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Abbot Public Library trustees approve sprinkler repair payment and holiday schedule; director highlights staff training and rising teen attendance
Summary
Trustees at the Jan. 5, 2026 Abbot Public Library board meeting approved a $2,795.82 invoice for sprinkler-room repairs and the 2026 holiday schedule. Director Kimberly Grad reported staff trainings, building repairs and that Teen Center attendance is averaging 8–12 visitors daily.
The Abbot Public Library Board of Trustees voted Jan. 5, 2026, to approve payment of $2,795.82 to Rustic Fire Protection for sprinkler-room repairs and to adopt the library’s 2026 holiday schedule, the board’s director said.
Director Kimberly Grad told trustees the payment will come from the Operations account (Repair and Maintenance — Building and Grounds). The motions were seconded and approved by roll call; the recorded votes were Yes from Gary Amberik, Kathy Barker, David Ross, Kathleen Waslov and John Williams.
Grad summarized recent and upcoming staff training: a Dec. 18, 2025 de-escalation session with Michele Eberle of the Massachusetts Library System and an Active Shooter training scheduled for Jan. 8, 2026 with Marblehead Chief of Police Dennis King. She also noted that the State of the Town address is scheduled for Jan. 28 and that meetings with the Finance Committee and the finance department are expected as staff prepare the FY27 budget.
On facilities, Grad reported several projects in progress: Annese front-lawn light repairs (scheduled), sidewalk cut-outs that have caused damage to a new outdoor bookdrop, makerspace curtains scheduled for installation Jan. 8, an HVAC estimate pending from General Air of Dorchester, and sprinkler repair work by Rustic Fire Protection.
On programming, the director said the Teen Study Room will debut on the Assabet reservation system this month and that Teen Center attendance is at an all-time high, averaging 8–12 visitors a day. To address behavioral challenges among middle-school–age visitors, the library will move from a solo-staffed Teen Room to a shared rotation and implement library-wide behavioral standards beginning in 2026.
The board discussed edits to the meeting-room policy and approved the revised policy language. The director said a yearlong sculpture loan was declined because the library does not have appropriate space; she will notify the artist and thanked them for the offer. Grad also said she will augment the annual statistics report submitted to the town and will share the Winterfest run of show with Friends and trustees.
The Friends group announced spring events: March 18 Book Donation Day, March 20 book-sale setup, and a March 21 book sale. The Abbot Public Library Foundation’s new director was named as Kate Tetirick, and the group is working on an appeal and Winterfest planning.
The board called for adjournment and recorded a roll call vote with all Yes votes; the meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m. The board listed its next meeting as Feb. 2; the meeting minutes list the year as 2025, which appears to be a clerical error in the minutes and was treated here as Feb. 2, 2026, consistent with the monthly schedule.
