AUBURN’S HISTORIC & CULTURAL SITES COMMISSION
Meeting minutes from June 19, 2006
Present: D. Stankus, M. Vanek, K. Walker, M. Alberici and J. Kline
Excused/Absent: B. M. Lewis, J. McCormick, E. McHugh, P. Wisbey, L. Leary, D. Lamb, S. Craner, S. Tucker, P. Copes Johnson, T. Bridenbecker, D. Dempsey, T. Hussey and Rev. Carter
I. Approval of the Minutes
M. Alberici asked for approval of the May 9, 2006 minutes. K. Walker made a motion to accept the minutes as submitted, seconded by D. Stankus. All were in favor and the motion carried.
Committee Reports
II. Planning & Development Committee
K. Walker said the Site Directors had not met. Those present agreed that the 2007 collaborative project needed to be flushed out ASAP. Ideas included a lecture series at rotating venues, or just one high-profile speaker, perhaps via connections through NYSHA, or another historic association. Auburn Public Theater could be used as a venue as well. A reception could follow the talk for added value, or other small side events. A Tiffany-based program could draw in all of the sites. Spring or fall event timing would work well since summer is already so busy. Everyone should bring their ideas to the next Commission meeting.
III. Marketing Committee
J. Kline passed out copies of her monthly report, and said please review at your leisure. M. Vanek said, leads have been very steady since our ads are in full swing. Please refer to the Excel report prepared by J. Kline with the monthly tallies. For May there were 4,807 leads, with 7,952 year-to-date. Things are going well with Jacobs Press; they are now handling mailings over 250 pieces. With this cost-saving change, fulfillment was under budget more than $3,000 this year.
Moving forward, M. Vanek said they need to know whether or not the Commission still wants to Tourism Office to give administrative support. The monthly amount ($600) would remain the same as year’s past. M. Alberici said she couldn’t imagine that another site has the time or expertise to do what we are doing. We will put this item on the agenda for the next meeting.
J. Kline said considering the state of the City’s finances, our budget amount has been all over the road. A draft was done working with $10,000- the amount that was recommended by the City Manager, but we now have $48,000 to work with. A new draft will be presented at the next Commission meeting.
IV. Community Outreach Committee
In E. McHugh’s absence, J. Kline said please refer to her written report included in the packets. It discussed linguistics with prizes, the budget, the number of passports completed, stats from past years, and confirmation on the overall success of the program. E. McHugh also said she wants someone else from the Commission to handle the program moving forward. Everyone present agreed on the program’s importance and stated their willingness to help out. With the meeting’s limited attendance, J. Kline said she would put it on the agenda, for further discussion, at the next meeting.
V. Other Business
M. Alberici said we had previously discussed creating Commission letterhead, and it would be helpful when asking for support from banks, etc. K. Walker made a motion to move forward in having letterhead made, seconded by D. Stankus. All were in favor and the motion carried. J. Kline said she would talk to Jacobs Press about it. J. Kline suggested having the letterhead list all of the participating organizations, since the list is comprehensive and impressive. Yet some places have not been sending a representative to meetings, and their continued support is under question. This could be another staff member, or a member of the organization’s Board of Directors. These include the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, the Cayuga County Arts Council, the Cayuga County Historian’s Office and the Tubman Home.
Since S. Craner is on maternity leave, someone else will have to come to the meetings in her place. J. Kline said she will inquire with each, and if they can no longer serve they need to notify us and the Mayor’s Office, since it is an appointment.
J. Kline said, as for open spots on the Commission, S. Craner had suggested asking a representative from the Auburn Public Theater. Everyone agreed, yet S. Craner is now on maternity leave, so someone else will have to follow up on that.
J. Kline passed out the Treasurer’s Report and went over expenses incurred since the last meeting. M. Vanek made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report as submitted, seconded by D. Stankus. All were in favor and the motion carried.
With no other business to discuss, the Commission adjourned at 5PM. The Commission’s next meeting will held August 8th at 3:30PM, 3rd Floor City Hall.
Recorded by Jesse Kline
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