City of Jacksonville Area Museum Board met Sept. 1.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The September board meeting was held at the Jacksonville Area Museum building (Old Post Office) with a teleconferencing option available. The meeting was called to order at 5:18 p.m. by David Blanchette, Chairman. Those present included David Blanchette, Chad Boehlke, John Clancy, Diane Hollendonner, Kyla Hurt, Laura Marks, Jo Ann Nelson, Greg Olson, James Pisell, Allan Worrell, and retiring board member Samantha Sauer. Absent were Patsy Erickson (Emeritus), Nick Little, Brittany Henry (Ex-Officio), and Judy Tighe (Ex-Officio). Also present was consultant Steve Varble. Manager McKenna Servis was unable to attend due to her class schedule but submitted a report.
The minutes of the August 4, 2022, board meeting were approved distributed.
Laura Marks distributed copies of the treasurer’s report. The checking account balance was $29,873.36 at the end of August. Expenses included monthly bills (George Alarm, I3Broadband, and garbage pickup), $2,956.00 to pay the two student interns, $616.00 to Sam Hermes for website construction, $300.00 to Jacksonville Journal-Courier for advertising, $333.88 to McKenna Servis as reimbursement for purchase of a printer, and $221.50 to Faith Printing for membership supplies. Income included $558.00 in donations, memberships, and memorials.
Laura also had compiled a summary of visitor and donation totals by month and day of the week in the past year, showing 1517 visitors since opening in September 2021.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Administrative: Chairman Blanchette welcomed new board member Jo Ann Nelson (replacing Tiffany Warmowski) and announced that Rebecca Houston has been appointed to fill the vacancy due to Samantha Sauer moving to a new job in Maine. He thanked Samantha for her contributions to the museum and everyone wished her good luck in her new adventure.
In her report, manager McKenna Servis reminded everyone not to move items without leaving a note or notifying someone as it interferes with the process of sorting/classifying items and creates extra work. Also, board members are strongly encouraged to refer any donations to the acquisitions committee rather than accepting items and leaving them in the office area. The two student interns have returned to school. Both did very good work and felt that they learned a lot. They spent a lot of time sorting and preserving the Black/Drennan collection.
McKenna reported that the exhibits committee met to discuss revamping and reinstalling the JHS exhibit and disassembling the Routt exhibit. Lisa Hall has communicated that the current AP History students would like to create another exhibit at the museum or assist with other projects if possible. There also was a question from one of the interns about a visitor wanting to bring a dog into the museum (not a service animal). Should a sign be posted to indicate that only service animals would be allowed in the museum?
Illinois College invited the museum to enter the homecoming parade. It was voted to approve spending up to $200 for a magnetic sign with the museum’s name to use in parades. A suggestion was made for a possible antique car to ride in during the parade.
The museum sign out front still hasn’t been installed; Blanchette said Lomelino’s is having a problem finding workers and will try to get to the job as soon as possible. There are no contractors with time available to talk about the HVAC system.
No new developments on the county/city bicentennials.
A proposed budget will be available for review at the October board meeting.
Board members were reminded not to leave food out and to promptly empty wastebaskets to prevent insects from making themselves at home in the museum.
Blanchette reported that Saturdays seem to be booked up and he will continue to look for a time to schedule a strategic planning workshop – perhaps on a Sunday afternoon?
Jo Ann Nelson has a small refrigerator to donate to the museum. Still no action on a microwave, although that might be an issue with pest control.
Chad Boehlke encouraged everyone to attend the Chautauqua events coming up on Friday and Saturday.
Exhibits: Greg Olson reported that the exhibits committee met on August 31. The area in front of the office space needs to be revamped by moving the portraits up higher on the wall, adding spotlights, and providing a showcase for temporary exhibits. It was recommended that temporary exhibits be limited to six per year with a special display case and bulletin board space designated for that purpose. It was voted to authorize spending up to $500 to prepare the space with additional trac lighting, a bulletin board, and anything needed to move the portraits.
Fundraising: Blanchette is still working on an application to the Jacksonville Children’s Foundation. It was suggested that he request an area rug to use during student visits, a photo opportunity board outside, and an Eli Bridge ferris wheel seat.
The Jacksonville Area Museum Foundation met with consultant Steve Varble to work on ideas for the capital campaign to launch in November. Steve shared diagrams for a proposed layout of the Phase II area which included a black ceiling, windows blocked to protect artifacts from strong light, and a storyline of Jacksonville history. Based upon Benton & Associates’ previous estimate of work costs of $200,000 and additional funds needed to prepare exhibits, the campaign goal would be $500,000 with opportunities for named gift areas.
Membership letters are ready to send out and Blanchette will provide stamps for mailing. The membership committee (Diane Hollendonner, John Clancy, and Kyla Hurt) will set a date to address and mail the letters.
Nothing new to report on the Gift Shop.
Collections: Donated items included a tub of old ledgers and record books from the City Clerk’s office that had ended up in the IC archives and neither the city nor the state archives want any
longer. Jim Pisell had a stack of t-shirts with advertising from Jacksonville businesses and events. Steve Varble donated a digital movie from the 1940-50s that someone had made while driving around the Jacksonville downtown square. It was voted to accept all of the above items into the collection.
Promotion: Steve Varble reported that podcasts have had 273 “listens” so far, with the Carnation/Schierl podcast still the most popular. Other interviews with Helen Baldwin and Dan Kindred are recorded and waiting to be loaded. Social media and the new website are both working well. Facebook has 1528 “followers.”
OLD BUSINESS: None.
NEW BUSINESS: Steve suggested that stickers saying “I visited the Jacksonville Area Museum” be ordered to hand out to visitors, especially children. Blanchette will add this item to the Children’s Foundation grant request (1000 stickers could be purchased for around $150.). Laura Marks is looking for names of famous people who visited Jacksonville (Judy Collins, Eleanor Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill Cody, etc.). Jim Pisell noted that the basement area could use additional lighting if the electrician could look at it next time he comes.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, October 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 7:00 p.m.
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