City of Jacksonville Heritage Cultural Center Board met Dec. 2.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
Due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, the December 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 5:18 p.m. by David Blanchette, Chairman. Those present included David Blanchette, Chad Boehlke, Diane Hollendonner, Nick Little, Laura Marks, James Pisell, and Tiffany Warmowski. Absent were Jane Breen, John Clancy, Patsy Erickson (Emeritus), Kyla Hurt, Greg Olson, Samantha Sauer, Brittany Henry (Ex-Officio), and Judy Tighe (Ex-Officio). Steve Varble attended as marketing consultant. Also present was McKenna Servis.
The minutes of the November 4, 2021 board meeting were approved as distributed.
Treasurer James Pisell reported that the checking account balance was $50,514.44 at the end of November. Receipts were $983.00 and expenses were $1438.45 including monthly bills (George Alarm, GoDaddy, and garbage pickup), transportation expenses for Voices and Votes, and printing of forms and invitations.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Administrative: The 2022 slate of officers was modified (with Laura Marks abstaining) to indicate that Laura Marks would serve as Treasurer beginning in March; until then officers will be: Chairman, David Blanchette; Vice-Chairman/Treasurer James Pisell; and Secretary, Diane Hollendonner. David Blanchette indicated that this would be his last year serving as Chairman. The board voted to approve the 2022 slate of officers as modified.
The job description for the position of Jacksonville Area Museum Manager was approved by the city attorney. The manager will keep track of hours worked for the museum and for the MacMurray Foundation. The two organizations will each contribute $1000/month to the manager’s salary. Starting date for the position is January 1, 2022. After an interview with McKenna Servis on December 1 and discussion by the board, the board voted to hire her as the new manager. It was noted that during the spring semester there will be a need for board member/volunteer coverage at the museum on Wednesday afternoons when McKenna has class. Blanchette will draw up a formal offer of the position for McKenna to accept. It was voted to accept a worker’s compensation package at a cost of $250/year through Grojean Insurance.
Blanchette has discussed snow removal with the city and with Centenary Methodist Church next door. It was voted to hire Sam’s Mowing to take care of snow removal on sidewalks, steps, and side driveway.
Laura Marks and Steve Varble are preparing for the Capps exhibit with a proposed opening in May. It was noted that a tour of the former Capps buildings and photos of the interior would be beneficial, and that Jack Lukeman could be consulted for information about products.
Steve Varble has identified five locations within the museum where exhibits could be rotated in and out over a 2 ½ year period. The exhibits need to excite the public and bring people into the museum. Proposed exhibits on Capitol Records and the upcoming city/county bicentennial celebrations were discussed. More research needs done on Passavant Hospital and local businesses. Chad Boehlke will research the Veteran’s Park amphitheater and McKenna Servis will work on William Jennings Bryan. The medical/dental exhibit is very popular with visitors but needs more interpretation/labeling. It was voted to authorize spending not to exceed $500 to prepare a photo cutout of Mother Carson.
Fundraising: No grants are pending at this time.
The Jacksonville Area Museum Foundation is still waiting for word from the Illinois Attorney General’s office about the application for incorporation before they can officially operate as a not for-profit. No one is answering the phone at that office. Memberships are still coming in every day. Varble posted a Facebook appeal for members to join on Giving Tuesday. Chad Boehlke volunteered Cindy to set up sale of souvenirs.
Collections: It was voted to accept several new items into the museum’s collection, including photos from the construction of Lake Mauvaisterre and a box of books (donated by Tom Holmes) and a collection of wooden cutouts of Jacksonville buildings sponsored by Passavant Auxiliary (donated by Chad Boehlke). Blanchette will take care of requesting another Doug Brady (White Sox) jersey to add to the collection.
Exhibits: The Voices and Votes exhibit opening address at Hamilton’s on November 20 by Dr. E. Claire Jerry was considered a success. On December 18 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.), a children’s program will offer activities, a visit from Santa Claus, and refreshments. Blanchette will coordinate publicity releases. Tear down of the exhibit will begin on December 22 at 2 p.m. and board members are encouraged to help. The next museum to offer the exhibit will pick it up on December 27 and take it to Clinton IL.
Promotion: Laura Marks is going to interview her mother about the dolls from the State Hospital in the display case for audio files for the museum website.
Steve Varble said the museum website is progressing and still needs content to be added. Blanchette, Nick Little, Laura Marks, and Varble will work on developing content for the website developer to insert into the pages. Billing for the email accounts has been figured out. Social media is performing well. At some point in the future professional photos will need to be taken for brochures, official publicity, and advertising.
It was voted to change Sunday operating hours to show that the museum would be open from 1-4 p.m. beginning on January 2, dropping the Sunday morning hours. The museum will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
OLD BUSINESS: The museum still needs a banner or sign visible out front to draw attention to the building, perhaps a banner hanging directly over the front entrance. Blanchette will check with Ace Sign Company.
NEW BUSINESS: Jim Pisell pointed out that the museum manager will need to have some kind of office space developed where she will be able to work on projects.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, January 6, 5:15 p.m., at the Old Post Office building, 301 E. State Street. Social distancing rules will be observed and call-in option is available upon request.
With no further business or announcements to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
http://cms6.revize.com/revize/jacksonvilleil/city_government/boards_commissions_and_committees/docs/Boards%20Commissions%20Committees/HCC_Minutes/2021/Minutes%2012.02.2021.pdf
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