception and teen areas.
Hunt said the existing library would be used exclusively for circulation of materials. It will have no copy machines or computers.
All programming would be in the annex as well.
Patrons would continue to find books, periodicals, audio-visual materials and microfilm archives at the main library.
Hunt also estimated $3,000 additional costs for heating the annex, $500 for phone services, $12,000 for utilities and $4,000 for insurance.
Some committee members questioned the accuracy of her projections for utilities and heat.
Many of the anticipated costs remain unknown.
“It’s difficult to predict,” Hunt said.
For example, the existing library facility has a $31,025 2021 budget for building and grounds wages.
No building and grounds wages were budgeted for the annex in 2022.
Hunt said the annex’s maker space can help generate revenues.
“I intend to charge people for the materials they use in the STEAM and Fab Labs,” Hunt said, noting that the library will purchase the materials up front, then be reimbursed.
She said the annex expenditure side of the budget will increase, but so will the revenue side.