HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-02-2019 Museum Advisory Board Meeting MinutesCity of Fairhope Museum Advisory Board
Meeting Minutes for October 2, 2019
Call to Order/Determination of Quorum/Meeting Minutes: Cha ir Catherine King cal led the meeting to
order at 3 p.m. Attending were Louie Blaze, Wayne Brunson, Paul Czajka, Alan Samry, John Taratsas,
Thelma Todd, Jess i ca Walker and Darby Wiik. Oliver Gilmore was excused, Counci lman Jack Burrell sent
regrets . Quor um reached. Meeting minutes app roved (Motion: Blaze/Second: Czajka).
Board Membership: Terms for King and Ta ratsas en d in January 2020. Ki ng wil l roll off the Board,
Taratsas has not made a decis ion on whether he will apply for reappointment.
Election of Secretary: There being no volunteers t o assume the duties of secretary, the chair took
minutes.
Director's Report, Alan Samry:
1. The Museum's facebook page was laun ched this summe r; efforts are underway to i nc rease
'l ikes' and pull readers to the page.
2. The Muse um is now open each First Friday Art Walk with good attendance reported.
3. The Museum Plaza Fountain is undergoing repair to the pump and decorative stones. It is not
operational at present.
4. Attendance report showed numbers lower this year to-date from last year. Discussion fo llowed
on reasons and how to increase the number of guests.
5. Fairhope's 125t h anniversary will be ce lebrat ed on November 15 th from 3-5 pm at the Museum.
Th is is a free event for the public to ce lebrate Ro un d Up Day whe n the first settlers came to
Baldw in County in 1894.
6. The next exh ibit at the Museum -the Women of Fairhope -wi ll open in late summer of 2020
and wil l tie i n w it h the 100th anniversa ry of t he ratification of the 19t h amendment.
7. The late Alan Hoffman, supporter of and docent at the Museum, left a portion of his estate to
the Museum. Th is is still in probate at the time of the meeting.
Old Bu siness:
1. Archive Space/Welcome Center : Jess ica Walker, Directo r of Economic and Community
Development, reported that when renovations to the Welcome Cen t er begin, the Museum
Archives will be stored at the City faci lit y on south Section Street -sometimes called the "old dog
toy factory." She said the Fairhope City Council understood the needs at the Welcome Center
and t h e impo rtance of securing the Archives collection safely.
2. Insurance on the Collection : Per Mrs. Wa lker: The Museum's col lection is insured by Roberts &
Robe rts, the agency for the City. Any items on loan to the Museum are insured by the owner.
3. Publicity: Pe r Mrs. Walker: The cu rrent City policy allows departments to w rite their own press
releases, but they must pass throug h M rs. Walker's office where they will be distributed to
media outlets. The Friends of the Fa ir hope Museum of History is granted access to the media
list t o publicize Fri ends sponsored events.
New Business-M eeting Dates for 2020 are January 8, Apr il 1, July 1 and October 7.
Motion to adjourn (Motion: Blaze/Seco nd Czajka) at 4 pm.
Respectfu lly submitted,
Catherine King, Ch air
Approved 1/8/2020