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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03. Museum Board Minutes 9/5/13 ' OSHKOSH 1 Minutes of the September 5,2013 Board Meeting UI ■ PUBLIC MUSEUM (Approved at the October meeting of the Museum Board) The September meeting of the Oshkosh Public Museum Board was held on Thursday, September 5, 2013, in the Library of the Sawyer Home. President Gary Haffeman called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. The roll was taken by Theresa Books. Present: Absent: Excused: Ms. Drew Mr. Metz Ms. Fenrich Mr. Winkler Mr. Haffeman Ms. Kaufman Mr. Mack Mr. Rego Ms. Thierman Mr. Wiedenhoeft Ms. Kaufman was designated to fill the vacancy of Mr. Metz. Ms. Thierman was designated to fill the vacancy of Mr. Winkler. Also in attendance: Director Brad Larson, Assistant Director Mike Breza, Membership/ Marketing Coordinator Karla Szekeres, Auxiliary Liaison Barb Shirtz, and Administrative Assistant, Theresa Books recording the minutes. There were no citizen statements as no citizens attended. Mr. Haffeman asked the Board to review the minutes of the August meeting. Mr. Rego moved that the minutes be approved. Mr. Mack seconded the motion. There being no discussion, Mr. Haffeman called for the roll call vote: In favor: Against:None Ms. Drew Ms. Fenrich Mr. Haffeman Ms. Kaufman Mr. Mack Mr. Rego Ms. Thierman Mr. Wiedenhoeft The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed. The August 1, 2013, Board minutes were approved. The September bill listing for the August bills was then read. Mr. Rego moved that the bill listing be approved for payment. Ms. Fenrich seconded the motion. A short period of questions and answers followed. At the conclusion, Mr. Haffeman called for the roll call vote: Oshkosh Public Museum• 1331 Algoma Boulevard•Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901 Page 1 of 5 In favor: Against:None Ms. Drew Ms. Fenrich Mr. Haffeman Ms. Kaufman Mr. Mack Mr. Rego Ms. Thierman Mr. Wiedenhoeft The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed. The September bill listing was approved for payment. Mr. Haffemen noted the 2nd quarter Oshkosh Area Community Foundation reports had been sent to the Board members for their review. The 2nd quarter Oshkosh Area Community Foundation reports were received and filed. The proposed revision to the Membership Statement of Purpose had been sent to Board members for their review and consideration. Discussion regarding the proposed statement commenced. After discussion Ms. Fenrich moved to adopt the new Statement of Purpose for the Membership Fund, seconded by Mr. Rego. Mr. Haffeman called for the vote. In favor: Against: None Ms. Drew Ms. Fenrich Mr. Haffeman Ms. Kaufman Mr. Mack Mr. Rego Ms. Thierman Mr. Wiedenhoeft The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed to adopt the revised wording for the Museum's Membership Fund Statement of Purpose. It will now be: The purpose of the Museum Membership fund shall be to augment the Museum's annual budget. The Membership fund shall be directed by the Board of the Oshkosh Public Museum. The proposed 2014 Membership budget was sent to the Board for review. Discussion ensued with Brad Larson and Karla Szekeres being available for questions. Ms. Fenrich moved to accept the 2014 membership budget, seconded by Ms. Drew. Mr. Haffeman called for the vote. In favor: Against:None Ms. Drew Ms. Fenrich Oshkosh Public Museum• 1331 Algoma Boulevard•Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901 Page 2 of 5 Mr. Haffeman Ms. Kaufman Mr. Mack Mr. Rego Ms. Thierman Mr. Wiedenhoeft The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed to accept the 2014 Membership budget. The proposed 2014 Durow Trust budget had been sent to the Board for review. Discussion commenced then Ms. Fenrich moved that the Board accept the proposed 2014 Durow Trust budget, seconded by Mr. Rego. Mr. Haffeman called for the vote. In favor: Against:None Ms. Drew Ms. Fenrich Mr. Haffeman Ms. Kaufman Mr. Mack Mr. Rego Ms. Thierman Mr. Wiedenhoeft The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed to accept the 2014 Durow Trust budget. Mr. Haffeman then asked Mr. Larson to present his Director's Report. Mr. Larson began by noting that with the adoption of the Membership and Durow budgets, Theresa and he can now finish the budget proposal and send it to the Finance Department tomorrow. Mr. Larson is to meet with Mr. Rohloff next Friday, September 13, to review our figures and the 2014 requests. There are many unknowns for the City and at this point, Mr. Larson does not know what that might mean for the Museum. Budget requests will be reviewed with the Common Council in October and adopted in late November. Mr. Larson was pleased to report that the Museum was awarded a $28,250 from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, JEM grant program. This grant was developed by Karla, who worked in cooperation with a marketing firm in Madison, Pilch & Barnet. The cost of their services ($1,500) was paid for through the Durow Trust and it was money well spent. He explained that the JEM grant was reflected in the 2013 and 2014 budgets to help market In Company with Angels and Living with Tiffany. Next Mr. Larson gave an update on Capital Improvements. The steel beams for the carriage house have been fabricated and painted, but the on-site