Video Description:
Museum Advisory Board – June 2023
Read along below:
Speaker 1 0:00
Yes, so we’ll go ahead and call the meeting to order I have 434 for the time Did everyone have an opportunity to check the minutes? Do I have a motion to approve? Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
Unknown Speaker 0:22
All in favor
Speaker 1 0:24
that is unanimous fantastic. We don’t have any public invited to be heard. So we can move on to acceptance
Unknown Speaker 0:47
everything this month as archival just worked out that way this collection it’s been a year and movies in the boxes of reference files and clippings from store recombinant zero 1009 extra
Unknown Speaker 1:22
column that she wrote was that in that times column and many, many of the photographs are searching
Speaker 2 1:40
I mean regularly or in later years, she would call me up and say, Do you have a photo kid with a cat or something and I go and leave a credit card out that is and she would she would write columns. So lots of historical information we actually didn’t we weren’t thinking enough to clip those columns the time but luckily G was pretty complete set of all the columns
Speaker 3 2:20
your aid is similarly archival material. This is from a school newspaper September 28, may 29, two school portraits let’s see many of the Union directory books so three class reunions would publish them we’re having someone that’s in the finance industry
Speaker 3 3:02
so lots of memorabilia from one high school there to see Trojan news high school newspaper clippings also which we do not have any currently
Unknown Speaker 3:21
in the question.
Speaker 3 3:37
Wait nine is the National Society of the donor nation that along with chapter was vocal, one of the longest running women’s organizations in Longmont in the these are scrapbooks from TV grooms about. And then yearbooks from their chapter.
Speaker 4 4:11
I have a question I’ve just wondered, I know that we have in the archives, a lot of collections from organizations that are no longer in existence. But how much information do we have of this of how many existing organizations have shared materials with?
Speaker 2 4:40
Not that many. Typically it is organizations that cease to exist and then they donate their collections to meet you have. Congregational Church donated quite a number of their records recently. Well, the green thing still exists in some form. Incredibly. So there are a few examples, but it’s
Unknown Speaker 5:11
just wonder
Unknown Speaker 5:18
three for for this month
Unknown Speaker 5:28
any other questions about these
Unknown Speaker 5:31
sessions?
Unknown Speaker 5:35
Is there a motion to accept or accept? Second, all in favor? That is unanimous. Thank you very much. All right.
Unknown Speaker 6:00
So
Unknown Speaker 6:01
the report of the
Speaker 2 6:03
interim director. So, you all received the full report, went out a few highlights. museum director position, recruitment is in process. Jeffrey’s near the head of recreation and culture said it is his goal to at least have a director chosen if not in place, by the time he goes on vacation. Jeff goes on vacation July 18. That’s what we’re looking at
Unknown Speaker 6:37
pretty fast.
Unknown Speaker 6:39
So yeah, we’ll see if that happens or not. I’ll talk a little bit more later on and or unfinished business about capital campaign. If you haven’t had a chance to see our agriculture exhibit, encourage you to check it out. And a very nice opening
Speaker 5 7:02
question on the executive director search. Does the board get the board? Or is there a time or opportunity to sit in parts of the interview?
Speaker 2 7:15
I will ask Jeff has been the one leading that and I usually am a lot more involved. But something about applying for the position means that you can’t write the questions. So I will ask Jeff about that. I’m not sure the first zoom phase. They were just short half hour interviews. But I don’t know what is plan is for the
Speaker 5 7:43
experts are more interested when they come for the answer?
Unknown Speaker 8:00
And if not what I
Speaker 2 8:10
wanted to point out we actually will be getting featured in PBS news hour. He came out to film, the agriculture installation. There’s actually multiple different venues that have had exhibitors being shown, and they filmed at the Agricultural Heritage Center where there’s a piece here the Longmont museum. So I haven’t heard yet when that will make sure we soon as we get that information. That’s great.
Unknown Speaker 8:47
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 8:54
We are in the midst of summer camp. So lots of lots of kids museum all day long school. There was a big community painting event for art and public places for a mural at ninth and alpine and that included unexpected hailstorm because otherwise you’d have success.
