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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/24/2015 - Mintues 1^h CITY pF RENTaN RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MAY 1 r 2015 V -I 1 February 24, 2015 RECEiv,CITY CLERKS OFFICE Attending: Laura Clawson, Stefanie Mclrvin, Sandra Meyer, Meris Mullaley, Kim Sweet, Elizabeth P. Stewart, and Vicki Jo Utterstrom. Absent:Theresa Clymer, Alice Stenstrom, and Lisa Wivag. Guests: Sarah Samson, Wil Samson, Arlo Samson Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 5:33 PM by President Stefanie Mclrvin.The meeting was held at the Renton History Museum, 235 Mill Ave S, Renton. The Board agreed to change the order of the first part of the agenda, to accommodate guests. Oral Communications/ Public Comments Information (1) Collection Manager Sarah Samson on 1-594: Sarah reported on the implications of 1-594, "Background Checks for Gun Sales and Transfers," passed in November 2014. The legislation does not include exemptions for museums, so Sarah has inventoried the firearms in our collection to ensure that we are and will be in compliance in the future. She has also checked deeds of gifts for firearms to ensure that the Museum has clear title. Three guns do not have completed deed of gift.Three guns are exempt, and two more may possibly be considered exempt; more research needs to be done on their dates. (Black powder guns are exempt from the law, as well as guns that have been rendered inoperable and guns that pre-date 1899.) The law affects any firearms loaned for exhibits or newly acquired after 1 December 2014, although it is not yet clear how background checks would be done for institutions.The Washington Museum Association has advised museums to comply, but is advocating that the legislature write an exemption for museums as the regulations are drafted. Sarah or Liz will update the Board as we get more information. Laura Clawson asked whether the firearms will be on exhibit soon. Sarah replied that the Moses rifle is currently on exhibit, and WWII rifles have been exhibited in the past; none have been loaned for exhibits, and we don't anticipate loans, simply because our firearms are more useful for telling Renton stories than as important examples of guns per se. (2)Graphic Designer Wil Samson on proposed museum logo: Wil was present to answer questions on his design for the proposed new Renton History Museum logo. Wil gave a little background on the thinking behind the proposed logo, a stylized version of Fire Station #1. Most museums use their buildings as the basis for logos, because it is difficult to encapsulate the mission of a growing and changing institution in any other way. Successful logos need to scale up or down, depending on the use, and they are streamlined to be memorable. Wil was trying to be slightly more playful and youthful. Board members expressed their appreciation to Wil for his pro bono work, as well as their confidence in his skills as a graphic designer. Sandra Meyer expressed her disappointment that Board Minutes 2015-02-24final.doc Page 1 of 5 'err NINO RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY _.7_ BOARD OF TRUSTEES - February 24, 2015 she did not see any changes from the last iteration the Board reviewed. Liz Stewart said that she had taken the Board's request to add Art Deco detail to Wil, and he had explained that it was not possible to add the detail so it could be seen in a small scale; Liz relied on his expertise and did not press the point. The Board took up the discussion at a later point in the meeting. Artifact of the Month Vicki Utterstrom shared a photograph of a grocery store cabinet that had inherited from her grandfather's grocery store, Piemonte Grocery operated by Louis Delaurenti at the turn of the century. The cabinet held bulk dry goods—flour, sugar, beans, etc.—and the grocer measured them out for customers. She recognized the cabinet from a photographic mural hanging in Fry's Electronics and then realized what it was. Board Communication Sandra shared a trip to Nebraska in which she and her husband had dinner in a restaurant owned by the local museum.The museum had received funds from the state to renovate a historic building for this purpose, and now the restaurant serves as a source of earned income. Kim Sweet was in London last week and she visited numerous museums; she found that museums had the best cafes, including Salisbury Cathedral. Board Correspondence The Board discussed Mayor Denis Law's email reporting the death of Board member Susie Bressan. Susie passed away on Monday, February 23. Liz circulated a sympathy card to go to Susie's mother, but Vicki Utterstrom suggested that something more than a card would be appropriate, because of all the support Susie and the Bressan family has given the Renton Historical Society over the years. Trustees discussed various possible ways to honor her service at the Annual Meeting, including notice in the June newsletter and acknowledging her at the Annual Meeting. Stefanie also reported that Meris Mullaley will be resigning her seat on the Board as of June, although she will continue to volunteer for Renton River Days and the annual dinner auction. Trustees thanked Meris for her service and for being willing to continue volunteering. Consent Agenda (President) Action Item • MOTION: A quorum being present, Meris Mullaley moved to approve the consent agenda; Kim Sweet seconded. Motion passed, none opposed, none abstaining. Old Business Action Items (1) Logo: Stefanie circulated a list of needs (merchandise, business cards, name badges, etc.) waiting for the new logo, and encouraged trustees to vote to approve the logo as presented. Sandra expressed her disappointment that another alternative had not been presented, and Board Minutes 2015-02-24final.doc Page 2 of 5 RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES , �,171 - February 24, 2015 said she was concerned that some of those originally opposed to the logo were not present at the meeting. Meris pointed out that it was proving difficult to get everyone present at the same meeting, and that was slowing progress. Liz also explained that the Museum had been offered the opportunity to have its own banner printed by the City as part of a new set of banners that were being printed in March, but the logo had to be submitted by February 28 or the Museum might be excluded; she did not want the Museum to miss this opportunity