Regular meetings of the Board of Trustees are scheduled for the 2nd Thursday of the Month at 1 PM. The Board meets 12 times per year in the Rie Lamont Community Room, located on the 2nd floor of the library.
Trustees are elected by voters of the Cobleskill-Richmondville School District. New members are expected to take on committee assignments with the typical commitment being for two committees. Some committees are very active while others may be focused on a specific, long- or short-term projects. Trustees of the library are accountable to the public for prudent use of the library’s funds and work with the Director to help manage the present and shape the future of the library.
For orientation to the role of Library Trustees in New York: 2015 Trustees Handbook 2016.10 revision
Current Trustees: Fredrick Barnes (2023), Harriet Berard, Historian (2025), Linda Carpenter, Financial Officer (2026), James Collins (2025), Janice Clark (2024), Virginia Downs, Secretary (2023), Kenneth Hotopp, President (2024), Rebecca Leggieri (2027),Vacant (2026), Janet Sand (2027), Julia Walter, Vice-President (2023)
Library Budget Vote & Trustee Election
Meet the 2023 Candidates
Five-Year Term
Incumbent, Virginia Downs, her husband, and daughter moved to Cobleskill in 1977. Virginia taught English and social studies at Cobleskill- Richmondville Central School for thirty years. Virginia has been a trustee of The Community Library since 2013 and has served on a variety of committees.
Incumbent, Julia Walter moved to Cobleskill over twenty years ago, with her husband Phil and adult daughter Alicia. At the time she and Phil worked together at Sharon Springs Central School, where she was a Special Education teacher. With a graduate degree in Special Education and an undergraduate degree in Drama, she worked all over Schoharie County, Mohawk Valley and the Capital District. Julia was born and raised in a Los Angeles suburb, lived as a young adult and college student in San Francisco, and moved to the Capital District for her husband’s studies. Julia is currently President of the Board of Theater Project of Schoharie County, a community theater, for which she regularly directs, produces and sometimes acts in plays. She currently chairs the personnel committee, and looks forward to the challenge of doubling the staff of The Community Library, to accommodate the Annex. Julia loves to read widely and participate in library activities. “The Community Library is where fun and interesting things happen: where my friends and I can discuss a new book we’ve read, or movie, or play Trivia, or do art projects with my daughter, or whatever exciting activity that day or week holds.”
Three-Year Term
Nathan Davis has lived in Cobleskill with his wife, Sarah, and their daughter for about eight years. His two step sons lived with them before growing up and moving away.
Nathan grew up in Laurens, NY before attending Union College in Schenectady. He spent thirteen years as a Patent Agent with a focus on the nanotechnology, chemistry, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical industries. After living in Schenectady, he was looking for a community that would be good for raising children and feel more like home. After moving to Cobleskill, he wanted to stop working in Albany and missing out on all that the community has to offer, so he went into business for himself. Nathan started an online retail company and then began producing his own handcrafted products for sale as well.
Nathan and his family have been huge fans of The Community Library. He first started donating to raffles, and after two years of his daughter loving the Battle of the Books and being very appreciative of how much the library does for students, he decided that he would like to be more involved and give back to the library that holds the community together.
Nathan is the current Master of the Cobleskill Masonic Lodge, a member of the board of the Polish Community Center, and Vice President of the United Pipe Clubs of America.
One-Year Term
Incumbent, Fred Barnes has been a member of the Cobleskill community for over 50 years. He and his wife, Marilyn, moved to Cobleskill in 1973.They have been married for 50 years and have three children and five grandsons.
Fred attended Depauw University in Indiana where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in History. He went on to earn a Masters in Early Childhood Education from St. Rose College in Albany. Fred was a full professor at SUNY Cobleskill where he taught Early Childhood Education for 34 years. Fred was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching while at SUNY Cobleskill. He served two terms as President of New York State Association for the Education of Young Children. After retiring from SUNY Cobleskill, he continued his teaching in the GED program at BOCES for another eight years.
Over the years, Fred has been on many boards including the Iroquois Museum, Landis Arboretum, Head Start, Catholic Charities, and Cooperative Extension.
Currently and for the last 4 years, Fred has been a Trustee at The Community Library. He presently is the co-chair of the Building and Grounds Committee. This committee is responsible for the work being done to renovate the library annex.
This project is ongoing and will more than double the size of the library. Fred looks forward to continuing his work until the Library is completed.
2024 Operating Budget Information
Board Packets
Board of Trustees Documents meeting at 1pm