Speaker 2 9:24
We have submitted our annual application to the scientific and cultural facilities district. We haven’t yet heard last year we got $270,000 from them. And it is based on income our income went up so a
Speaker 4 9:48
lot of us remember before we were faced to get 20,000 a year. So it’s just really a feather in museums have to be students.
Speaker 2 10:05
It’s been a huge it’s actually allowed us to hire Megan Peters our development director because so and so that really makes the capital campaign possible. So having that solid sort of reliable year after year significant support from SCFD is a huge difference I’m happy to answer questions about any aspect of the directors are born to be labor things
Unknown Speaker 10:45
are you do you got an award for your Oh yeah. The roundtable recognized here for about one thank you.
Unknown Speaker 11:07
That’s great.
Speaker 1 11:14
Do the software upgrades that you guys have done over the last several years to help you with gathering the statistics that you need for the FCS CMP application and things like that? Or is it a hit or miss?
Speaker 2 11:29
Some of them do or are rec track software is a big part of all of those statistics. Some of the other software is more about other kinds of fundraising development and reflection software. SAP doesn’t allow us to count virtual visits and things like that so we can’t really show those but we are certainly reaching a lot of people through our collection software online portal than
Unknown Speaker 12:18
any other questions comments?
Unknown Speaker 12:22
What took them so long to recognize you
Speaker 2 12:26
there was a pandemic 2020 2020 And then they pretty much didn’t have their their annual recognition for a couple of years and so this wasn’t a year to recognize local history books that had been published in
Unknown Speaker 12:47
the last couple of years
Speaker 2 12:51
nine all told who I was the only one from online
Unknown Speaker 13:00
so they are museum gift shop.
Unknown Speaker 13:08
$20 of cost for me
Speaker 2 13:17
took me nearly here Christmas presents. And I’m always glad to autograph and if anyone wants to buy it as a gift.
Speaker 1 13:31
Okay, next on the agenda is the report of the chair. I do not have a report but would like to note that when the resigning from the board will need to at your next meeting
Speaker 4 13:42
elect a new chair. The question is What’s this June to be the end of your term? Or did you have any other year?
Speaker 1 13:57
I had another year on my term. Okay, so we actually have a
Speaker 4 14:02
vacancy. That brings me to a question certainly back to the bylaws when Eric told me that you and I notice that it doesn’t seem it says that the clerk will
Speaker 4 14:31
try trying to fill that can see Yeah, but as a matter of course, don’t they usually wait until a certain time and it’s it’s a shame we get to go a whole nother
Speaker 6 14:43
night now. Yeah, I think when we did our interviews, so you must have recently
Unknown Speaker 14:50
Yeah, it was just this last week. Okay. Okay.
Speaker 6 14:55
Thank you. Okay, yeah, so it wasn’t it So we were able to fill all the vacancies. So I guess you all know, those of you who applied you’re in, and then we have a new member. So then we’ll have a current vacancy. Yeah. And then, according to our, our charter, and how we fill those vacancies, it happens twice a year. So I think we just have to wait until the December one, which is unfortunate.
Speaker 4 15:28
Oh, I can see how whether there’s medical conditions, that would be good now for the clerk and for the council. And I have a bunch of boards, recruiting people and stuff, but
Speaker 6 15:41
it does. And we have several boards where there were not enough applicants to fill the position. So even without having somebody resigned, they’re still vacant seats for lack of, of interest, which is unfortunate.
Unknown Speaker 16:08
So I think the next meeting, you’ll have your new member at that time, it’ll be in the new slate of officers. Just wanted to put up here, if anybody wants to throw their hat in the ring for charities, pretty easy. You’re gifted. And we have a vice chair
Unknown Speaker 16:42
with the Vice Chair, move up to the
Unknown Speaker 16:44
I mean, that’s up to you guys. And
Speaker 4 16:47
it’s up to you if it’s up to the board. And I guess I should talk to them. Because I’m not health situation, I really feel that it’s I mean, I want to continue and I have one more year on the board before on the term. And I intend to have like to stay on the floor. But I really feel like it’s a chance for other people start building sort of thing and building leadership deals. So I’m going to decline from even if anybody would nominate. How do I?
