Pahrump Community Library District
Doris Shirkey, Founder
701 East Street, Pahrump, NV 89048
Board of Trustees Regular Meeting October 14, 2019

Meeting called to order at 10:02am. Present were Carlton McCaslin, John Pawlak, Marie Long, Janice Painter, and Susan Wonderly.  Guests present were Amy Bruno, Alysha Wogee, Mandy Cafeo, Larry Tross, Ginny Okawa, Carolene Logue, John Koenig, Leo Blundo, Gary Okawa, William Zimmerman, Jennifer Zimmerman, Savannah Zimmerman, 2 unidentified children under age 10, Randal Whitt, and Donna Cox.

Public comment:  Mr. Tross complained about the “stench” of the mens’ restroom, especially in the summertime. He said it makes the restroom unusable and that it “smells like a backed-up sewer.” John Pawlak explained about the gooseneck in the plumbing and the need for adding water, which is done by the staff. He suggested we increase the frequency of adding the water to weekly and Susan agreed. Ms. Logue asked for clarification of what the “fenced area in the front of the Library” is and what it’s used for; Susan identified it as the Reader’s Nook and explained it’s used as a place to use laptops and/or the wi-fi, to have 1-3 people meet, to hang art, etc.

I.  CONSENT AGENDA

Adoption of Agenda/Consent of agenda: John made a motion to accept the agenda; Janice seconded and the motion carried. 
 
Acceptance of minutes of 9/9/19 meeting: Joy made a motion to accept the minutes of the previous meeting as written; Janice seconded and the motion carried. 

Treasurer’s Report: (attached) Susan presented the report (attached) Susan presented the report. She noted that the County has caught up with tax payments; otherwise, there was nothing of note. Janice made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report; John seconded and the motion carried.   

Reports/Discussions:

No Guns Issue: Susan briefly explained why she posted the “No Guns allowed in Children’s Area” sign and why the staff wants this to be policy. She is concerned about the safety of children around guns, most specifically during children’s programs when there are a lot of children and adults present.  Each guest present made his or her own comment.

Mr. Koenig: Stated that he is a Nye Co. Commissioner and that the NRS Susan quoted does not apply to the Library. Susan admitted this mistake. He stated that the sign should not have been posted until the Board had voted on the policy. He explained that county’s can control the rights of its people to carry guns or not, and he briefly noted that Nye has become a “2nd Amendment Sanctuary” county. 

Mr Zimmerman: After giving a brief autobiography, he stated that he is against this rule change. He stated that the word for the change is “incongruent” and went on to say that it is incongruent with the licensed childcare identification, incongruent with current laws, and incongruent with the “2nd Amendment Sanctuary.” He stated that he thinks it is a response to the Library staff’s identification of “false danger.”

Mrs. Zimmerman: Following a brief autobiography, she stated her opposition to the policy. She stated that, despite Susan’s confessed discomfort with guns around children, guns are “no threat to safety.” She referred to open carry laws and stated that (most) people who carry guns are trained to use them. She also asked that Susan define “children’s area.”

(Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman were accompanied by their 3 children, including 2 under age 10 and Samantha Zimmerman, who is 18.  Samantha was the person who attended BabyTime while wearing a weapon, prompting Susan’s concern.)

Samantha Zimmerman: Brief autobiography followed by her objection to the “rule.” She talked about her gun training, competition awards, etc. She believes children should be trained not to touch guns, as she was. 

Carolene Logue: Spoke about the traumatization of children by gun violence and their need to feel safe in children’s programs, where there are no guns. After acknowledging 2nd Amendment rights, she stated that it is still important that children feel safe and protected. She feels that one small section of the Library should be kept “violence-free.”

Ginny Okawa: Stated her support of the policy and agreed with what Ms. Logue said.

Randal Whitt: Stated his support of the policy and asked Susan if there had ever been any incident in the Library requiring the use of guns (no, there have not). He asked the others present why guns should be needed in the Library. He quoted several statistics and there began to be back-and-forth discussions among the guests regarding gun safety in general. The meeting was brought to order by the chairman.

Leo Blundo: Stated that he is a County Commissioner and quoted 379.025 regarding the Library’s ability to set “reasonable limits.” He said that the sign Susan posted uses incorrect language and should be removed. He also quoted the 2nd amendment and mentioned the rights of the people.

Carlton asked Mr. Koenig if his holster had “tie-downs” and Mr. Koenig explained that his holster does not have “tie-downs” but that it is designed the grip the weapon until the user releases it from the holster. Ms. Zimmerman (Samantha) was asked if her holster had tie-downs and she stated that it did not and that it was not the type described by Mr. Koenig (that is, it was not designed to grip the weapon).  Mrs. Zimmerman stated that children should be trained against touching other people and their things, including guns, and that they should be taught not to grab. She offered to train people in gun safety more than once during the meeting.

Brief discussion of the issue by the Board members followed, with Mr. Blundo and Mr. Koenig stating that Susan (and the Board) needed legal advisement before proceeding. Donna Cox (having just arrived) discussed 2nd Amendment rights and the county complex issues. She stated that the Library is a public building and therefore “belongs to the people not to the Board.”  Carlton made a motion to table the item until the next meeting; John seconded and the motion carried.

Treasurer & Debit Card: Susan explained that Bank of America has now authorized her to get a debit card for the Library’s account. Since Marie’s term will be up in March and she is the current Treasurer, and Mandy will be leaving at the end of January and she is a signer on the checking account, Susan asked that several things be accomplished at once: the election of a new Treasurer, the naming of a new check signer, and the application for the debit card. She explained that having a debit card will make some transactions easier, especially online. Janice made a motion to get the Debit card; John seconded and the motion carried. Janice then nominated John to be the new Treasurer and all voted in favor. John made a motion to name Shanna Gibbons, as the new Assistant Director, to be the 2nd check signature; Marie seconded and the motion carried. Susan will make an appointment with the bank to change the signatures, etc.

Calendar update: The next regular meeting will be held Tuesday, November 12, 2019, @ 10:00am.  This meeting will be held in the large Library meeting room to accommodate the potential number of concerned citizens who may attend.

Librarian’s Report: (attached). 
Stats attached. 

Public Comment: Mr. Blundo thanked the Board for their attention to the guests and for allowing them to speak.

John made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Janice seconded, and the motion carried.  Meeting adjourned at 11:00am

Submitted by:
Susan Wonderly 

ARCHIVED MINUTES