Carleton Place and Beckwith Historical Society
267 Edmund Street, Carleton Place ON K7C 3E8
Minutes of August 28, 2014 meeting
Attendees: Shane Edwards, Jennifer Irwin, Bob McDonald, Mike Rathier, Tim Campbell
Regrets: Wendy LeBlanc, Barbara Ann McDonald
Meeting
Meeting called to order by Shane. Enquiry to any conflict of interest was made.
Motion to approve agenda was made by Tim Campbell and seconded by Mike Rathier – motion was carried
Motion to approve previous minutes was made by Tim Campbell; Seconded by Mike Rathier. Motion was carried.
Reports
President (Shane Edwards)
Shane reported that feedback on the museum’s displays was very positive; visitors were very impressed by the displays and the staff on hand.
It was also reported that there was very good feedback regarding the students working at the museum this summer.
Vice-President (Tim Campbell)
No official report. Refer to ‘Beckwith Township Rep’ report.
Secretary (Bob McDonald)
Bob McDonald reported on the meeting he had with Duncan Rogers regarding the posting of our minutes and agendas. The request was part of the on-going initiative for transparency.
Shane Edwards made a motion to post the minutes and agendas of our meetings on our website (once they had been reviewed by board members). The motion was seconded by Robert McDonald. Motion was carried.
Bob McDonald will prepare a report giving the breakdown of membership by levels (single/Family/Senior/Student/Organization/Life) for the next meeting.
If any new membership applications are made prior to our next meeting Bob will present the forms to the Board for their review.
Treasurer (Mike Rathier)
Mike Rathier presented the Quarterly Financial report. The report was distributed to the board members for review. A discussion followed regarding the recording of how the monies were allocated. Mike also mentioned our ongoing need for volunteers for the Nevada ticket sales table.
A motion to accept the Quarterly Financial report was made by Shane Edwards, seconded by Tim Campbell. Motion was carried.
C.P. Horticultural Society
No report
C.P. Council Rep (Wendy LeBlanc)
No report
Beckwith Township Rep (Tim Campbell)
Tim Campbell reported to the board on the upcoming Harvest Festival which is being held at the Beckwith Park on Sep[t 07, 2014.
Museum Report (Jennifer Irwin)
Jennifer Irwin reported that the summer students had completed their assigned tasks.
She also informed the Board of a donation of a bicycle to the museum.
Jennifer stressed the importance of making more use of the Hall Of Valour room which has recently been the subject of a M.O.U. where by the museum could expand into this space, providing we allocate an area for items , designated by the Hall of Valour, as having historical significance.
Jennifer also made an Outreach Report indicating the activities being pursued by the Museum to increase our presence within the community. These options include: a webpage, a Face Book page, kiosks at various events within the community, exhibits in and around the museum as well as at various locations in the area, a newsletter and articles/ads in the local newspapers.
It was reported that there has been an increase in the number of research requests which, in some cases, would require a significant investment of employee time and resources. If a fee for these requests was established, this could be a potential source of income for the museum.
A motion, by Shane Edwards, to initiate a pilot project (for a 6 month trial period) to charge $25/hr. to do research was seconded by Tim Campbell. Motion was carried.
Jennifer indicated her desire to make presentations to Carleton Place and Beckwith town councils to promote the museum and its activities.
Jennifer will continue her efforts to inventory the historical records/items in the town vault. Duncan Rogers would be the contact with whom she would be working with.
New Business
· Update on request from Duncan Rogers re: our minutes and Agendas – refer to Secretary’s Report section.
· Draft letters to local businesses – Robert McDonald will create a draft document and distribute it to Board members for their review.
· Membership form update – Shane provided a sample form which he had worked on. This form reflects the updated fee structure as well as a section which will permit the applicant to indicate their consent to receive emails from the Museum (this would address the ‘Unsubscribe Mechanism’ which is being made a requirement for entities which communicate with the public).
· M.O.U. re: hall of Valour space – the board has to determine how the space is to be used. This may include a discussion with members of the Hall of Valour.
· Insurance coverage re: Apple Pie Social – Jennifer has canceled the event.
· Bell option for the Museum – Mike Rathier (treasurer) presented the Board with information from Bell on the different telephone & internet packages which were available to the Museum.
A motion to sign a 3 year option for telephone & internet package, and to explore the possibility of a 2nd router (for the lower floor of the Museum) for WiFi availability on the lower floor, was made by Tim Campbell seconded by Mike Rathier, motion was carried.
· Workstations – A $610.00 fee from BWD to transfer data.
A motion to pay the $610.00 fee was made by Tim Campbell, seconded by Shane Edwards. Motion was carried.
· Book quote - new quote has been received for the printing of 100 books. Cost $200.00; this would result in a profit of $7.80/book.
Priority Items
Rejection of Trillium Grant – Tim Campbell will contact The Trillium Group with the intent of inviting one of their representatives to a Museum Board meeting to help clarify our approach to applying for a grant from their group. Tim Campbell will also contact the Valley Heartland Group to invite one of their representatives to a Museum Board meeting.
Culture Development Fund – after some discussion, it was decided that we are not ready, at this time, to apply for this funding.
Additional fees from Beth Peterkin – A motion to cover the additional $864.00 in fees for Beth Peterkin was made by Tim Campbell, seconded by Mike Rathier. Motion was carried.
Motion to adjourn meeting was by Mike Rathier, seconded by Shane Edwards – motion was carried
*** Next meeting will be held on September 25, 2014 ****