Unknown Speaker 17:39
Nominate sir.
Speaker 4 17:48
I don’t I didn’t mean that. I just wanted you all to be aware that I feel that other people should see the chair and the vice chair. So think.
Speaker 1 18:10
All right. So we can move on to unfinished business. Let’s chat about the kambaku.
Speaker 2 18:23
Up this this room doesn’t have its fancy wireless wired. So you may have seen in the director’s report that we scaled back our capital campaign, right. This happened based on the results of the feasibility study that we received from the consultants that were hired by friends of the museum board. And I thought they actually put together a very nice presentation about kind of the reasoning behind what was going on. work that they’ve done and where we are now. So starts out so capital campaign feasibility planning. Talk a little bit about what a feasibility study is, the results of that study and where we go. feasibility studies are a really important part of capital campaigns. They basically are a way of looking at what is realistic for an organization to raise in a community
Speaker 2 19:46
not all organizations do them, but they have a lot of benefits to making sure that you have a successful campaign need to scope For that basic components, there’s a review looking at interviewing folks working with staff, a lot of different aspects, feasibility studies. So the theories that the consultants were testing was that the community sees a need for expanded exhibits classrooms pacity, that we have a pool of donors that has generally given a kind of a membership level, but that they would see the need and understand be interested in giving at a much higher level for a capital campaign, and that they’d be enthusiastic about it. So some of the indicators of success that they look for are the response rate to the input. So one of the first things that we did is identified a number of kind of key donors, key supporters, that we then had the consultants contact to then have them interview. And in those interviews, then they can get into Uzi Azzam, as well as then also consultants working with the staff, and then doing what they call a wealth evaluation to look at capacity. That’s the one piece that they have
Speaker 2 21:43
some of the indicators, you know, how much we have leadership involvement, what are some of the external factors? How strong is our database of donors? So, some of the findings. So January, February of this year, met with staff started doing some surveys, preparing and submitting a grant to NIH. There was a challenge grant for infrastructure. In March and April, doing some more surveys, internal system review, and of course, this point was when cam announced her departure. And so, you know, certainly anytime the executive director announces departure from an organization that’s looking at a campaign, and it raises some questions, just in terms of, oh, you know, people have seen this person as the leader of the organization, are they gonna, you know, pause, what’s their sense? So, one of the, one of the concerns that was raised genuine to work on plans in May and June, was also in April, we found that we did not get the NIH grant. And another really unfortunate thing, the conversation with NEH hitman, this is a slam dunk from the staff perspective, the reviewers saw otherwise did not get back there. And so these are some of the overall findings. They asked 34 people requested interviews from 34 museums supporters, and only received responses from what was a significant certainly fact it’s really their biggest concern of is that, you know, people just aren’t quite as engaged perhaps, but the museum’s enthusiasm was was good, not over the top staff capacity. We have a one person development department, leadership engagement with Kim’s departure, other concern. We are still building out our database, I’m getting some skill sets, and there’s a lot going on a lot of things happening in Longmont right now. Other companies and things like that. So all that being said, and there’s just kind of some detail on some of these. They were testing a $30 million capital campaign price tag and that was something that the folks that get interviewed were kind of like wow, that’s really hot. They were excited about the idea of an expansion program gallery exhibit gallery spaces, outdoor spaces when they were asked, well, how much would they give? Donors did not suggest that they would be looking at a stretch, it doesn’t mean that it’s not a question just means kind of off the top. They’re not saying, oh, yeah, I recognize capital campaign. And I would write a much bigger example I normally do. So there’d be no more work to be done to get that. Definitely interested in children’s gallery courtyard classrooms, not so much in parking or gift shops, or data points, we’re certainly considering our donors are loyal. But we don’t have a lot of large dollar donors at this point, which, which we kind of knew going. So we have one very large donor and some sizable donors, but not enough to really look at the size of campaign we originally planned. So the plan going forward, you go, Is 8.19 still would be the largest campaign in the Museum’s History. And I think one of the exciting things is, with the commitment from the steward foundation for 5 million plus city support for another million and a half, we’re already at six and a half of the day. We feel like this is a very achievable goal. It does mean scaling our plans down a good bit. But it does not mean canceling really means focusing on some of the core pieces and knowing that, really, the idea is this campaign hopefully will allow us to build those relationships. So that we then when we’re doing a search campaign in the future, we’re not starting from kind of a baseline, we’re starting from a level where people are like, Oh, yes, I’ve given significant museum before
Unknown Speaker 27:18
reading to the consultants. Note that this is really a terrible capital gains.
