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HomeMy WebLinkAbout070715 SMAB MinsSanford Museum Advisory Board Meeting July 7, 2015 5:00 PM Present: Joshua Dane, Chairman Carole Hinshaw, Vice Chairman Joyce Qualls, Secretary Christine Best Jim Lee Paul F. Hodgins Charlie Carlson Valada Flewellyn Commissioner Art Woodruff Julie Ellenburg, Secretary Alicia Clarke, Curator Absent: Francis Oliver- excused 1 C used- r-Cx^ 0�-) - cl p Meeting was called to order at 5:12 PM at the Sanford Museum by Chairman Dane. The minutes of the April 7, 2015 meeting were approved as written with one correction adding Christine Best Kinlaw as being present at the meeting. Old Business The board asked for an update on the search for family papers. Ms. Clarke said the museum staff had not made much progress on seeking papers but the museum had received a collection of letters from the Edwards and Simmons family that were recently rescued before being placed in a dumpster. Ms. Ellenburg suggested having a regularly scheduled event, perhaps on a Saturday, to ask people to bring in family papers to share. She also suggested having an appraisal day to encourage people to come in. Ms. Clarke said one of the difficulties in hunting down family papers is the changes in female family members' last names. Ms. Best said she could post a photo of the box of Edwards /Simmons letters on Facebook to show people what the museum is looking for. A discussion followed about finding pioneer family photos. Ms. Best and Ms. Clarke talked about a century old photo of a Sanford gun club recently "discovered" on an office wall in Cocoa where it had been hanging for years. Ms. Clarke mentioned the History Harvest events at the Public History Center. Ms. Best said these scanning events were actually conducted by a private company, not UCF. Ms. Hinshaw has the company's information. Ms. Clarke will look into the cost. Ms. Best and Ms. Hinshaw updated the board on The Sanford Herald digitization project. The company that did the scanning will host the images online on their website for one year. The index will only include headlines. UCF will still be working on the metadata for the future indexing. Ms. Clarke said the museum is looking into adding video to the City's YouTube site. The Chairman asked if the museum had looked into promotion through the Nextdoor website. Ms. Clarke said she had not looked into this but would before the next meeting. Ms. Clarke said the museum staff has found Pitman shorthand used in Henry Sanford's papers. The museum is seeking someone who can read this. Ms. Best said secretaries had their own personalized versions of shorthand so it may be very difficult to find anyone who can read this. The board discussed the possible closing of the Public History Center. Commissioner Woodruff updated the board. He said the School Board and UCF could not come to an agreement because of the money involved. It appears the center will close at the end of July. Ms. Best asked for clarification on sharing information between board members outside of meetings under the Sunshine Laws. It was suggested that information be sent to the board's secretary who could then send it on to the members. New Business Ms. Clarke told the board there is a new multi- cultural music festival being held in September in Fort Mellon Park. She asked for suggestions for an exhibit during the event. It was suggested to find where people in Sanford came from and display flags and a world map. Ms. Clarke will look at the 1880 census to get an idea of the population at the beginning of the city and then see what she can find for the present. Ms. Flewellyn asked about requirements for naming streets and how they are approved. The board discussed how difficult it is to research this. Ms. Hinshaw told the board about the upcoming Friends of the Wekiva meeting. The program will be about the community of Markham. The presenter did some of his research at the museum. Ms. Best noted she has a lot of material on Markham that he probably does not have. Ms. Clarke gave out brochures about local agriculture she had received from the county extension agent. She said she is trying to be better informed about current agriculture so the museum can answer questions. Commissioner Woodruff advised the board that the Sanford City Commission would be reviewing recommendations made in a report from Management Partners in 2014. This is a consultant's report regarding budget savings. One of the suggestions made in the report is to pass the museum on to another non - profit organization. This item will be discussed at a future budget meeting. The board members asked to be informed about the dates of any budget hearings so they could attend in support of the museum. Ms. Best expressed concern about the loss of potential donors if the museum's future seems uncertain. Ms. Clarke said she would copy the original agreement with Carola Sanford Dow regarding the City's responsibility for the museum and send it to Commissioner Woodruff. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:40PM. Si re of Chairman