and have to wait another whole year for the next set of banners. Laura reviewed discussion around the coal miner head logo when it was first proposed, which was even less well liked by trustees at the time but was used anyway. Sandra proposed that the Board approve the logo with the understanding that it could be modified for future larger applications. • MOTION: Laura Clawson moved that the Board approve the current logo as presented, with the understanding that in future larger applications more architectural detail could be added as appropriate; Vicki Utterstrom seconded. Motion passed, none opposed, none abstaining. (2) Community Engagement MAP Final Report: Liz had circulated MAP Assessor Melissa Prycer's final report before the meeting and she briefly reviewed the MAP process. Many of these recommendations were discussed at the staff retreat in December and they will also find their way into the Strategic Planning process this year. The MAP is part of the staff's desire to continue to improve and take the Museum to the next level of achievement; we will also have assessors from Balboa Art Conservation Center visiting in late March to review our collections care and recommend improvements. Kim asked that staff consider historic looking child-sized furniture for the kids' area—one of Melissa's recommendations—and Liz said she would try, although the selection of hard- wearing, safe kids' furniture was fairly limited. (3) Policy Renewal Forms: Liz circulated Conflict of Interest Statements, Whistleblower Policy, and Ethics Agreement for trustees to update for 2015. Discussion/Action Items Discussion (1)4th Quarter 2014 Financials:Treasurer Laura Clawson had circulated the 4th quarter 2014 report before the Board meeting. Expenses remained well under budget, which was a good thing since Memorials continue to decline and Fundraising is fairly static. 2014 ended with a $5500 surplus and income increased $9500 over 2013, an increase of 2%which, while positive, is not enough to continue to improve operations. Sandra also reminded trustees that $60,000, while classed as "income" in the annual budgets, is actually a draw from our own funds at Renton Community Foundation, so that is not necessarily sustainable either. Once the RCF Board Minutes 2015-02-24final.doc Page 3 of 5 RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES f-11 - February 24, 2015 Fund is gone, the Board will then be drawing on the income from the endowment. Stefanie clarified the difference between the Renton Community Foundation monies and the Endowment invested with Edward Jones. • MOTION: Kim Sweet moved to approve the 4th quarter 2014 financials as presented; Meris Mullaley seconded. The motion passed, none opposed, none abstaining. (2) 2015 Plans and Projects: Stefanie outlined work for 2015, starting with recruiting trustees to fill the seven (with Meris leaving in June) empty Board seats. On Board recruitment: Stefanie reminded everyone that they should either reach out to three friends or acquaintances to encourage them to apply, or give names and contact info to Stefanie and/or Liz, and we would be glad to follow up. The goal is not to invite them to join the Board, but to invite them to apply; there is still an interview process. Liz has a packet of basic information about Board service she can supply, as well as an application. Trustees made suggestions: get Norma McQuiller to get out the word to the Neighborhood Program; do some actual paid advertising (but it wasn't clear where). Liz is already mentioning it every time she does outreach and on Facebook and Twitter, and the information is on the web site, but Liz reminded trustees that they are the best ambassadors for the Board. Stefanie's goal would be to fill the Board at the June 3 Annual Meeting, and then begin planning for a retreat. On retreat: We may want to consider bringing in a facilitator/trainer to talk to us about different methods of fundraising to figure out what's doable for this Board. Sandra suggested that there are organizations that do paid fundraising and we may have to consider hiring someone. Vicki thought that we are putting a lot of emphasis on the dinner auction every year, but there are probably smaller ways to raise money throughout the year. A small Board subcommittee is in the very preliminary stages of putting together a spring fundraiser; Kim Sweet explained that it would probably be on a Sunday in May at the Red House. She and Stefanie are scheduled to talk to Gene Sens about their ideas to see whether he can help.The idea would be a ticketed event with a Patron membership included in the cost of each ticket; it would be a membership builder as well as a fundraiser. Kim suggested that with the lobby renovation coming up and a need to build the endowment,fundraising needs to become more of a focus. On strategic plan revision: Revising the 2010 strategic plan should also be a focus for this year. Other ideas: Sandra thought new trustees should be assigned a mentor or buddy to help them through their first few months. She also wondered how we can reach out to members and include them on the Board. Stefanie thought it will be interesting to see whether members get involved in the May event. Laura wondered whether staff could do a newsletter feature on the founding of the Historical Society, as a way to build interest; Liz wasn't sure the records exist to really tell the story. Board Minutes 2015-02-24final.doc Page 4 of 5 RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES T a ' ; February 24, 2015 • MOTION: Laura Clawson moved to extend the Board meeting by ten minutes, and Kim Sweet seconded.The motion passed, none opposed, none abstaining. (3) Personnel issue: Liz presented a request to change the title of the staff position "Visitor Experience Coordinator" to "Public Engagement Coordinator," to more accurately reflect the duties of the position. • MOTION: Meris Mullaley moved to make the title change, and Sandra Meyer seconded. The motion passed, none opposed, none abstaining. Mission Moment(Museum Director) Information Because of the lateness of the meeting, the Director held her Mission Moment for the next meeting. Adjournment Action Item Laura Clawson moved to adjourn; Vicki Utterstrom and Kim Sweet seconded.The motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 7:13 pm. Elizabeth P. Stewart, Secretary Board of Trustees, Renton Historical Society Board Minutes 2015-02-24final.doc Page 5 of 5