Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes from 3/5/2009 Museum BoardMINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY MEETING OF THE OSHKOSH PUBLIC MUSEUM BOARD (Approved at the March 5, 2009 Museum Board meeting) The regular February meeting of the Oshkosh Public Museum Board was held on Thursday, February 5, 2009 in the Lecture Room of the Museum. Board President Rick Rego called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. The roll was taken: Present: Absent: Mr. Becker (alt) Mrs. Knobloch Mrs. Fenrich Mr. Metz Mr. Haffeman (alt) Mrs. Kujawa Ms. Moldenhauer Mr. Rego Mr. Winkler Also present: Museum Director Brad Larson, Assistant Director Michael Breza, Leadership Oshkosh representative Tony Mathe and Brenda Hauber recording the minutes. Mr. Rego designated Mr. Becker to fill the vacancy of Mrs. Knobloch and Mr. Haffeman to fill the vacancy of Mr. Metz. The minutes of the January 8, 2009 board meeting were read. Eugene Winkler moved that the minutes be approved. Carol Kujawa seconded the motion. There being no discussion, Mr. Rego called for the roll call vote: In favor: Opposed: Becker None Fenrich Haffeman Kujawa Moldenhauer Rego Winkler With the vote unanimous in favor the motion was passed. The minutes of the January 8, 2009 board meeting were approved. The February 2009 bill listing was read. Eugene Winkler moved that the bill listing be approved for payment. Carol Fenrich seconded the motion. The bill listing was then discussed. At the conclusion of the discussion, Mr. Rego called for the roll call vote: In favor: Opposed: Becker None Fenrich FEBRUARY 2009 BOARD MINUTES PAGE 2 Haffeman Kujawa Moldenhauer Rego Winkler The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed. The February 2009 bill listing was approved for payment. The next item on the agenda was a request to use Membership funds. Mr. Rego asked Mr. Larson to describe the request. Mr. Larson began by explaining that our volunteer /intern program continues to grow. We need to add more structure to this program as well as more formalized recognition. We would like to hold quarterly get - togethers and once -a -year special activity or outing. There are no funds in the operating budget to support volunteer appreciation programs. Mr. Larson reported that the Membership Fund has the necessary funds to support this activity and well as our other ongoing expenditures, ie. newsletters, member mailings, and the Performance Management Project. Mr. Larson requested authorization to use up to $1,800 this year for the volunteer appreciation activities. Carol Fenrich so moved. Gary Haffeman seconded the motion. Following a brief discussion, Mr. Rego called for the roll call vote which went as follows: In favor: Opposed: Becker None Fenrich Haffeman Kujawa Moldenhauer Rego Winkler The motion was passed with a unanimous vote in favor. The Board authorized the use of up to $1,800 to support 2009 volunteer activities. Mr. Rego then asked Mr. Larson to present his Director's Report. Mr. Larson began by reporting that the total paid admission to the Jan Brett exhibit was 2,533. The final tally of paying and non - paying visitors will be worked on next week. This total does not include Oshkosh school groups, members, or children under age 6 because they do not pay admission. Roosevelt Elementary School won the hedgehog contest. They will receive Jan Brett books as well as one of the small hedgehogs for each student. FEBRUARY 2009 BOARD MINUTES PAGE 3 Mr. Larson believes the tracking of the attendance of members and children under 6 is inadequate. There are many times when the front desk personnel cannot be doing this in addition to answering the phone, dealing with visitor questions, waiting on store customers and taking admissions. Mr. Larson noted that staff is exploring ways in which we can better track non - paying visitors. This may involve some minor changes to the entrance area and store. We will be working with Jan Brett and her husband Joe Hearne to create a traveling exhibit of her art work, along with basic interactives. Obtaining funding is a major challenge and he explained we may cut back to create a scaled -down version. It is hoped it will be ready to travel by mid - August. Our next exhibit will be This is Not Your Grandmothers Quilt. This exhibit of contemporary quilted pieces opens on February 21 and will close on May 10. There will be approximately 80 quilts and items of clothing. The summer exhibit, The Era of Public Enemies. A Crime Wave in a Troubled Time (June 27 -Oct. 18), will coincide with the opening of the movie "Public Enemies." We have submitted an application for a JEM grant to support our marketing of this exhibit. Staff are currently refining the exhibit design and with it the fabrication budget. Mr. Larson explained that. he intends to present the budget request at the March 5 meeting. The exhibition fund currently has $43,868. This concluded Mr. Larson's report. Carol Fenrich then requested that a discussion of the recent report "Museums & Society 2034: Trends and Potential Futures" be included on the March agenda. There was no President's Report, nor any board member statements. No representative from the Auxiliary was present. With no further business before the board, Eugene Winkler moved that the meeting be adjourned. Carol Kujawa seconded the motion. The voice vote went as follows: In favor: Opposed: Becker None Fenrich Haffeman Kujawa Moldenhauer Rego Winkler FEBRUARY 2009 BOARD MINUTES PAGE 4 The voice vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed. The meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m.