Chardon Library Project Reported to be Still on Track, Although Some Design Revisions Could Occur Before the Chardon Planning Commission Meeting in April
Geauga County Public Library (GCPL) Regular Board Meeting - March 17, 2026
Meeting: The GCPL Board met on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 4:00 pm at the GCPL Administration Building. This Board Meeting was in-person with a virtual attendance option. To access the virtual option see information here. The meeting was not recorded. Minutes of this meeting will be posted on the GCPL website after they are approved at the April 21, 2026 meeting.
Observer Note: Each member of the GCPL Board and Staff receives a copy of the meeting packet, as does this Observer. It is available upon request in accordance with Ohio public records law (ORC 149.43). The board discusses and votes on the information in the packet. This Observer Report is made up of discussions held at the board meeting and information taken from the board packet.
Public Comment: Permitted and included in the regular order of business per GCPL bylaws. Further clarified in Policy 215 - Public Participation at Board Meetings.
Board Attendance: President Crist Miller, Vice President Joshua Hutchinson, Secretary Kristen Brickman and Board Trustees Karen Delano, Kate Pitrone, and Paul Newman. Trustee Jake Yanchar was absent.
Library Staff Attendance:
Judy Lasco, Chardon
Erika Noark, Geauga West
Rachael Hartman, Middlefield/Mobile Services
Mary Balog, Thompson
Nicole Burnside, HR
Denise Javins, Marketing
John Johnston, Facilities
Marlene Pelyhes, Technical Services
Michael Pope, IT
Debbie Schrock, Development Coordinator
Others: Krista Smith, Project Manager, Regency Construction and this Observer
President Crist Miller called the Board Organizational Meeting to order at 4:00 pm and roll call was taken.
Minutes: Minutes of the February 17 Regular Board Meeting were approved as presented. Board minutes are available online. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to access minutes. The minutes are posted as soon as they are approved at the following month’s Board meeting. Prior to March 2023, videos of meetings were available to the public here. GCPL is no longer posting videos of their meetings.
Communications, as reviewed by Director Carroll:
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Thank you notes from patrons for Valentine’s Cards - There were some notes received in response to the Valentine’s cards that are placed in books that are borrowed on Valentine’s Day.
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Thank you letter from Ida’s Cupboard - Information about Ida’s Cupboard, which is a food pantry in Chardon, can be found here.
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Letter from Chardon architects, LDA Architects - This letter was in the Board packet, and contained multiple suggestions as set forth in Ms. Carroll’s statement from the Board packet below. Some segments from that letter: “The proposed design is not compatible in scale, mass or architectural style of the surrounding residential buildings . . . The proposed building as designed is too monolithic and flat. . . . Concerning the site planning, I think an opportunity has been lost to take advantage of this beautiful and pastoral site. The building should be moved back (south) to take advantage of this unique property… I would not recommend approval of the design as presented.”
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Letter from Chardon Planning Commission - This letter from Mr. Blakely, as Chair of the Chardon Planning Commission agreed with the concerns of the Chardon Architect Dominic Durante, Jr. from LDA Architects as well as stating specific concerns about the site location and design.
Mr. Miller asked if there had been a response to these letters and Ms. Carroll said that the architects had responded.
Agenda: The agenda presented in the Board packet was approved with no changes.
Fiscal Officer’s Report - Ms. Havlin
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December Disbursements and Gifts were approved.
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Ms. Havlin reported that GCPL’s annual financial report was filed with the state. An electronic copy was shared with the Finance Committee. She said that she and the Deputy Fiscal Officer met with the State Auditor who will be handling this year’s biennial audit. Board members reported that they already received an email.
Director’s Report as listed in the Board packet:
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Ms. Carroll reviewed the Property Tax Events, hosted with the League of Women Voters and the Auditor, which she said were going very well. She said that 100 people attended at Bainbridge and over 70 at the County Office Building. She said there was one more. (See more below from the Board packet.)
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She said there was a lot of work going on at the Bainbridge Branch (see below)
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Chardon Renovation - Ms. Carroll introduced Krista Smith, Project Manager from Regency Construction who said that the project should still proceed as planned even though they will be on the April (and not March) Chardon Planning Commission Agenda. She said that other work is going forward.
The following information is taken directly from the Board packet:
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SYSTEM UPDATES - This month, I collaborated with elected officials across the county to co‑host two Property Tax Education sessions in partnership with the Auditor’s Office and the League of Women Voters. Both events were well attended, with more than 100 participants at Bainbridge and about 70 at the County offices. We have one more property tax program scheduled at the Middlefield branch on April 7, 2026. We also began our Branch Roundtable Meetings. Mobile Services and the Bainbridge Branch have already completed their sessions, and the remaining Roundtables are scheduled through mid‑April.