Unknown Speaker 27:28
That’s last
Speaker 5 27:29
year 2022, you know, the market was down on the 27th Everyone’s been ravaged by inflation, the market hasn’t experienced that up. We know there’s a lot of uncertainty. And people are still recovering their assets or investments from the bear market. So this is really not a good time to be launching a Capital One your approach as well you don’t have a lot of articles that was it. The consultants? Yeah.
Speaker 2 28:13
That was definitely one of their categories was external
Speaker 5 28:18
factors. Yeah. People are probably just holding on or just waiting and see see what happens in the markets before they make any big decisions. So
Speaker 2 28:36
yeah, that was definitely definitely a factor in the decision to scale back so what
Unknown Speaker 28:42
was the third source of falling interest rates that’s when you see a market start to all market significant way that
Unknown Speaker 28:57
people feel good
Unknown Speaker 29:01
money and wealthy and so forth. So Annie, I think that’s probably five
Speaker 5 29:18
lukewarm response to some of the questions and I think it’s terrible last year that’s not a criticism. Because you started this, this whole process when times were pretty good. You really did. Yeah, no, I didn’t perceive what’s gonna happen. And so you know, the largest one. There’s the longest bear market. And so it’s been dragging on for a long time and people are not happy and feeling nervous and uncertainty. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there and so forth. And you’re trying to launch a capital campaign, but all of this, I don’t think you’re going to be able to get started recovering,
Unknown Speaker 30:11
which anyway, that’s
Speaker 4 30:17
my think you also have to consider local external factors. I mean, people are upset about their property taxes going up. Okay. The same is put down a bond issue for all these other things. You know, I just think there’s so much going on. Yeah, other demands for money and support.
Speaker 2 30:51
So, I wanted to share this, I thought it was important that you all know, kind of the rationale behind the chain. We are still moving forward, I think the feeling is that this is a very achievable goal. In fact, we’re looking at raising a relatively small amount from individuals, it’s going to be more from foundations, corporations. So you know, it’s much more about building relationships with individuals than it is expecting them to be writing big checks for now. We’re looking at this as, as capacity building is do you have a sense of timing? Maybe formally, yes, yes. So we are planning to do a groundbreaking for the courtyard phase, September 15. So you all get invitations to that. And that will kick off the campaign.
Unknown Speaker 32:05
Is there enough flexibility built into the plane where economically speaking, things get much better and scale up and
Speaker 2 32:19
second meeting today, where someone has has suggested exactly that. So I’m gonna talk to their architects and see how we can do that in a way that provides flexibility without us spending a lot of money designing a building anymore, we can do
Speaker 7 32:39
to continue to work on contingency plans.
Speaker 5 32:44
Sort of defense of a bad mother. Breaking small market goes up, so 100% of the next
Speaker 7 32:56
raising rates at the end of July. That’s what I read. But not a whole lot are still looking at banks not really working very well. Which banks?
Speaker 6 33:13
Do you have, like sketches of what the building expansion would look like? This?
Speaker 2 33:19
People were not Yeah, we’re actually working with the architects, our goal is to have those by September 15. Because it was such a significant scale back, it’s really not trim a little near term level here. It’s really kind of rethink the expansion from we just, we just need to really focus on the core elements, make sure we’ve got those. Hopefully, again, provide opportunities where yes, if additional funding becomes available, or please, you know, opportunities for in a future phase we can add additional classroom space. More space for galleries
Unknown Speaker 34:14
planning for expansion as opposed to a complete rebuild down the phases
Unknown Speaker 34:27
who’s on the committee?
