City of Jacksonville Heritage Cultural Center Board met June 4.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
Due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, the June board meeting was held at the Jacksonville Area Museum building (Old Post Office) with a teleconferencing option available in accordance with the suspension of the requirement of the Illinois Open Meetings Act requiring in-person attendance by members of a public body during the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation. The meeting was called to order at 5:15 p.m. by David Blanchette, Chairman. Those present included David Blanchette, Cynthia Boehlke, John Clancy, Patsy Erickson, Diane Hollendonner, Laura Marks, Lynne Phillips, James Pisell, and Samantha Sauer. Absent were Michael Burke, Kyla Hurt, Charles Rice, Brittany Henry (Ex-Officio), and Judy Tighe (Ex-Officio).
The minutes of the May 7, 2020 board meeting were approved as distributed.
Treasurer James Pisell reported that the checking account balance was $15,715.43, unchanged since the last meeting.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Administrative: The Jacksonville City Council approved a proposed lease between Morgan County Historical Society and the Jacksonville Area Museum/City of Jacksonville effective immediately, at a cost of $1/year. Mayor Ezard has agreed to have Benton & Associates conduct a review of the building to determine how much money will be needed to complete remaining projects, which will assist with budget-making and future fundraising. The contractor should finish up current projects by late July/early August. A new southeast door was recently installed.
A work/cleaning schedule will probably be set for late summer, in preparation for a planned MacMurray College homecoming event in October. Illinois College students remaining on campus over the summer may be available to assist with the cleaning. Supplies for cleaning need to be ordered.
There were no updates on grant applications, member communications, or volunteer manual.
Collections: Members of the MacMurray College Foundation have toured the museum building, with negotiations continuing to acquire the college archives. They plan to use any funds raised primarily for scholarships, not for supporting the museum in general, so the museum will need to pursue applying for 501(c)(3) status. They would like to see a budget, business plan, fundraising ideas, and other indications of sustainability. The Foundation may wish to suggest a board member to fill the position vacated by Lynne Phillips. Dave Blanchette indicated that he would like to see someone with strong fundraising talents added to the board. He will also look for a lawyer to assist with the 501(c)(3) status.
Laura Marks displayed a 45 rpm record of “I Want to Hold Your Hand’ by the Beatles purchased on eBay; it was voted to accept her donation as an addition to the Capitol Records/industrial exhibit. Diane Hollendonner mentioned that the Masonic Temple is holding an online auction due to the sale of their building, in case the museum wants to acquire some of those items.
Exhibits: Orientation for the October 30 – December 11, 2021 Smithsonian Voices and Votes exhibit is now scheduled for July 30 – 31 in Edwardsville, unless COVID-19 restrictions cause it to be changed. Dave Blanchette plans to attend.
Patsy Erickson plans to work on the GTE switchboard to get it set up in working order for the children’s area. Jim Pisell noted that it would be nice to have a miniature downtown Jacksonville exhibit that children could arrange to show where different buildings/businesses were located.
Laura Marks distributed a list of “Key Understandings” based upon the ideas we might want visitors to learn from the exhibits and take away from their experience, including basic history, economic structure, famous people, and involvement of area residents. The A/V script is almost completed; she is working on strengthening the introduction and conclusion. She announced that she and her husband Mickey will donate the cost of producing and displaying the A/V visitor introductory program.
The board discussed the progressive exhibits at area businesses, and whether or not they would be left in place after the museum opens up to the public.
Promotion: A photographer for the Visitors Bureau took pictures of progress on the interior remodeling prior to the meeting to be used for promotion of the museum. Facebook posts are continuing to register “likes” and “shares” with favorable comments. Steve Varble was not present for an update, but is still working on designs for exhibits.
OLD BUSINESS: John Clancy reminded the group of the interest in building an exhibit that Michael Burke and his JHS history students had started before COVID-19 closed the local schools, and hoped that the work could continue in the fall. Members thanked Lynne Phillips for her work on the board, and wished her well on her planned move to Wisconsin.
NEW BUSINESS: None.
There were no public comments.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, July 2, 5:15 p.m., at the Old Post Office building, 301 E. State Street. Social distancing rules will be observed and call-in option available upon request.
With no further business or announcements to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.
http://cms6.revize.com/revize/jacksonvilleil/city_government/boards_commissions_and_committees/docs/Boards%20Commissions%20Committees/HCC_Minutes/2020/HCC%20Minutes%206.04.2020.pdf
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