AUBURN’S HISTORIC & CULTURAL SITES COMMISSION
Meeting minutes from August 18, 2004
Present: K. Walker, B. M. Lewis, M. Vanek, D. Lamb, T. Bridenbecker, E. McHugh, J. McCormick, P. Wisbey,
J. Bryant, S. Craner, T. Hussey, M. Alberici and J. Kline
Excused: P. Copes Johnson and M. Weitekamp
Absent: S. Marteney, P. Anderegg, Rev. Carter and D. Dempsey
Chair M. Alberici called the meeting to order and D. Lamb read the mission and vision statements for the Commission.
I. Approval of the Minutes
M. Alberici asked for approval of the June minutes. D. Lamb made a motion to accept the minutes as submitted, seconded by P. Wisbey. All were in favor and the motion carried.
Committee Reports
II. Planning & Development Committee
D. Lamb said they had just met to discuss collaborative programs. Due to timing, they decided to continue on with Common Threads for 2005. Yet, moving forward they would like to create a joint Tiffany-themed program for 2006. As the Chapel and the Cayuga Museum are Tiffany sites, the Schweinfurth can do an exhibit on architectural glass, and a Tiffany Trail brochure could be pulled together, etc.
Another idea to expand on for 2006-2007 is the Passport to History program. P. Wisbey said they discussed the model from Germantown, PA’s History Hunters/Youth Reporters. Four historic sites covering different periods created a joint curriculum based on historical themes. Students were assigned to write about their visits to the sites as if they were reporters, and the stories were published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, a program sponsor. (All of this program’s information is available on line.) Themes that could be developed (one at a time) in Auburn are freedom, exploration and innovation. Under these umbrellas, abolition, the Underground Railroad, suffrage, film technology, land exploration, etc. could be interpreted at the various sites. There could also be a website component. J.
Kline said that material could be added to TourAuburnNY.com. S. Craner asked if the program would still be for fourth grade students, P. Wisbey said he thought Germantown’s was for fourth and fifth graders, but we could include higher grades due to the content.
P. Wisbey continued, as a culmination to the program, a special wrap-up event could be hosted at the Schweinfurth. The Committee now needs to pull together a draft of the program before approaching the school district and the local paper. The state learning standards would be incorporated, and the classroom materials, to make it more attractive to teachers. But transportation from the schools will still be an issue. The program could fall under various subjects, Social Studies, Language Arts and/or Art. The Committee also discussed applying for a grant for an Educator to pull together the curriculum. Seward House had a consultant pull together their curriculum, thereby handling the format, testing and themes. P. Wisbey said he has a contact with the Cooperstown Museum Studies program that could help make the connections
with the students who might be interested in an internship.
M. Alberici said the program would be ideal for eighth grade students since they cover American History that year. D. Lamb said yes, but their classes are structured in periods, making scheduling a field trip more difficult. M. Alberici said the school district has a foundation that could be approached for funding. She will find out who is the appropriate contact. M. Alberici asked if the site directors had time to discuss the administrative fee, D. Lamb said they had not, and it would be discussed at their next meeting on October 6th.
III. Marketing Committee
As for leads from ads, M. Vanek said so far during the month of August the Tourism Office responded to 747 inquiries; the top producers being Country Homes, Ladies Home Journal, Midwest Living and Better Homes & Gardens. Inquiries year-to-date totaled 6,222. Website visits for the first half of August were 460, and total (unique) visits to the site are 32,867.
M. Vanek said the pedestrian signs are finished, and sign locations have been flagged. We are just waiting for the City to get the posts and install them. The new contact for the project is Jeff Brown. Hopefully we will see them up by the end of summer.
M. Alberici asked if there had been any activity with the arterial sign project that was being handled by Mike Long. M. Vanek said no, and it has been in the works for over two years now. M. Vanek suggested that M. Alberici have D. Dempsey follow up since that was how we got an update last time around. M. Alberici said she would, and that Jean Wright of the Women’s Republican Club was going to check with Sen. Nozzolio as to why the Chapel and other sites can’t be added at the Weedsport/Auburn Thruway exit. P. Wisbey said he has gone through the process, to be eligible sites have to be located ten miles or less from the Thruway exit. (Although a concession was made for the Tubman Home, which is over eleven miles away.) Sites also have to have a public phone, adequate parking, public water access, etc. The cost
for signage for them was $650 annually. They are having a brown sign made, and no logos can be used unless they are register trademarked. If the Commission had a sign made it could not include a listing of all the individual sites, it would just be generic. M. Vanek said although the cost is expensive, it’s less than a billboard advertisement.