Speaker 2 34:31
So Megan Peters is our development director. And let’s see, we’ve got Katie McDonald from from this board, and is on the committee. We have a teacher, Chavez, Aveda Ramos and Kent Jacobson from our friends board. And then a couple of Have city staff member Lyra up as one? And Megan is still recruiting committee members as well.
Unknown Speaker 35:14
What What’s your criteria for?
Speaker 2 35:19
Yeah, somebody who is excited about the museum is comfortable talking to folks about giving, you know, has an interest in supporting Museum and, you know, can be an ambassador has strong community connections. That’s really important because often it’s, you know, someone may say, well, this person would be really interested, but I don’t really know them well enough to talk with them. If there’s someone said, oh, yeah, I know them and arrange lunch with.
Unknown Speaker 36:07
Other questions?
Unknown Speaker 36:18
To new business.
Unknown Speaker 36:23
I shared on my new business,
Speaker 6 36:27
everything on the table for new business. So you know, I do have just an update. So, you know, we are sister cities with the Northern Arapaho. And with it earlier this month, I attended with a group, a couple of other council people, and myself and senior staff and DS, and sister cities, folks. And we, we spent the weekend at Wind River. And it was a really eye opening experience, it is very educational. And we’re really looking to kind of bridge our relationship further. So one of the things you know, I am a third grade bilingual teacher and ups, my spare time. This is marriage. And we thought of the concept of a sister school with our school and one of the elementary schools in the Wind River Reservation. The other and as I was speaking with the people who do the education facilitation out there, they were wanting to talk. They’re interested in a language exchange. And so one of the possibilities and we’re trying, we’re looking at how, how best to coordinate but one of the ideas that was thrown out, there was a collaboration with the media. So that’s kind of where, why I’m bringing it up here. And so you know, that’s, that’s in the works. I have some meetings scheduled, I believe in August, they’re they’re coming down for a visit. And we’ll have opportunity to sit and meet about to iron out details. But I you know, just that that opportunity to bring the museum to the forefront, as well as, as having the museum kind of showcase the historical just the history of the Northern Arapaho and impacts to, to this area and contributions to this area. So you know, what, we’re kind of trying to bring in an educational piece, language exchange, as well as this unique opportunity for for you. So yeah, I wanted to let y’all know that something that’s in the works, and
Unknown Speaker 38:53
it’s fantastic.
Unknown Speaker 38:57
excited, very excited.
Speaker 2 38:59
We wanted to build those relationships. Yeah.
Speaker 6 39:03
So as we were talking, I was like, Oh, I kind of I think I’m figuring out how, how we can do that and use that the museum as this was great. To have that same meeting space. And yeah, so start working out the details, and I’ll keep you all updated.
Speaker 7 39:27
Do you think that we’re going to be able to provide some of the same kinds of programming or even more of some that we have this past year with duality, because they were fabulous. The apps were we were having the panel discussions into you know, providing educational through film, or hands on and then like the powwow Yeah, cultural exchange and providing dialogue.
Speaker 6 39:58
Yeah. And we want to find My grace to continue not just to continue to grow that peace, but also have a space for when folks come to visit, and stay here that they actually have a place that is their own natural health.
Unknown Speaker 40:11
And that Voices
Speaker 6 40:12
for Children as well as family and families to come and be a part of this. So yeah, we are that when I’ve spoken with Janice from the Sister Cities coalition that was in common as well looking for ways to grow this, the programming for educational piece for our, our residents, as well as giving a voice for
Unknown Speaker 40:39
Northern Arapaho when they come to visit.
Speaker 6 40:44
And it is fulfilling that that portion that action items in our mission and our land acknowledgement is you know, we just don’t do the land acknowledgement. But what are the action steps that we’ll follow this to to prepare? So while we’re working on it,
Speaker 7 41:03
we really need some more educational speakers to come in. And some of the things that really hit me was the whole idea of trust. How do we build launch for us? And we’re starting I mean, yeah, the whole idea of the wall, the that was Supreme Court did not shoot down with Native Americans, which is a really, really big deal.
