OCONOMOWOC HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Board Minutes/April 9, 2007

Museum

 

OHS Members Present:  Marjorie Day, John Fishleigh, Pam Thomas, Dorothy St. Thomas, Barbara Elwood-Goetsch, Ray Mauer, Duane Hoffmann, Terry Ladwig, Ann Zimmerman, Tony Thorsen, Hilton Neal, Nancy Lins, Margie Krauski, Chuck Herro, Diane Johnson and Ruth Behling.

 

President Hilton Neal opened the meeting at 4:08pm.

 

Secretary’s Report: Nancy Lins moved to accept the minutes of the March12, 2007 Board meeting and John Fishleigh seconded the motion. Motion carried.

 

Treasurer’s Report:

  • The P & L Budget vs. Actual for November 2006 through March 2007 was distributed.
  • P & L for March, 2007showed total income of $1,484.12 and expenses of  $2,835.92 for a net income of -$1,351.80. Checking account balance as of 3/31/07 was $1,505.61, Savings account $51,283.35, certificate of deposit is $62,775.17 and the Vanguard Total Index Fund is at $7,573.64 for total cash assets of $123,137.77. Tony Thorsen moved to accept the March 2007 financial statement. Terry Ladwig seconded the motion. Motion carried.

 

Board Interest Survey:

  • Terry Ladwig passed out interest/expertise surveys for the board to fill out. She will follow up with the board members not in attendance today.
  • Terry also asked Hilton what the best way would be to approach members regarding focus groups. She would like to establish two focus groups: one with members 45+ and without children and a second group that would be younger and with children. The group’s size would be 10-12 members each. Terry plans to facilitate and tape the meetings. She will ask the participants questions regarding their membership and the museum. The focus groups should take place before Memorial Day at the Oconomowoc Village Hall.

 

Administrator’s Report/Museum Operations:

  • Visitors: 50 people visited the museum since the last board meeting.
  • Correspondence: Gallery Night is May 4th and the Ashippun History Committee Spring Open House is Sunday, April 22 from 1-4pm at the Ashippun Town Hall. If a member attends, check out how the outside exhibits are done. We could possibly take advantage of the west side of our building for an outdoor display in the future.
  • Programs: University Women’s Annual meeting on April 12th @ 7pm, will view the Rockwell DVD; Questers Trail meeting will be held at the museum on May 3rd to view the library exhibit.
  • Volunteer/Committee Meetings: Volunteer breakfast invitations have been sent; Docent meeting is scheduled on May 5th @ 9am, notices sent to last years docent list; Marci Skerpca is working on the fire book; Pat Bouton has been helping clean museum, paint and help with exhibits; Robert Ehler, Mike Krauski, Pat Bouton, Jeff and Nancy Lins finished moving items out of the back area of the museum.                                                    
  • Exhibts: Library will be done before May 1st; Milt Babinec and John Hansing will be working on the Munger exhibit exterior and the interior will be set up in early April; lumber purchased for the library exhibit for $200. Bill Balthazor will be here on Tuesday to start working on the library.
  • Repairs/Maintenance: Computer software purchased (2003 Office Professional) for $200 after the internet failed and the old computer crashed, both were restored; John Radtke was called to check a problem with the south wall light switch when the lights failed in the Summit Bank exhibit causing sparking.
  • P/R needed for museum opening on May 4th; Open House on May 20th from 1-4pm celebrating Wisconsin Museum Week and new exhibits. Nancy had 700 brochures printed/folded and will distribute.
  • Hilton extended a thank you to Nancy and Pat Bouton for all they have done in the museum. The Board then toured the new exhibits and area that was cleaned up.

 

Membership:

  • Barbara Elwood-Goetsch reported we now have 364 members, 9 organizations/municipalities, 72 delinquent and 39 free memberships. Post cards were sent in March to delinquent members and several renewals came in as a result.

 

Artifacts:

  • Radke’s picked up the old stove.
  • The Grindrod family does not want the sink.
  • Kenny Rhodee donated a baby/doll stroller from 1880.
  • Tom Snyder shared the history of the Snyder Store with Marjorie. She felt this would be a great interview for the Local History committee.

 

Local History Committee:

  • Margie Krauski shared that Bill Marris is very interested in doing the interviews for the committee. These stories also need to be shared with the local newspapers, in our newsletter and on audiotapes that will be used by the docents.
  • Duane Hoffmann talked to Bruce Lee regarding the history of the Oconomowoc Country Club. Bruce has a lot of information up to 1935. Marjorie should call him next week.

 

Education Committee:

  • Barb Elwood-Goetsch reported the committee hasn’t formally jelled as yet. No one is stepping forward to chair or take notes. The grant from the History Channel is due June 1st so it comes too soon for this year but possibly next year they can try for a grant. The grant deals with engaging children in preserving history. It must go through the schools and would have to involve 4th graders because they study local history. The committee needs to expand to other kids the success of the 75-4th grade tour from last month. A nice article appeared in the Enterprise about the tour.
  • The committee meets again tonight at 7pm.

 

2008 Campaign Incentive:

  • Margie got an idea for a possible incentive for the 2008 Appeal if Terry’s DVD isn’t completed. At the January 2007 meeting she saw the sheet music displayed for “I Went For A Walk in Oconomowoc” and asked Don Wiemer for a copy. She then thought that a portfolio of sheet music and audio recordings of songs pertaining to Oconomowoc might be a good incentive. We may need an attorney to investigate copyrights after 1923 in order to reproduce some of the songs. The board agreed this would be a good incentive gift if Terry’s DVD isn’t ready in time.

 

 

Fire Exhibit Replacement:

  • Since this is the last year of the Fire Exhibit, Betty Hancock would like a Victorian theme exhibit in its place. There will be a lot of space to work with when that exhibit comes down. Someone should check with Truman Schultz regarding artifacts for this display.

 

Speakers:

  • April 2007—Carol Smart will replace Tony Rajer in April.
  • Hilton asked if a special meeting should be called in June while Tony Rajer is working on the murals so members and the community could talk to him as he worked. The Board felt the activity should be video taped before/during/after its completion. The Board also stated Tony has a commitment to OHS and should make time to speak to the society as well as other area groups but that a June special meeting probably wouldn’t work.
  • July 2007— Tony Rajer or Chuck Herro “The Gilded Age—Extended”
  • Still working on October speaker—possibly the Executive Director of Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee, a Roundtable or Chuck Herro if he doesn’t speak in July.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

Elk Project:

  • Duane Hoffmann reported it is still too cold to work on the elk in its present storage facility. There is a good plan in place for when the elk is moved. The base will be placed first and then the elk will be brought in laying down. The elk will then be raised and the legs put in holes and pegged to eliminate it from falling…but we need warm weather.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

  • Diane Johnson reported she will chair the Ice Cream Social again this year. Mullen’s Ice Cream from Watertown is on board again and Diane will bring in sign up sheets as the time gets closer.
  • Chuck Herro will again obtain a Trek bicycle for the raffle.

 

Chuck Herro moved and Ann Zimmerman seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 5:37pm.

 

Next meeting will be Monday, May 14, 2007 at 4pm at the museum.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Pam Thomas/Secretary