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CONSTRUCTION AND FACILITIES UPDATES - This month included significant work related to the Planning Commission’s review of the new Chardon Branch design, which generated some negative feedback from commission members and the public. Following that meeting, I participated in a follow‑up discussion with the Mayor of Chardon, the Vice Mayor, the City Manager, and a City Council member to address their concerns. I also met separately with a couple of City officials and coordinated with our architects to explore options for softening the exterior appearance of the branch to better align with the City’s expectations. In addition, I held several meetings and calls with interested parties regarding the purchase of the current Chardon property, while also working closely with County officials to coordinate the closing process for the purchase of the Administrative Center. Observer Note: The schematic for the Chardon branch can be seen here.
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FACILITIES - Over the past month, the Facilities team has completed several significant projects in addition to managing daily assignments and work orders. At the Bainbridge (BA) branch, a leak was discovered in one of the roof drains. The drain had frozen and expanded, allowing water to enter the building. Facilities team cleaned and dried the affected interior areas, shoveled and de-iced the roof drain, and applied mold-preventative treatment. Monroe Plumbing then inspected the drain to ensure no further issues remained. Facilities team began patching potholes at both the Chardon and Middlefield (MI) locations. All minigolf equipment repairs have also been completed, and the materials have been loaded back into the trailer for storage and future use. At the Geauga West (GW) branch, HLM completed the window flashing and repair work on the roof. This project involved removing the existing sheet metal around the windows, fabricating and installing new sheet metal, and thoroughly caulking and sealing the area from the inside out. Work has also begun removing the remaining fence posts at the new Chardon property; all rails have already been removed, and only the in-ground posts remain. Seasonal landscape cleanup at the Administrative Center was initiated helping prepare the grounds for spring. At the GW branch, the team started improvements in the mechanical room, including cleaning, painting, and applying new safety striping.
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TECH SERVICES - In February, Juvenile collection meetings were held at each branch with Marlene Pelyhes and Samantha Kretschmer meeting with managers and assistant managers to review collection goals for 2026. These discussions helped identify branch-level priorities, align expectations across locations, and ensure that community needs continue to shape this year’s Juvenile collection strategy. Additional improvements were made to ordering and acquisition workflows. The department also added Faith View Bookstore in Fredericksburg, Ohio, as a new vendor, responding to patron feedback requesting more up-to-date Adult Nonfiction titles for the bookmobile. Orders from this vendor will begin in March.
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MARKETING - February marketing efforts centered on supporting major systemwide programs, most notably Mini Golf and the Property Tax Education series, along with ongoing winter programming and community events. The team also began design work for the 2026 Summer Reading Program, including reading logs and promotional posters, ensuring materials will be ready well ahead of launch. Branch print requests and localized promotional needs were met throughout the month, helping maintain consistent messaging across all locations. Digital engagement remained steady and continues to demonstrate strong community connection with library activities. Social media generated more than 51,000 impressions and nearly 2,700 engagements in February, showing that patrons remain responsive to program announcements and library news.
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IT - In February, the IT Department closed 92 helpdesk tickets while continuing progress on several systemwide initiatives. Staff participated in training for the new HaloITSM helpdesk platform, which CLEVNET aims to launch for member libraries in April. The department also reinstated the 3D printing service at Bainbridge and reports that early workflow reviews indicate the process is running smoothly. In Mobile Services, new network hardware was installed on both the Bookmobile and the Fun Bus, resolving the connectivity and VPN issues previously experienced by staff. CLEVNET’s February PC Tech meeting focused heavily on the consortium’s upcoming transition to the 8x8 phone service platform, which will be rolled out to all member libraries by the end of 2027. This change will reduce long‑term costs, replace aging Cisco VOIP phones with free PolyCom units, and provide libraries with greater control over backend features such as auto attendants and extension management.
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DEVELOPMENT - Preparations for the upcoming Mini Golf events continued throughout the month, with work focused on completing sponsorship follow‑ups, confirming volunteer coverage, and monitoring ticket sales. Day‑of logistics are also being finalized to ensure the events run smoothly and provide an enjoyable experience for participants. Marketing collaboration is underway to support the Claridon Community Helps food drive, including the development of print and digital graphics, social media messaging, and promotional signage. These efforts aim to raise awareness across all branches and encourage strong community participation.
Assistant Director’s Report - Ms. Farrell said that there was nothing to report other than what was in her report. In her report, she said that Dani Hollar and Katy created and presented training for supervisors at meetings this month to provide guidance around “Navigating Difficult Conversations.” The Board packet states: “This training addressed difficult conversations with patrons, how and when to escalate concerns, and interact with co-workers. Following the training, Dani and Katy recorded their portions to make the training available for all staff on demand. This was shared with staff during the second week of March.”
Observer Note: The board packet also contains a report of activities from all branches and departments. This is under the heading of the Assistant Director’s Report. The report includes Patron feedback reported at the branches. The host/local branch manager gives an oral report at the board meeting. This month that report was given by Marlene Pelyhes, Tech Services Manager.