Speaker 6 41:33
Yeah, and the level of trauma that folks have a shared experience that I’m leaving the reservation is just, it, there’s a lot of uncertainty with young women and children being abducted.
Speaker 7 41:46
Right on there are different programs that are on TV that are voicing all of that. Yeah. Which is really good. But you know, in films, yeah. For we need more dialogue, more international dialogue, they
Speaker 6 42:00
understand the, you know, that we understand where we’re coming from, right, and how to best support
Unknown Speaker 42:10
and communicate and communication advices
Unknown Speaker 42:13
to break down those barriers.
Unknown Speaker 42:13
It’s very exciting.
Speaker 7 42:27
It is so exciting that we’re doing it. I mean, like, I was so excited about what happened.
Speaker 6 42:35
Yeah. Because as far as the sister cities organization, the world wire service never been a thing. Sister Cities alliance between a sovereign nation, it’s very exciting.
Unknown Speaker 42:54
To foster in the press coverage, we
Speaker 8 42:59
go watch again, what it feels wrong. It was it’s, you know, it’s working. Yeah. So
Speaker 7 43:07
what about the last? I mean, it just blew me away. You know, I just, you know, that whole piece with the mayor and trust and what he did to get into us to develop this was just magnificent. We need to do more in the power. The power. Yeah. And having the the small dialogue with the artists talking about things. is really
Unknown Speaker 43:35
the back then.
Speaker 7 43:38
You also got great attendance. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was really,
Speaker 6 43:43
I think that there’s, there’s a desire from our community. Yes. To see that and be engaged. Yeah, something we don’t want to let die out. Let’s do that.
Unknown Speaker 44:00
Well,
Unknown Speaker 44:01
it’s fascinating history, that’s for sure.
Speaker 1 44:10
All right. Any other new business report covered?
Speaker 5 44:18
Do you have a timetable on what you’d like to see? The sister city project unfold.
Speaker 6 44:26
So gaining momentum? Well, I know in August, we’re gonna have, you know, we’ll have they’ll be out here. So then we’ll be able to discuss. So it’s kind of we’re letting the Business Council kind of determine, you know, the comfort level as well as working with the youth, the children. I know this fall as far as for the school for the sister schools. We’re looking to start, I already talked to my team and I talked about the fifth grade team and they’re all ready to, you know, a writing curriculum, as far as put come together on Euro plan to share with our students so that they have that historical context before letter exchange and zoom meetings with, with their with our students. So yeah, so at least the school education scholarships. But, um, but yeah, as far as the city to, to the reservation, we’re still, you know, I still want to meet with some insurance on the Business Council. So, yeah, so, you know, we’re hoping we can get something rolling this this fall or throughout the year, until it’s more frequent. I can watch
Speaker 5 45:40
I mean, just as off the top of my head, you know, many people don’t know exactly much about the level. So be very, very interesting to kind of yeah program and introduces there history, alter
Speaker 7 45:59
family, if you can get a family to unfold the historical it works. Personal, yes, personal exchange.
Unknown Speaker 46:15
It makes it real.
Speaker 7 46:17
Yeah. When you bring in a family to talk about what you know, their background is and what happened you
Speaker 6 46:25
know, and it was interesting because the Wind River Reservation actually houses the Shawnee and Northern Arapaho, which are century old enemies. So the fact that they were put on that same reservation and it was I feel like it was malicious intent. You know, and so, coming to terms with it was a contrast.
Speaker 4 46:51
But it’s always amazed me is how few there were at the time that this area sell, I mean, I think because people see movies, you know. In the US there were only about 2500 More than and you can imagine in 18 5060 when the Gold Rush happened here and 60,000 people and 6020 people that have been on forever and they’ve got that Yes. App many people are
Speaker 6 47:41
no, you’re watching I’m still learning and maintenance and amazing experience. Commander made that happen. It really is just trying to keep the keep Mayor Bradley’s legacy going because what he did was great. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 48:12
All right.
Unknown Speaker 48:15
If there’s nothing else is there a quicker Thank you, sir. seconds. Thank you, Linda. We are adjourned is 523
Transcribed by https://otter.ai