City of Jacksonville Heritage Cultural Center Board met Nov. 5.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
Due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, the November 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 5:19 p.m. by David Blanchette, Chairman. Those present included David Blanchette, Cynthia Boehlke, Patsy Erickson, Diane Hollendonner, Laura Marks, and James Pisell. Absent were Jane Breen, Michael Burke, John Clancy, Kyla Hurt, Charles Rice, Samantha Sauer, Brittany Henry (Ex-Officio), and Judy Tighe (Ex-Officio). Others attending were Steve Varble as marketing consultant and Tiffany Warmowski representing the MacMurray Foundation.
The minutes of the October 1, 2020 board meeting were approved as distributed.
Treasurer James Pisell reported that the checking account balance was $13,078.40 with the main expenses of $775.00 for window cleaning, $489.43 for construction of the “Industry” display, and $35.58 for drywall and supplies to finish the “safe room” wall. $654.00 in donations were received at the October 10 “Soft Opening” event. The PayPal account is now active and will be linked to the new website.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Administrative: The slate of officers for 2021 was presented: Chairman, David Blanchette; Vice-Chairman/Treasurer James Pisell; and Secretary, Diane Hollendonner. A vote will be taken at the December meeting. The meeting schedule for 2021 will continue to be at 5:15 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.
The October 10 event was a success, with a good steady stream of visitors and ample publicity covering the museum’s progress. Most comments were favorable, with a suggestion that a timeline and a few more businesses be added to the “Industry” display.
Installation of the textured concrete floor treatment for the front (untiled) area and east hallway still needs to be scheduled.
The presentation by Benton & Associates Inc. engineering firm has been delayed due to illness.
Review of the volunteer manual is underway.
Jacksonville Area Genealogy and Historical Society would like to move into a section of the Old Post Office building, but not into the basement since there is no elevator yet. They would like to move records into the south end of the building and use the front office area for staff members. This will need to be negotiated with the City of Jacksonville and the Morgan County Historical Society. This would also fill up the current main floor storage area and give more people access to the building. It would also mean that further development of the main floor storage area and the basement would have to occur concurrently because there would need to be a place to move the items on the main floor when development proceeds.
The Morgan County Bicentennial will be in 2023, followed by the Jacksonville Bicentennial in 2025. The museum should start making plans to be a part of the celebrations. Samantha Sauer would also like to allocate funds for 3 college interns ($2000 each, or approximately $6000) to work at the museum. It was decided to discuss duties and cost further before proceeding.
Fundraising: Steve Varble discussed various formats for a fundraising mailer and the pros/cons of letters vs glossy trifold appeals. The matter was referred to the finance committee for further study. Blanchette is still looking for someone to head the museum support group.
Collections: The MacMurray College collection has moved into the museum building, and Tiffany Warmowski is busy organizing it. It was voted to accept donations from Jim Stice (Stice Grocery items that were featured in the museum display on October 10), Clark Smith (Jacksonville High School yearbooks), and Patsy Erickson (a 100 year old light bulb – that may still work -- from the house that served as the Woodson post office).
Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation wants to discuss a loan of school memorabilia for a display at the museum.
Exhibits: Samantha Sauer, James Pisell, Cindy Boehlke, and Tiffany Warmowski will serve on the committee for planning the Smithsonian “Voices and Votes” exhibit events, with Dr. Claire Jerry advising. Dr. Jerry suggested an exhibit on the Old Post Office building, with Laura Marks adding that an architectural scavenger hunt would be a good idea.
Some form of sunshades are needed for the windows to protect exhibits from damage/fading. Steve Varble bought some flexible LED lights with clips to attach to the displays. Tiffany Warmowski reported that there are several glass display cases in the MacMurray Ed Complex and the library that are for sale for around $200-600, and she will ask the MacMurray Foundation to purchase several for display purposes.
Steve Varble discussed adjustments to the “Industry” exhibit and plans to make the next display slightly shorter. The wood-framed “Bulletin” cases on the walls will be used to highlight some photographs and posters. It has been difficult to purchase lumber for the displays due to Covid- 19-related fluctuating costs/availability/supply chain issues. Steve toured the new Harvest Market grocery store in Springfield and picked up several ideas for exhibit designs. The grocery store is also promoting a “Looking for Flat Lincoln” activity that might work well with the museum.
Promotion: The WSEC “Illinois Stories” feature on museum progress was well-received, and a follow-up feature story will be scheduled after the museum is fully opened. Promotional items such as t-shirts, coffee cups, ball caps, and other branded items, possibly sold at the Jacksonville Convention & Visitors Bureau and on-line, were discussed.
A week-long photo series on the 1970’s Urban Renewal project of the downtown square received lots of comments. Steve has scanned a new set of photos, with the next post to feature the interior of the old Centenary Methodist Church.
OLD BUSINESS: None.
NEW BUSINESS: None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
http://cms6.revize.com/revize/jacksonvilleil/city_government/boards_commissions_and_committees/docs/Boards%20Commissions%20Committees/HCC_Minutes/2020/Minutes%2011.5.2020.pdf
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