The following highlights are from the Board packet:
BAINBRIDGE
The monthly STEAM Club had special visitors, the Titanium Tacos, a local robotics club.
Students from Titanium Tacos explained the process for building and programming robots and allowed participants to operate the examples they brought in.
The library system resumed 3D Printing services in February, with the equipment moving to Bainbridge following the closure of the Chardon Creativity Center. Makerspace Assistants learned how to use the new equipment and troubleshoot issues.
CHARDON
On February 19, children enjoyed making lava lamps, creating chicken noises in a cup, and using static to make tissue paper ghosts dance. In addition to the experiments, attendees enjoyed a picture book that discussed the Scientific Method.
GEAUGA WEST
Geauga West decorated the branch and hosted the West Geauga Art Show on Saturday, March 7. Prior to the event, the Youth Services team worked together to hang artwork from students at West Geauga Schools and St. Anselm Catholic School.
MIDDLEFIELD
Middlefield is gearing up for Spring with their first Seed Sharing Library. Stacy Turner created a list of available seeds, repackaged seeds into smaller containers, and stocked the card catalog for patrons to enjoy.
MOBILE SERVICES
Patrons on the bookmobiles are getting into the Read Across America Challenge. Both the Bookmobile and the Fun Bus have maps for patrons to show where they read a book. We are telling our patrons that our goal is to cover this map with their stickers by the end of the year. An added benefit is that the younger patrons are having fun learning more geography.
THOMPSON
The Thompson branch received a generous donation of seeds. To make them more appealing and convenient for patrons, Britt Townsend assembled themed collections for a salad garden, salsa garden, and mirepoix garden. More than 650 seed packets are now available for patrons’ gardens. The mirepoix bundles sparked plenty of questions, giving us a great opportunity to create a related cookbook display.
An enthusiastic group attended Kid Club to learn the basics of cupcake decorating. The creative participants practiced using icing piping bags before crafting their final masterpieces. During Family Storytime, we shared stories from California, Florida, and Michigan. For the craft activity, children created giant redwood trees, a craft-stick alligator, and paper cherries.
STATISTICS
February 2026 Statistics:
• 36,926 patrons served at the branches
• 3,027 computer and 12,717 wi-fi uses
• 220 programs presented for 5,737 patrons (average 26 patrons per program)
• 11,768 reference interactions
• Total circulation of 239,044 items
Human Resources Report - Ms. Burnside received approval for personnel actions as follows:
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1 New Hire, 1 Promotion, 4 Terminations, 2 Retirements. Observer Note: No names were used although Ms. Patrone referred to Chardon Branch Manager Judy Lasco as being one of the retirees that she was reluctant to approve. Ms. Lasco will be retiring at the end of June.
Local Manager’s Report - Ms. Pelyhres reported on two ongoing projects:
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Memory Care Collection - This was part of the 2026-27 Strategic Plan. The goal is to create a dementia inclusion library. So far they have accumulated only books, some of which were shared at the meeting.
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AutoHolds refresh - This has been a popular program, whereby patrons can sign up for holds for their favorite author’s new releases. She said they have had 750 patrons enrolled in this program, but it hadn’t been growing, so they looked at the list of authors and added some and removed some from the program. They have created a pamphlet in addition to an electronic form, in the hopes of attracting both new and returning patrons to the program.
Committee Reports - None
Unfinished Business - None
New Business
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Recommendation to Reappoint Crist Miller as Library Trustee - This resulted in a resolution, which was approved unanimously by the Board. Reviewer Note: Mr. Miller was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners in April 2023 with a term expiring June 30, 2026. See Commissioners’ Journal here.
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Approval to Close Branches to the Public on October 16, 2026 for Staff Development Day - This was approved unanimously.
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Recommendation to Approve Updates to Operating Policy 970 - The update suggested was to delete a section from the policy that permits the Library to allow petition signing inside Library branches for Library petitions. Note that all other petition signing must be done outside. Ms. Carroll said she felt it was better to have a uniform policy and this was recommended by legal counsel. Three Board members objected to this change - Mr. Newman, Mr. Hutchinson and Ms. Pitrone voted no. The other three Board members (Crist Miller, Kristen Brickman and Karen Delano) voted yes, but the motion failed at 3-3.
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Approval of Geauga Mechanical Preventative Maintenance Contracts - This contract was for all six locations for a total of $31,394 and was approved
Board Development - None
Foundation
The Board approved the Foundation MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) unanimously.
Ms. Schrock said that they had a great Mini-Golf Event on Saturday at Bainbridge. She said that during the day there were 183 families participating. She said she would report on the evening event and present more details at the next meeting.
Comments from the Public - None
Executive Session - None
The meeting was adjourned at 4:18 pm.
Next Meeting: The next Regular Board meeting is April 21, 2026 at 4:00 pm at the Bainbridge Branch. See website for information on meeting dates and locations.
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Harry Rees
Reviewer: Carol Benton
Date Submitted: March 17, 2026
The League of Women Voters of Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org.