Minutes of the Centerville City Whitaker Museum Board meeting held Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 6:05 p.m. at the Thomas Whitaker Museum, 168 North Main Street, Centerville, Utah.

MEMBERS PRESENT
 Richard Davis
 Richard Henrichsen, Acting Chair
 Dean Layton
 Doug Romney

MEMBERS ABSENT
 Paul Thomas Smith, Chair

STAFF PRESENT
 Lawrence Wright, City Council Liaison
 Melissa Hogan, Museum Director
 Connie Larson, Recording Secretary

MINUTES REVIEW AND APPROVAL

Minutes of the December 3, 2008 Whitaker Museum Board meeting minutes were reviewed. Dean Layton made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Doug Romney seconded the motion, which was passed by unanimous vote (4-0).

OLD BUSINESS

Building renovation

Doug Romney suggested the manager of Wal-Mart be invited to take a tour of the Whitaker Museum before asking Wal-Mart for a donation.   Melissa reported there are four general managers at Wal-Mart, and she said she will find out which manager would be in charge of donations.

Casey Knowles, Bailey’s Moving and Storage, will be coming to the Whitaker Museum on January 8th to assess the storage needs of the Museum artifacts. Spencer Jones said he would not commit to storing the artifacts until after Mr. Knowles does his assessment.

Melissa Hogan reported she has tried to contact Stanley Smoot for several  weeks, but he has not returned her calls. She suggested doing a grant form letter listing the projected costs of the renovation and hand deliver it to Mr. Smoot or his personal secretary.  Lawrence Wright, City Council Liaison, suggested a member of the Whitaker Museum Board, along with Melissa Hogan, meet in person with one of Mr. Smoot’s sons and explain what was previously agreed to, and ask if Stanley Smoot is still willing to pay for the renovations. Dean Layton said he would be willing to meet with Stanley Smoot and/or his sons to see what their intentions are.
 Melissa distributed a letter from CRSA Architects requesting an additional fee of $2,500 for the design and structural engineering for the east side stair access to the basement; additional design for the demolition of existing walls in the meeting room, additional code analysis resulting from the reconfiguration  of the meeting room; revised site plan including demolition, and a revised accessible entrance. It was agreed this fee will not be paid until after the meeting with Mr. Smoot.

Mr. Wright said Lisa Romney, City Attorney, would make a legal  signature document for Stanley Smoot to sign on what is agreed to after meeting with Mr. Smoot. 

Policy and Procedures Manual

Melissa Hogan distributed a copy of the Museum Operations Plan that she compiled for Richard Davis. 

Long-Range Plan

Melissa Hogan distributed a draft copy of the Mission Statement and Long-Range Plan for the next ten years to the Board members. Richard Davis said his daughter is working with a professor at BYU on making policy and procedures templates for museum boards.  Mr. Davis said a template should be available within the next two weeks that the Whitaker Museum Board will be able to use. Mr. Davis said his daughter envisions using a template that could then be put into a binder.  Councilman Wright said this Long-Range Plan is more of a vision statement, and it should list what the objectives will be and how they will be accomplished. 

Richard Davis reported that Dr. Dean Collingwood has concerns with the indemnity and insurance clause, because members of the Whitaker Museum Board would be liable for any legal action taken against the Board. For example, if someone fell in the Museum, they could sue members of the Whitaker Museum Board. The indemnity clause protects Board members from legal action. Mr. Davis said Centerville will not pay any money to the Board until significant construction begins and insurance can be purchased. 

The Long-Range Plan will be presented to the City Council in April.  

Annual Budget

Melissa distributed a proposed list of Out Reach Programs that could be held at the Whitaker Museum on an annual basis.  The estimated cost for the events is $7,000 per year, and Melissa said she hopes that a matching grant can be received that will help pay for these activities. The Board decided to eliminate six of the activities to help save costs.

Dean Layton made a motion to approve the Out Reach Programs as revised. Doug Romney seconded the motion, which was passed by unanimous vote (4-0).

The Board thanked Melissa for her work on the Out Reach Programs.

NEW BUSINESS

Elect Chair for 2009

Richard Davis made a motion to nominate Paul Thomas Smith to continue as Chair of the Whitaker Museum Board through the year 2009. Doug Romney seconded the motion, which was passed by unanimous vote (4-0).

Dean Layton made a motion that the Whitaker Museum Board recommend to the City Council that Richard Henrichsen remain as a Whitaker Museum Board member until March 6, 2010. Doug Romney seconded the motion, which was passed by unanimous vote (4-0).

Richard Davis made a motion that Richard Henrichsen remain as vice chair of the Whitaker Museum Board through the calendar year 2009. Dean Layton seconded the motion, which was passed by unanimous vote (4-0).

NEXT MEETING

The next Whitaker Museum Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. 

At 7:35, Doug Romney made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Dean Layton seconded the motion, which was passed by unanimous vote (4-0).