Operations Minutes - May 04, 2021

Capital Projects  
 

Belle Isle Renovation/Addition - New foundations and piers for the new additions are ongoing. Meetings are ongoing to review and refine the furniture and space plans.

New Almonte Library – We are working with consultants on initial revisions to the preliminary building program/space planning requirements. We met on April 22, 2021 to revisions to conceptual designs/space plan options for the new Library estimated to be 24,000 square feet. Currently the timeline is for the design process to be completed and ready for public bid late 2021 or early 2022.  The City of Oklahoma has indicated they are watching building prices closely as there is a lot of volatility in the construction market right now and if the building went out for bid today the budget for the project would not be sufficient for construction. Prices have increased on various commodities such as the price of steel. The City of Oklahoma City and consultants believe construction prices will go back down and stabilize as we get closer to the end of the year or 2022.  

Edmond Library Kiosk – Information Technology is leading the effort to work through plans with the City of Edmond for the installation of the 24-Hour Library Kiosk. The goal is to have the Kiosk installed by June 30, 2021.  

Ralph Ellison- The City of OKC is working on drainage plans for the west side of the building and will wait for sufficient rainfall to evaluate the roofing portion of the project. The window replacement project is complete. However, there are a few small leaks that do not appear to be a result of the windows. We have reached out to the City of OKC for next steps to address water leaks. 

Southern Oaks – The window replacement project is complete. However, there are a few small leaks that do not appear to be a result of the windows. We have reached out to the City of OKC for next steps to address water leaks. 

Capitol Hill/Downtown Library - Studio Architecture is still working on the design/completion of the new signage for the building. 

Wright Library Renovation   – Studio Architecture and the City of OKC met with Library management to go over plans and discuss the renovations/improvement plan. Changes will be made, and revised plans provided. We have been informed by the City of OKC that we should have a 90-day lead time of awareness before the construction work begins. This will require a Library closure up to 30 days. 

Community Libraries ADA Restroom Assessment – We met with Studio Architects on April 5, 2021, to outline our expectations for this project. Architects are working with Steve Butts to coordinate site visits over the next few several weeks.  

Facilities Maintenance Related Projects 

Downtown Library 4th Floor Meeting Room Presentation Boards/Wall Repairs – Further assessment to be completed by maintenance to see what can be done to repaint door trim and repair damaged wall paint/holes in the meeting rooms. We have reached out for quotes for the painting repairs needed. Our goal is to complete this by June 30, 2021. 

Downtown Library basement – We have discovered hairline fractures in some pipes in the basement that were allowing sewer gas/smell to escape into the basement. We have a temporary fix in place but several of these pipes will need to be replaced and we are working on getting estimates from plumbers for a more permanent fix. We now have someone to do the job.  Further updates on exact date will be provided as soon as possible. We are working to get this fixed with minimal disruption to library services.  

New Del City Library – The book drop canopy was damaged in a Library vehicle incident in March 2021 Damage to the Canopy will be repaired by the library. We are working with the contractor to raise the clearance of the canopy and improve the signage to avoid such issues in the future. We have reached out to the general contractor to make them aware of this issue.  We will put moisture gauges in various areas of the building to better monitor humidity. 

Edmond Library – We have been in discussion with the City of Edmond/Risk Management about having a structural evaluation to ensure there is no damage beyond what can be seen on the exterior of the building. The City of Edmond had the building inspected and it has been determined there is no structural damage.  Some masonry work will be performed by the City of Edmond. 

Flag Poles – We have been having trouble with flag poles at several libraries. The ropes are getting stuck on the way down to half-mast or stuck going up to raise the flag.  We have contacted a contractor that will check and provide us a quote on what is necessary for all the poles to be repaired.  

 
Security Related Projects 

Security Operational Review – The professional services contract for the security operational review is in final stages of development. Tentative project kickoff will be the week of May 17, 2021 and projected end date is Oct 31, 2021. Post Kick-Off meeting there will be site visits by the LCI consultants. Notifications to location managers will be sent when a definite schedule is completed.  

Security Advisory Group – The Security Advisory Group is scheduled to meet May 4, 2021. Topics to be discussed will include training opportunities for MLS staff in 2021 and 2022. The Security Advisory Group includes the Executive Director, DED Operations, DED Public Services, Security Manager, Regional Directors, and the Surveillance and Security Technician.  

Access Control – 

Downtown Library: Existing access fobs have been added to the new system. The changeover to the new system begins the week of May 3, 2021. Staff that have issues with their access should contact CIS, John Wood, Justin Herwig or Chris Basler.  

Intrusion/Security Alarms – 

Downtown – Phase One System is operational. Use of the system will begin the evening of May 4, 2021. We have instructed the janitorial service to arm the alarm on their departure (usually around midnight). The first person in will hear the keypad beeping and will need to enter their access code. The code and instructions have been furnished to Downtown Library management. Please remember to adhere to the building access procedures especially as it pertains to after-hours entry.  

Public Relations Updates 

Public Relations has been working on FY2022 budget plans and promotion campaigns for the Summer Reading Program and the upcoming Joy Harjo visit. We will be advertising the new Sit and Stay commercial in May. Advertising was increased to include more radio and Spanish for May. Some of the key programs we’ll be appearing in are the Tonight Show, Racheal Ray, morning news, Jimmy Kimmel, KWTV’s 10pm news and their 4pm news. 

In April, key advertising was for the Joy Harjo (billboards, NPR, Facebook, KFOR retargeting website ads). We had 72 people who heard the Joy Harjo NPR commercial click to register. 64 of these people were brand new users to the site. I also did an ad campaign through KFOR’s website and some associated sites like intouchweekly.com, finance.yahoo.com, foxnews.com, etc., which ended up great. From this, we had 258 people click on the ad to go to the registration page. 

The key Earned Media in April was for the Joy Harjo event and Library Giving Day. Sit and Stay - Metro Library.mp4

Next meeting: Tuesday, June 1 at 2:00pm via ZOOM