City of Jacksonville Heritage Cultural Center Board met Sept. 5.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
The meeting (held in the Jacksonville Municipal Building Mayor’s Conference Room) was called to order at 5:17 p.m. by David Blanchette, Chairman. Those present included David Blanchette, Cynthia Boehlke, John Clancy, Patsy Erickson, Diane Hollendonner, Trevor Lawson, Laura Marks, Samantha Sauer, and Judy Tighe (Ex-Officio). Absent were Michael Burke, Kyla Hurt, Lynne Phillips, James Pisell, Charles Rice, and Brittany Henry (Ex-Officio). Steve Varble attended as marketing consultant.
Minutes of the August 1, 2019 meeting were approved as distributed.
In Treasurer James Pisell’s absence, David Blanchette reported a balance of $43,100.74 in the small business checking account. This reflects the $750 donation made in August by Mr. Scotty DeW olf.
Due to a conflict for the December 5 meeting date, the board agreed to meet on Wednesday, December 4 if the conference room or another space is available. Board members will be notified once the location is secured.
It was noted that the board is currently operating with thirteen members instead of the required twelve so an adjustment will need to be made.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Administrative: Nothing new was reported on construction progress at the Old Post Office building. The board reviewed bids from George Alarm Company Inc. and Young’s Security Systems Inc. for an alarm system for the Old Post Office building. It was voted to accept the proposal submitted by George Alarm Company Inc. for $1876.19 plus tax and an additional $30.50 monthly charge for monitoring.
A pre-application grant request to cover the entire cost of the painting, plaster repair, and artifact storage materials was submitted to DOT Foods Foundation in Mt. Sterling by Dave Blanchette. If the pre-application is accepted, a final application will be sent in.
Yearly membership dues of $45 to the Illinois Heritage Association are due and the bill will be turned over to the treasurer for payment.
Dave Blanchette passed around a detailed history of the two Civil War-era swords that are currently in storage.
Nothing to report on museum memberships until probably in the spring when the museum is closer to opening.
The board discussed the pros and cons of using the south open area of the building as an “event space” to rent, but there were several questions concerning insurance, ownership of the building, alcohol policy, lack of furnishings (tables and chairs), and restroom facilities so the idea was tabled.
Collections:
The artifact storage area estimate for shelving and supplies totaling $4,670.00 was reviewed and tabled until the October meeting for further investigation on what type of shelving and supplies are currently in storage.
Dave Blanchette found one of the collection items (a stool) in storage that Art Wilson had inquired about pertaining to Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew. An African-American history museum is planned for Lovejoy Hall (former Congregational Church) so it may be possible to tie in displays for both museum groups.
It was voted to accept the Greg Olson collection of historical Jacksonville items and photographs. The entire donation needs to be sorted, identified, and catalogued.
It was voted to accept an anonymous donation of a medical kit including glass vials used to store a variety of medicine. It had belonged to Dr. Albyn Garrett Wolfe, a Jacksonville physician who passed away in 1982.
Exhibits: No new developments on establishing additional progressive exhibits or museum themes. Use of the south back room area of the building was discussed earlier in the meeting.
Cindy Boehlke shared color copies of the Mrs. Tucker flooring piece and illustrated her idea to develop a 16-piece wooden puzzle in a wooden table display to hold it. She plans to apply for a Jacksonville Children’s Foundation grant to cover the estimated $300 cost, and is searching for a local woodworker to build the table. Steve Varble added that there are photos of the grand opening of the plant that could be used to develop the exhibit area.
Dave Blanchette has applied for an Illinois Freedom Project traveling exhibit through the Looking for Lincoln organization, with a projected late-2020 display.
Promotion: Steve Varble discussed the new website design and showed examples of a proposed logo using the globed street lights around the building. A line item for ”social media” will need to be added to future budgets (approximately $600/year) for Facebook targeted ads to boost posts and increase interest.
OLD BUSINESS: None.
NEW BUSINESS: None.
There were no public comments.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, October 3, 5:15 p.m., in the Mayor’s Conference Room at the Jacksonville Municipal Building.
With no further business or announcements to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 6:37 p.m.
https://www.jacksonvilleil.gov/city_government/boards_commissions_and_committees/docs/Boards%20Commissions%20Committees/HCC_Minutes/2019/HCC%20Minutes%209.5.19.pdf
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