OCONOMOWOC HISTORICAL SOCIETY

OCONOMOWOC AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM BOARD MINUTES

October 13,= 2008

at the museum

Board Members Present: Sue Bickler, Barbara Elwood-Goetsc= h, Betty Hancock, Shirley Hinds, Duane Hoffman, Ed Johnson, Melissa Krahn, Margie Krauski, Nancy Lins, Hilton Neal, Don Wiemer

Absent Excuse= d: Fran Durkin, Barb Hirsch, Terry Ladwig, Lois Luebke, Ray Mauer, Ann Zimmerman

Absent: M= ac Dorn, Diane Johnson, Bob Ludwig, Bill Marris, Kevin Passon

Other Attende= es: Dorothy St. Thomas

Call to Order:&nbs= p; President Don Wiemer called the meeting to order at 4:1= 1pm.

Secretary’s Report: Ed Johnson moved and Hilton Neal seconded to accept the minu= tes of the September = 8, 2008 board meeting. Motion carried= .

Treasurer’s Report: Hilton Neal reviewed the monthly financials that had been previously emailed to board members. He anticipates a surplus at fiscal year’s end. The budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year will be presented for approval at next month’s board meet= ing. September expenditures tota= led $8,578.95; revenue was $997.54; and expenses exceeded revenue by $7,581.41. Ed Johnson moved and Nancy Lins seconded to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Motion carried.

Administrator= ’s Report/Museum Operations:

Nancy Lins pre-distributed a copy of her complete report. She announced that Hi= lton Neal will be named “Citizen of the Year” at a banquet to be spo= nsored by the Oconomowoc Area Chamber of Commerce on October 22. Those interested in attending shou= ld contact Margie Krauski. Oconomowoc’s November Gallery Night will be h= eld Friday, November 5 at which time the Society will sell our publications. The museum will participate in Oconomowoc’s Trick or Treat night on October 25.

Committee Reports:

Executive Committee: 1) The committee reviewed the status of replacing outdoor muse= um signage (item discussed later in this meeting). 2) The committee approved a new tem= plate for future newsletters that complements the new branding elements. 3) Proceeds from the Night at the = Museum will be placed into a segregated account shortly. 4) The committee will continue discussion next month as to the proper recognition to be shown departing bo= ard members who complete all terms of eligibility.

Collections: There was no report since Marjorie Day has been ill. She is expected to return to “active duty” soon.

Education: Barb Elwood-Goetsch Hirsch reported tha= t four-year olds from St. Matthew’s school toured the museum on October 2. They learned about how things change over time.= The committee continues to complete the stocking of items for the traveling “trunk show”.

Exhibits: Shirley Hinds reported that her committee is finalizing its display o= n “sailing in the Lake Country area”, and they are assisting Dr. Zelm with his future chiropractic display. Their next meeting is to be held O= ctober 21.

Local History: = ;The committee will meet on October 16. An article is likely to appear shortly in the Oconomowoc Enterprise = that will highlight the railroad depot’s historic umbrella stand. It is hoped the article will lead = to community input about the stand’s missing historic plaque.

Membership: Barb Elwood-Goetsch reported the following: 138 single memberships, = 106 (212) couples’ memberships, and 1 student membership for a total of 3= 51 individual memberships. There are also 11 organization/business/municipality memberships, 40 free memberships and 32 delinquent memberships. All numbers are lower than the pre= vious month due to culling of the list in the manner decided upon at the September 8, 2008 meeting. The numbers are likely to decline further in some categories as the culling process continues.

Property and Maintenance= : = Neal reported that the Society was awarded an Oconomowoc Area Foundation grant of $3,325 for a new asphalt driveway that is scheduled to be installed on Octo= ber 15. The improved driveway will facilitate snow removal, increase aesthetics of the facility and permit us = to move the dumpster to an unseen area. Work will begin shortly on repairing t= he door sill on the east side of the building.

Nominations/Resignations= : Wiemer reported that Terry Ladwig has submitted her letter of resigna= tion effective Octob= er 31, 2008. Hinds and Ladwig are working on fi= lling six positions for the board. = Hinds reported that to date they have secured four commitments to date (Mary Blas= ka, Ralph Garcia, John Easton and Donna Schlender), all pending formal election= at the October general meeting.

Special Events (Quarterly Meetings): The following sche= dule for speakers was reported:

= October 2008: Oconomowoc History DVD (snippets) – Kaldhusdal (confirmed)

= January 2009: Wiemer (confirmed)=

= April 2009: Mapleton – “The Busiest Little City in the World” (confirmed)

&= nbsp; Oct. 2009: Oconomowoc Olympic Time Trials/Speed Skating (confirmed)

Old Business:

Exterior Signage: At= a previous board meeting, it was approved to install new exterior signage by placing it on the balcony above the front door. It was moved by Johnson and seconded by Neal to reopen discussion on this subject. Motion carried. Neal explained that many prefer fr= ee-standing signage in front of the flagpole in the front yard (this idea was originally proposed several years ago when a landscaping plan was implemented). A letter from landscape architect = Judith Starke was read recommending such placement. City of Oconomowoc approval will be necessary f= or a yard-based sign but that is not expected to be problematic. If approved, lighting would be installed to this site at the same time security lighting= is installed at the Elk site. It= was also suggested that an “OPEN” sign be part of the design, as we= ll as other announcement capabilities. The sign would be designed with the same architectural detail as used for the Elk display. Johnson = moved and Hinds seconded to relocate exterior signage to the front lawn as discus= sed above instead of above the front door.&nbs= p; Motion carried.=

New Business: None=

&= nbsp;

Next meeting:= The next board meeting will be Mon= day, November 10 at the Wilkinson Sports Conference Center at 4:00 pm.

= ;

Adjournment:<= /b> Ed Johnson moved and Melissa Krahn = seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 4:53 pm.

Submitted by Margie Krauski, Secretary