HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.21.2020 Attachment 1
1331 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh WI 54901 • 920.236.5799 • oshkoshmuseum.org
MEMO TO THE MUSEUM BOARD
February 21, 2020
To the Board,
Attached is the draft agenda for March.
This is a short memo because staff have been fully consumed by trying to get back to a normal
routine. Perhaps the best way to look at this week is to consider it as our “catch up” period, at
least as it relates communication and bills. Everyone was happy to be back with their email and
Word functions, but we have no access to Past Perfect or eTapestry. I am pleased to report that
the Museum now has fire detection coverage.
The re-bid of the 2019 masonry project is underway and we had a contractor walk-through this
week. We are focusing mainly on rebuilding the two chimneys on the Carriage House, with
secondary bids on a few other pressing repairs on that building. Facility Engineering is working
on the specifications for the foundation repair but there are questions to resolve before it goes out
for bid.
There is a great deal to accomplish before Titanic arrives and so we spent time on that this week.
The tasks include but are not limited to, the refurbished store; a new point of sale system; policy
development as it relates to groups; and the gallery refurbishment. Theresa has really done a
superb job with exploring options for point of sale and I think I’ll soon be able to authorize the
purchase. We are working our way through each of these tasks and putting together a timeframe
and budget. Deb Daubert is still working with the E/M Group folks to refine the gallery design. I
just reviewed it with her and I think it should be finalized in a week or two. The entire staff is
excited about the exhibition, but also a bit daunted at what we have to accomplish before mid-
July. Incidentally, the floor in the store sanded and finished with three coats of varnish and it
looks awesome.
Then and Now, the photography exhibition, opens on Sunday. Tammy Malewski and Deb were on
WOSH radio this morning and talked about Then & Now, as well as a number of other exhibitions
and projects. However, we have concerns about public awareness of the new exhibit. Our web
site is difficult to access because of the City’s protective firewall, so it is challenging for people to
find our website. (If you search for the Museum, it does not come up as a site; you have to
manually insert the address.) I have been working on grant inquiries and proposals to help
support Titanic and potential funders will explore our website to get an idea of the Museum, so it
is important to have it fully operational.
In the miscellaneous paragraph, we talked to and toured a group of Ripon College students in
Becky Matzke’s Public History class on Thursday, which is always a nice break from the normal
routine for me. Daniel Fiser completed the spring issue of The Muse and reviewed the proof this
morning, so that is now in production.
That ends the week and I hope you have a pleasant weekend.
Brad Larson