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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 16, 1997 PICKERING MUSEUM ADVISORY COMMITTEE A General Meeting of the Pickering Museum Advisory Committee was held on October 16, 1997 at the Pickering Civic Complex Present: Ms. Laura Drake, Chairperson Mr. Dennis Mann Mr. Bill Weston Mr. Pat Dunnill Ms. Lynn Vickers Ms. Mary Cook Mr. Tom Mohr Stephen Reynolds, Director of Culture& Recreation Sharon Milton, Program Superintendent Margaret Donaldson, Recording Secretary Regrets: Mayor Wayne Arthurs Mr. Wally Biernacki Mr. Bill Utton 1. WELCOME The Chairperson welcomed all in attendance. 2. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES OF MAY 15, 1997 MOTION: Moved by: Mr. B. Weston Seconded by: Mr. T. Mohr That the minutes of the May 15, 1997 meeting be accepted as presented. Carried 3.. .BUSINESS ARISING FROM MINUTES The Superintendent advised that the Museum signs to date had not been erected on Hwy. # 401, she stated that the one promoting the Zoo will be similar to what the Museum's sign will be. School House Update The Superintendent advised the School House as been moved completely on to the foundation and Mr. Maw was now ready to proceed with the restoration. The Superintendent distributed and reviewed the School House fundraising statistics. 2 4. 1998 CAPITAL & OPERATING BUDGET PROPOSALS 1998 Operating Budgets The following are highlights of the 1998 Operating Budgets reviewed by Mr. Reynolds. • All Departments have been requested to present a 0% increase in Budgets • Education Program & Collections Officer proposed increasing the number of weeks for this position. Approximately 15,000 students attend the Education Program with approximately $35,000 revenue generated. The Museum Education program is completely booked for the remainder of the year (if we increase this the Education & Collections Officer will have more time to work on the Collection) • Volunteer Co-ordinator - we need to designate a person to focus on volunteers. This position will be for approximately 91 hours based on 13 special events • Uniforms increased as we need to replace costumes Mr. Dunnill stated that there had been talk about volunteers taking over the running of the Gift Shop. Would doing this reduce our labour or would it be used elsewhere. Mr. Reynolds advised that we would use the labour in another area of the operation. If the Gift Shop revenues did not stay in the Operating Budget we would have to show a decrease in the operating expenses to offset. Ms. Drake suggested that the Committee make a presentation to Council on what the Museum has achieved. The Committee agreed to work on a presentation. Ms. Drake will work on this and forward to Committee members for any additional ideas. 1998 Capital Budgets Mr. Reynolds advised that prices for some of the capital items had not yet been received. We would like to keep the proposed budget under the 1997 approved of$50,000. The Superintendent reviewed priorities for the 1998 proposed Budget. Ms. Cook asked if there was any chance of more washrooms being built, because of our increase in events more people are attending. This issue was discussed further and the Committee asked the Mr. Reynolds if he could check into costs for permanent washrooms. MOTION: Moved by: Mr. D. Mann Seconded by: Mr. P. Dunnill That the proposed Operating Budget be accepted as presented. Carried 3 MOTION: Moved by: Mr.P. Dunnill Seconded by: Mr. D. Mann That the proposed Capital Budget be accepted as presented. Carried 5. REPORTS FROM SUB-COMMITTEES Gas & Steam Barn The boiler has now been repaired and is running well. Fundraising Major fundraising contributors were Canada Trust, Womens Progress Club Ajax/Pickering, McGraw-Hill Ryerson and Louise Parkes. Thank you letters on behalf of the Museum have been forwarded to all contributors. The 35th Anniversary certificate from Mr. McTeague's office is hanging on site. Corporate breakfast went well. The fundraising event at the Supercentre although we were scurrying looking for volunteers overall it was a success. Mr. Dunnill advised on the status of the Foundation. It has now been accepted by the Ontario Historical Society. He suggested scheduling a meeting as various forms had to be completed and forwarded to the Government. Mr. Mohr advised that at the Ontario Historical Society meeting of September 27, 1997 the Directors have accepted the Pickering Museum Village Foundation as an affiliated member. Special Events Mr. Mohr reviewed the Special event admissions statistics and discussed various events. Mr. Mann suggested a Story Tellers Festival for next year. He advised that story telling seems to be on the rise and there is a market out there for this festival and the Museum site would be perfect. Mr. Mann described how the Storytellers Festival could operate at the Museum Village. 4 Mr. Mohr stated that he thought it was a great idea but was concerned what is the difference between this Festival and Grassroots Festival. Mr. Mann stated that the Grassroots Festival was a one day event and there are lots of them hosted in the community. The Chairperson stated that she liked the idea but was it practical and what about timelines. Mr. Mann identified this Festival required the Town's and Museum's commitment if it were going to happen. Mr. Reynolds stated that he would speak to the General Manager. We need to identify what you need and we need to identify key issues and timing. He feels all concerns need to be put on the table before proceeding further. The Chairperson expressed concern with Museum staff time being spent on this event with all other programs and events planned for 1998. Community Outreach Ms. Cook distributed copies of the Outreach Report, various items were reviewed. • she suggested that someone should contact businesses to see if we could be highlighted in their newsletters • Ms. Scholl, Recreation Co-ordinator had suggested that we may want to contact Ajax Parks & Recreation to see if they would like to sponsor one of the Museum events 6. OTHER BUSINESS The Chairperson thanked Ms. Cook for her assistance and hard work and all Committee Members for their talents and assistance over the past 3 years. Mr. Reynolds explained the process for re-applying as a Committee Member. Mr. Mann stated that the Superintendent was doing an excellent job running the Museum. 7. MEETING ADJOURNED