City of Jacksonville Heritage Cultural Center Board met Oct. 1.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
Due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, the October 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, Jane Breen, John Clancy, Patsy Erickson, Diane Hollendonner, Kyla Hurt, Laura Marks, and James Pisell. Absent were Michael Burke, Charles Rice, Samantha Sauer, Brittany Henry (Ex-Officio), and Judy Tighe (Ex-Officio). Others attending were Steve Varble as marketing consultant and Tiffany Warmoski representing the MacMurray Foundation.
Jane Breen was welcomed as a new board member pending approval by the Jacksonville City Council.
The minutes of the September 3, 2020 board meeting were approved as distributed. The minutes of the August 6, 2020 board meeting were amended to show John Clancy as absent.
Treasurer James Pisell reported that the checking account balance was $13,724.41 with an expense of $900.00 to Stanley Steemer for cleaning. Jim purchased a floor mat for the front door ($40) and donated it to the museum. The City of Jacksonville should be sending a $6000 payment (per agreement for housing and developing the MacMurray archives collection) soon, with another $6000 to follow in June 2021.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Administrative: The Jacksonville Children’s Foundation grant needs to be spent by October 12; pictures and text are ready but need to be printed and Gary Donovan has almost completed the framework for the Mrs. Tucker display. Steve Varble is continuing to discuss printing arrangements with Bound to Stay Bound for the larger exhibits.
Window Ninja Cleaning Service used a special cleaning solution for the window glass and extra care to protect the frames and glass from breaking, ending up with amazingly clean and sparkling windows. It was voted to pay $775.00 for the window cleaning.
In preparation for the October 10 “Sneak Preview” opening, part of the MacMurray archives including the Lincoln Collection have been moved into the museum, with another truckload scheduled for October 17. Logistics will include Covid-19 safety measures, completion of the “Industry” display, arrangements for greeting/answering questions/accepting monetary donations, and securing storage areas from the public. Dave Blanchette will send out a news release to area media, and is trying to meet with Jim Stice about the grocery store collection. Tiffany Warmoski will arrange for MacMurray Foundation members to be on hand to answer questions about the display and future plans for the Foundation.
A textured concrete floor treatment for the front (untiled) area and east hallway has been approved and the Sibert Foundation will pay for it.
Kyla Hurt has completed the volunteer manual and will email it to David Blanchette.
Fundraising: The museum support group still needs leaders and members. Benton & Associates conducted a review of the building on October 1 and will prepare a report on the costs for short/long-term development of the museum areas.
Collections: The MacMurray College collection agreement was approved by the city council and items have started to move into the building. Some highlights so far include Civil War diaries, a collection of Lincoln pictures, and a scrapbook themed around the 1912 Taft/Wilson election (will be a good item to include in the Smithsonian Voices and Votes exhibit next year).
The Masonic Lodge donated items and a thumb-drive of information on the history of the local Masonic organization. Laura Marks donated a 45 rpm Paul McCartney record made at Capitol Records. Jim Pisell donated a Coke bottle labeled “Jacksonville Illinois”. Cindy Boehlke donated a Mrs. Tucker tin and a framed June 22, 1880 Jacksonville newspaper (from the John Power auction). It was voted to accept all of the above donations.
Exhibits: Nothing new to report on the October 30 – December 11, 2021 Smithsonian Voices and Votes exhibit.
Steve Varble displayed a paper model of the “Industry” exhibit. It was voted to approve costs of printing and the base materials for the backdrop of the exhibit (not to exceed $500) in preparation for the October 10 event.
A temporary “placeholder” website page with basic information will be posted soon. It will need to be linked to a PayPal account in order to accept donations.
Promotion: The Facebook page will be getting new photos soon; a large number of photos from the Sibert/Merle Fox collection were recently scanned.
David Blanchette plans to contact the local service organizations again to update on the museum’s progress and recruit volunteers.
OLD BUSINESS: None.
NEW BUSINESS: None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: Tiffany Warmoski told the group that she was excited about the opportunity to move the MacMurray collection to the museum; she will be looking for wooden pallets to set items on in the basement.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, November 5, 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 6:35 p.m.
http://cms6.revize.com/revize/jacksonvilleil/city_government/boards_commissions_and_committees/docs/Boards%20Commissions%20Committees/HCC_Minutes/2020/Heritage%20Cultural%20Center%20Minutes%2010.01.2020.pdf
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