Meeting Minutes February 2026

Belleville Area District Library
Meeting Minutes
Date: February 10, 2026

  • Call to Order: Chair Sharon Peters called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm.
  • Roll Call: The following board members were present: Joy Cichewicz, Dan Fleming, Maria Jackson-Smith, Sharon Peters, and Linda Priest.
    Also present: Library Director Mary Jo Suchy, Library Assistant Nikki Pickeral.
    Excused: Tanya Stoudemire.
  • Approve Agenda: Motion by Cichewicz, seconded by Priest, to approve the February 10, 2026, Agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
  • Approve January 13, 2026 Minutes: Motion by Cichewicz, seconded by Jackson-Smith to approve the January 13, 2026, minutes as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
  • Public Comments: Rosemary Otzman shared information from the last school board meeting, where a planned student protest was discussed. The students will stay on school property instead of marching to the library.
  • Committee Reports:
    A. Building: No Report
    B. Bylaws:
    a. Resolution to Fill a Board Vacancy
    The bylaws committee met on January 27, 2026, to discuss the board vacancy due to the death of Alma Hughes-Grubbs. The committee proposes appointing former board member John Juriga to fill Hughes-Grubbs position until December 31. A new candidate will be elected in November for the remainder of her term (two-years). John Juriga, who was in the audience, expressed his willingness to be appointed.
  • Motion by Priest, seconded by Cichewicz, to accept Resolution No. 2026-1, appointing John Juriga, a resident of the district, to the Belleville Area District Library Board until December 31, 2026. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Cichewicz, Fleming, Jackson-Smith, Peters, and Priest. Nays: None. Absent: Stoudemire. The motion carried unanimously.
  • John Juriga will be sworn in at the March meeting. The bylaws committee will meet before the next board meeting to discuss proposed changes to the bylaws suggested by the library’s attorney.
  • C. Finance: No Report
  • D. Outreach: No Report
  • E. Personnel: No Report
  • F. Policy: No Report
  • G. Art: No Report
  • Chair Peters proposed the following committee assignments for the year:
  • Building Committee: Cichewicz, chair; Fleming, and Priest.
  • Bylaws Committee: Priest, chair; Jackson-Smith.
  • Finance Committee: Stoudemire, chair; Cichewicz.
  • Outreach Committee: Jackson-Smith, chair; Cichewicz.
  • Personnel Committee: Priest, chair; Stoudemire.
  • Policy Committee: Fleming, chair; Juriga.
  • Art Committee: Michele Montour as non-board appointed chair and Jackson-Smith and Juriga as members.
  • Approve Accounts Payable: Motion by Cichewicz, seconded by Priest, to approve the accounts payable as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
  • Director’s Report: See attached. The Shared Harvest, a program about community supported agriculture that is co-hosted by the library and the Belleville Rotary Club, will take place on February 24. On March 11, Nikki Pickeral will present Sincerely Yours, Local History Through Letters.
  • Trustee Comments:
    Jackson-Smith: Had a wonderful time at the Friends of the Belleville Area District Library Annual Meeting that took place on Saturday, January 31, 2026. Loved the bee pin that she received and noted that the staff thank you video to the Friends was perfect.
    Priest: Attended the gardening workshop and enjoyed all the information. She can’t wait for the next one.
    Cichewicz: Unfortunately, lost her bees this winter and will be trying a new hive system to try to get a hive to survive the winter.
    Fleming: Expressed sympathy for the loss of Alma Hughes-Grubbs and thanked John Juriga for filling in.
  • Chair Comments: Feels Alma’s absence deeply, and was gratified to see the delegation of current and past board members who attended her funeral. It is very fitting to have John Juriga fill in for Alma, considering the love Alma had for John. Thank you to Rosemary Otzman for printing the front-page article about Alma, it was lovely. Peters gave the family a copy of the paper during the funeral.
  • Adjournment: Motion to adjourn by Fleming, seconded by Priest. The meeting adjourned at 8:23 pm.

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