West Central Reporter

City of Jacksonville Area Museum Board met June 27.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Due to construction work in the office area of the Jacksonville Area Museum (Old Post Office) and the upcoming 4th of July holiday, the “July” board meeting was rescheduled a week early and held at the Worrell Land Services office (2240 W. Morton Ave.) with a teleconferencing option available. The meeting was called to order at 5:17 p.m. by Chairman Allan Worrell. Those present included Dave Blanchette, Chad Boehlke, John Clancy, Nick Little, Lisa Hall, Diane Hollendonner, Laura Marks, James Pisell, and Allan Worrell. Absent were Patsy Erickson (Emeritus), Rebecca Houston, Kyla Hurt, Jo Ann Nelson, Brittany Henry (Ex-Officio), and Judy Tighe (Ex-Officio). Also present were Manager McKenna Servis and consultant Steven Varble.

The minutes of the June 6, 2024, board meeting were approved as distributed.

Treasurer Laura Marks presented financial and attendance reports for June. In June, the museum received $512.00 in donations and memberships. Expenses totaled $634.73 which included $498.73 in operating expenses and $139.00 for marketing/advertising. Balance at the end of June was $42,375.91. It was voted to approve the treasurer’s report as presented.

Museum attendance totaled 206 for June with $367.00 in donations.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Administrative: Manager McKenna Servis noted that door alarms were not engaged several times. Dave Blanchette will contact the contractor about the alarms, and doors left propped open. He also reported that the contractor will hang plastic sheeting to cut down on the heat. There is now exposed wiring in the Phase 2 area and visitors should not be allowed access.

RidAll identified the bug found in the MacMurray boxes as a waterbug (and blamed it on the pigeons), not a roach so didn’t spray.

The MAC Gathering held June 21 – 23 went well, with about 121 visitors. Much of the MacMurray sportswear and souvenirs were given away for donations (about $500 for the MAC Foundation).

McKenna’s program at the June 18 meeting of the Christian Women’s Club went well. She will be out of town on July 14, 27, and 28 and needs volunteers to open/close the museum.

Allan Worrell and Laura Marks volunteered to ride on the float in the Rotary 4th of July parade.

Exhibits: Nick Little reported that the MacMurray “Legendary Professors” exhibit was up and well-received. Lisa Hall and her Routt students will have a grand opening of the temporary exhibit about the Morgan County Fair on June 30. The Morgan County Fair Queen is coming to cut the ribbon. Dave will contact local media.

Fundraising: Laura reported that the JAM Foundation will meet on July 11. Becky Elmore is ready to start work on restoration of the Governor Yates portrait. Laura will talk to Joy French

Becker about possible storage for the portrait until construction is completed and temperatures return to normal.

Building and Grounds: Jim Pisell reported that the door in the basement has been installed and he will get an invoice to submit to the MAC Foundation for payment. Chad Boehlke chopped weeds in the parking lot. The pigeons have constructed a large nest above the front entryway. Allan will check with Kyla about assistance from the fire department. We also need a handyman willing to go up on the lift to install the bird spikes. Jim plans to order a supply of bulb covers for the outside lights.

Collections: It was voted to accept the following donations to be accessioned: two watercolors by Jacksonville artist Noreen TenEyck and a donation of several published children’s books and a recorded interview from Dr. Robert Crowe.

Promotion: Steve Varble has created graphics for the WMBD advertising campaign and Dave did three 5-minute interviews. The current posts on social media are about the streets of Jacksonville. Promotions will start soon for the county fair exhibit. The Spotify problem hasn’t been solved yet.

OLD BUSINESS: Dave gave a construction update, saying a large portion of the electrical work is completed and the contractor is shoring up the attic supports. Tim Powell is contracted to do sandblasting before painting. The south room should be about 50% complete in the next couple of weeks with work then shifting to the hallway and office area. Steve passed out sketches of the proposed “downtown” spaces. It was voted to approve a payment of $39,142.80 ($43,492 minus 10% for materials, etc.) to Neff-Colvin Contractor by the JAM Foundation.

Laura Marks suggested that it would be a good idea to send Steve and McKenna to a museum conference to research new ideas, vendors, etc. that might benefit us. McKenna will see what is available that might be suitable. Chad reminded everyone that the Jacksonville Bicentennial is coming up in 2025 to be included in exhibit planning. Laura thanked Nick Little for raising $313 for the museum in a birthday fundraiser.

NEW BUSINESS: None.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.

Due to the ongoing construction at the museum, the next board meeting will be held on Thursday, August 1, 5:15 p.m., at the Worrell Land Services, 2240 W. Morton Avenue. A call-in option is available upon request.

With no further business or announcements to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 6:58 p.m.

https://www.jacksonvilleil.com/government/agendas___minutes/index.php