M. Vanek said that a draft of the 2004-2005 Commission budget was in the packets. At the time that this was drafted, the site directors had not submitted any budget requests for programs, so we did what we could with the information we had. On the income side, the City has again allotted $50,000, plus an estimated amount of $5,000 from I Love NY Matching Funds, making total income $55,000.
For expenses, M. Vanek continued that $3,500 was budgeted for brochure distribution. (A detailed listing of all the information centers, rest stops, ect. is in the packet.) Memberships ($1,800) includes the Skaneateles Area and Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, the Finger Lakes Travel Guide city (Auburn) description ($750 that used to be paid by City Planning), and the NYS TPA Council dues ($500). The Committee decided to drop the NYSTVA membership since the Cayuga County Travel Guide is sent to the same shows as the Commission brochure, so it was duplication.
M. Vanek continued, $6,000 was allotted for a collaborative project, which will now be Common Threads. The Passport to History amount was retained at $500 since the passports have already been printed for next year’s program. Fulfillment, which is postage and handling of the Commission’s brochure, is $11,500, and Administration ($7,200) breaks out to the Tourism Office’s $600 monthly retainer. This fee has not been increased in four years. Web maintenance ($500) is for updates and changes, and PR ($2000) is a slush fund for promotional items such as the Common Threads placemats, event tent cards, bumper stickers, etc.
M. Vanek said a detail of the advertising schedule is on the back of the brochure distribution listing. These ads totaled $22,000, some of which are subsidized by I Love NY Matching Funds. These ads have been streamlined to only those that produce a high number of inquiries, plus a new ad that the Tourism Office has done very well with is Pre-Print Publishing, an insert that goes into newspapers all over the Northeast, as well as the Toronto Sun. Inquiries are still coming in from this piece, and the cost per inquiry was $3, which is very low. M. Vanek said she will be taking out a larger ad next time, and it will be full-color. $1,000 has been budgeted for inclusion in this co-op.
M. Vanek said the strategy for the Finger Lakes Travel Guide ad was changed to save money.
In the past, the Commission took out a quarter-page ad ($1,800), yet there were never many phone call inquiries. M. Vanek thought that this was mainly because visitors pick up the guide once in the Region, and that they use it as a direct reference. For 2005, the Commission will be a partner in a full-page, full-color Cayuga County ad for only $275. The Commission will have their 800 number & website listed.
P. Wisbey questioned the NYS TPA buys, American Heritage Magazine and the NY Times Sunday Magazine. J. Kline said those prices and options have not yet been confirmed, but the Marketing Committee will choose between the two, and not do both. M. Vanek said the remaining $300 in the ad budget line has been set aside for design fees.
J. McCormick made a motion to adopt the 2004-2005 budget as submitted, seconded by E. McHugh. All were in favor and the motion carried.
IV. Community Outreach Committee
T. Hussey said Auburn’s Summer Celebration was August 7th. There was a huge crowd for The Citizen auction, which unfortunately stole attention away from everything else- musicians and vendors. They will fine tune the timing and placement of the auction next year. Yet, it worked well to have the event the day before the Great Race, since they shared the tents and equipment.
E. McHugh said Passport to History was very successful, although fewer students visited all of the sites, yet more participated overall. They saw more students at the Cayuga Museum during this year’s program. The comments from the teachers involved were very positive. M. Alberici read aloud a very appreciative letter that was sent from Phyllis Price, the Principal at Casey Park Elementary School. Ms. Price copied the District Superintendent, Auburn Parks & Recreation, Reva Rollerdrome and Wal-Mart Community Services Coordinator on the letter. E. McHugh said she gave out copies of this letter and the passport during her presentation to City Council.
J. Kline said the Commission received a letter inviting the Commission to host a display at the Chamber’s Member Trade Show on Sept. 16th at the Holiday Inn. M. Alberici reviewed the contents of the letter, and after a brief discussion, the group present agreed to participate.