work has not yet started. It is now scheduled to begin on Monday, September 9. Cardinal Construction believes the work will be completed within a week. Oshkosh Public Museum•1331 Algoma Boulevard•Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901 Page 3 of 5 The HVAC replacement is scheduled to begin Monday, October 21, and be completed by Friday, November 8, unless additional air ducts must be replaced due to mold. The Museum will be closed to the public during this period, but it will be a normal work period for staff. "Spooky Tours," a new evening event, will go forward as planned. There are four days that will be slightly impacted, October 24, 25, 26 and 31, but we are cleared to go ahead with the tours. If the tours are well-received and we believe Spooky Tours has potential, it will become an annual event. Unlike typical "haunted house" events, the Museum's Spooky Tours are focused around real people and events in community history. Plus, it is an opportunity to see the Museum at night and in a new and"spooky"way. Regarding 2014 Capital Improvements: Looking at next year, there are five Museum projects in the City's proposed capital improvement budget for next year that will be discussed and considered. Once we are farther into the budget process, capital improvements will come before the Board. All these projects have been listed or considered during our various planning discussions and consultations dating back to 2007 or before. Next year is our 90th anniversary celebration, so (if these projects are funded) it is an ideal time to have these projects funded and finally underway. As explained in Mr. Larson's weekly memo, included in the project list is implementing the first phase of the site master plan. If we are able to move ahead with this initial phase, it will create major changes and positive perceptions, helping the Museum move forward with other projects. Mr. Larson noted that depending on what capital projects are funded, it may be a very busy year between the three major exhibits, capital improvements, 90th anniversary activities, and new staff. To that end, the more preparations we are able to make now, the smoother everything will move in 2014. Regarding the Strategic, Plan Mr. Larson noted that the next step is to hold focus groups with grandparents and Baby Boomers. That must be done prior to getting together with Walter Jankowski for discussion. Because Mr. Larson's time is consumed with other matters, he has asked Mike Breza and Karla Szekeres to work with Walter to handle these focus groups, and Walter's schedule has been full. The idea is to adopt a plan very early in 2014, so that means Board, staff and other community members have to get together this fall with Walter to discuss and reach decisions. Mr. Larson's final item related to the holiday exhibit, Deck the Halls. The Museum unveils a new type of holiday exhibit in mid-November, and one that we anticipate will be become a primary event that we can build on year after year. The exhibit was thoroughly outlined in the recent newsletter. We are moving to a greater level of community and member involvement and this project demonstrates that move. The concept is strong, and we were able to allocate enough money to get a good start. For the President's Report Mr. Haffeman encouraged discussion of the input given by the 4th grade teachers on improving the Museum experience for students and ways to encourage more field trips. Discussion followed and the findings of that report are being used in the Museum's Strategic Planning and will be discussed as part of the autumn meetings. Oshkosh Public Museum• 1331 Algoma Boulevard•Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901 Page 4 of 5 Under Board member statements Mr. Wiedenhoeft recommended adoption of a consent resolution agenda for monthly meetings. He further explained the use and noted that any Board member can ask that any items listed under the consent resolution in any given month be pulled out for further discussion and a separate vote. Discussion followed. Mr. Wiedenhoeft moved to adopt a consent resolution agenda for monthly meetings, seconded by Ms. Thierman. Mr. Haffeman called for the vote. In favor: Against: None Ms. Drew Ms. Fenrich Mr. Haffeman Ms. Kaufman Mr. Mack Mr. Rego Ms. Thierman Mr. Wiedenhoeft The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed to adopt a consent resolution agenda for monthly meetings. Ms. Shirtz updated the board regarding Auxiliary action. They have plans in the works for the celebration to honor Brenda Hauber for her years of work at the Museum. That celebration is at 3:00 before the next Board meeting on October 3rd. Preparations for the Auxiliary's Annual Gala to be held Tuesday, November 12 are also underway. Holiday with the Sawyers is scheduled for November 19th. The Auxiliary remains involved in 2nd Saturdays as well. With no other agenda items, Mr. Haffeman then asked for a motion to adjourn. Mr. Wiedenhoeft so moved and Ms. Drew seconded the motion. The voice vote went as follows: In favor: Against:None Ms. Drew Ms. Fenrich Mr. Haffeman Ms. Kaufman Mr. Mack Mr. Rego Ms. Thierman Mr. Wiedenhoeft The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed. The meeting adjourned at 5:30 pm. Oshkosh Public Museum• 1331 Algoma Boulevard•Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901 Page 5 of 5