E. McHugh made a motion that the Commission participates in the trade show, seconded by D. Lamb. (T. Bridenbecker abstained from the vote.) All were in favor and the motion carried. The cost is $50, and the Chamber provides a table. Plus, two members receive free entry for the Business After 5 that evening. P. Wisbey offered to host the display from 5PM – 6:30PM, and E. McHugh said she would cover from 6:30 – 8PM. M. Alberici said she would set up/take down the display, which is stored at the Chamber. T. Bridenbecker offered the Commission a free half page ad in the program. J. Kline said she will work with Coburn Design on the ad layout, and will also fill out the appropriate paperwork for the show.
K. Walker said the Chapel will have a display there as well. They will be promoting the Chapel as a wedding venue. M. Alberici said if the sites have any special materials or hand-outs that they would like distributed, drop them at the Tourism Office. M. Vanek suggested that the sites bring copies of their newsletters.
V. Other Business
M. Alberici said Preservation Saturday was a huge success with over 500 people attending. They learned a lot with this event since previous tours had not offered a catered lunch, with a wine tasting, etc. This format worked well because all the homes were on the same street. Some people complained the price was too high for a family, and that a package deal would be nice.
M. Alberici continued, they moved the date back for the car raffle. It will now be held October 30th. If sales pick up a bit, they hope to meet their goal for the window restoration project.
S. Craner said it was a bit stressful getting the Downtowner Shuttle up and going so quickly, but feedback has been very positive on the comment cards. Riders originated from as far away as California and Texas, and there have been about 300 riders in total. The shuttle will be offered again next year. The B.I.D. and the City have committed money, and ad space will be available again. A stop at the Holiday Inn may be added to the loop. During the Bon Ton Roulet free day, they had 50 riders. P. Wisbey added they had 65 visitors at Seward House that day as well.
S. Craner passed out copies of an idea that was published in the Downtown Promotion Reporter about how the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art offers free summer lunchtime tours twice during the week to encourage downtown workers to get out during lunch. P. Wisbey said it was a good idea and that Seward House was going to be doing brown bag lectures in the garden. K. Walker said the Chapel has been doing their summer lunchtime concerts for awhile now on Wednesdays, and they are very well attended. S. Craner said she could work with restaurants on offering discounted “to-go” options.
E. McHugh said there have been three thefts at the Cayuga Museum while they have been open. The first time they stole the bank deposit bag, then the staff’s purses and now a gun from the military exhibit that was on loan. E. McHugh said they obviously need to beef up their security system, which will be very costly. They are also seeking additional volunteers for more coverage, since no one should be alone there now.
P. Wisbey said 2005 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Seward House. They are working with Carnival Cruises on an educational tour of Alaska. Part of the cost will be donated back to the Seward House. If they book 30 or more passengers, Seward House will receive two free trips.
P. Wisbey said Geneva Historical Society is using the same operator for a trip to Nova Scotia.
D. Lamb said after August 22nd the Schweinfurth will be closed for two weeks for installation. Their new exhibit will open September 4th and the opening reception will be on the 12th. She distributed promotional postcards for the show. They will be producing a catalogue as well.
D. Lamb said the Common Threads brochures are printed and stored at the Art Center, please pick them up if you haven’t already. She brought them to Quilting by the Lake (Q.B.L.) where they were well received. Although she would like to host Q.B.L. in Auburn or Cayuga County, it’s difficult to find a facility that meets their criteria for accessibility, meals and large classrooms. They did explore Wells College, but it wouldn’t work as well as Morrisville does. D. Lamb is also considering moving their quilt show to the summer so there can be more collaboration between the two.
E. McHugh said she wanted to link their website to the Common Threads site. J. Kline said she will find out the new link and e-mail it to the site directors.
M. Alberici asked if the sites were utilizing the visitor survey. The site directors responded that it was too long and hard to use, and that it needs to be more user friendly, because visitors don’t like using it. M. Alberici said the format is limited with the scantron sheets. M. Vanek pointed out that if the response isn’t that large, maybe we don’t need to use the sheets at all. T. Bridenbecker just distributed a survey for the Chamber that has had a great response rate. J. Kline said to bring example surveys to the next meeting so a new one could be drafted.
M. Alberici read M. Weitekamp’s resignation letter. She is moving to Washington, D.C. to take a position at the Air & Space Museum. If anyone has suggestions for her replacement, please let M. Alberici know. M. Alberici will pass the letter along to the Mayor’s Office.
With no other business to discuss, the Commission adjourned at 5:10PM. The Commission’s next meeting will held October 6th at 3:30PM, 3rd Floor City Hall. The site directors will meet at 2PM prior, at Seward House.
Recorded by Jesse Kline
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