Minutes of the Meeting of the Special Library Committee
Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Wehrle at 7:15 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Roll Call

Members Present: Mayor Wehrle, Ted Anderson, Marge Sherwin, Kathy Kolb, Kathy Addison

Members Absent: Mark Bartels, Stuart Harper

Staff Present: Scot Simpson, Alan Tollefson

Guests: James Hibbard, Grant County Historical Society; LaVon Hall & Karen Reese, Grant County Genealogical Society; Kim Leamy, Jaycees; Kyle Vesperman; Judy Wehrle

Minutes

The minutes of the September 21 meeting were approved as mailed. Motion by Addison, second by Anderson. Carried unanimously.

Follow Up From Previous Meeting

Library

Kathy Addison reported that the Library Board has received packets from several architects interested in the project. (A list of these was distributed.) The Board is anxious to move ahead and excited about the project, but has questions, including: Who takes control of the process? What's next? Where will pre-funding moneys come from? What's the timeline? The Board would like to start moving again in 2006.

Historical Groups

James Hibbard explained a handout on potential exhibit space for the Grant County Historical Society. There is also a second list from the Museum Committee of the Society. The lists are similar, indicating a need for approximately 1,500 - 2,000 sq.ft.

James said the Grant County Historical Society maintains the Stone Cottage in Platteville as well as the Cunningham Museum in Lancaster. There are three significant collections: the Cunningham exhibit; the military collection from the Civil War to Viet Nam; and Pleasant Ridge. The Society also has several other collections. He sees a rotation of items with one or more core collections on permanent display. Display space would need to be secure. The Society would maintain the Cunningham building as a base of operations as well as storage.

Mayor Wehrle reported that he participated in the funeral ceremony for former Pleasant Ridge resident (the last survivor), Mildred Greene. Her relatives at the funeral indicated it was their expectation that Pleasant Ridge materials would be kept up and on display.

Ted Anderson asked about the relationship between the Grant County Historical Society and the Lancaster Historical Society. LaVon Hall explained some of the history behind the desire to maintain items outside of the control of the Grant County Society. The concern is that they could end up in Madison under the control of the State Historical Society, since Grant County is affiliated with the State. There was also a discussion of the history of the Cunningham Museum and how it moved from Platteville to Lancaster. Lancaster Historical Society is not a formal, incorporated organization but rather an affiliation of like-minded residents. Items are stored in various places including City Hall, the Wastewater Treatment Facility and people's homes.

Scot Simpson expressed the opinion that written agreements could solidify ownership and disposition of items to ensure they would remain in Lancaster. Grant County Historical Society could serve as curator of Lancaster items, but the City would retain ultimate ownership and control of them. Everyone agreed that Lancaster items should stay in Lancaster.

There was discussion of what items are included in what the Lancaster Historical Society considers Lancaster materials. It was agreed that an inventory needed to be compiled. One suggestion was for a video inventory with verbal documentation. Scot Simpson, James Hibbard and LaVon Hall agreed to serve as a committee to compile the inventory prior to the next meeting.

There was a discussion of genealogical items owned by the Grant County Genealogical Society. James Hibbard and Alan Tollefson had compiled a list of space needs based on a visit with LaVon Hall. Scot Simpson suggested perhaps these items should be incorporated into the library section of the facility in order to allow greater access. Karen Reese of the Genealogical Society said the Society was looking at other options and that it might be longer than six months before it would be known whether these options were feasible. She also indicated the need for at least two tables with the collection to allow adequate work space. Any decision about whether to join this project would have to be made by the Society's Board.

Music

Scot Simpson said we need information on storage space required by the community band. Kathy Kolb said the band has no Board and suggested either Monte Muller or Marty Busch could provide information. The idea presented at the last meeting of a gazebo type band stand would not be practical for the size and nature of the band.

Chamber of Commerce

Scot Simpson and Marge Sherwin will measure the current office. A similar amount of space in the new facility should be adequate. There will need to be a sign indicating this is the Visitor's Center. The office will become a focal point for tourism. It was also noted that the library site is virtually the geographical center of the County.

Professional Campaign Management

Scot Simpson provided notes from his conversation with Kurt Saterback, a fund raising consultant from Janesville. He outlined phases as follows: (1) A planning and feasibility study of 2-3 months; (2) A pre-campaign of 5-6 months; (3) A solicitation campaign of 4 months.

Alan Tollefson provided notes from a workshop presented by another fund raising consultant, Boris Frank of Verona. He would provide similar services. Both consultants have vast experience in helping non-profit groups in smaller communities in Wisconsin.

A question was asked as to whether there would be a single campaign or if each interest group (library, historical society, etc.) would do its own fund raising. The answer was there will be one campaign, not several. Even so, some people will be more interested in one particular part of the project.

Next Steps

Next steps include a detailed building program, followed by architect selection and pre-funding design. Then comes the feasibility study by a fund raising consultant. There was a discussion of who would pay the costs for these steps. One possibility would be to apportion cost by square footage. Another possibility is that the Library Foundation will pay for the portion related to the library and the City will have to pick up the tab for the other groups. Ted Anderson expressed his opinion that the Library Foundation would likely need to see a commitment from the other groups before proceeding. Kathy Addison agreed. She said the Library Board is anxious to move forward.

Kim Leamy of the Jaycees was asked what role the Jaycees might play. She indicated they saw their role more in fund raising than in planning.

Kyle Vesperman said he thought everyone was thinking too small. He thinks the historical society should be thinking of interactive displays, not just display cases. He thinks the musical groups should consider the possibility of an outdoor concert venue with a sound system that would accommodate concerts for which admission could be charged. The space could also be used for outdoor weddings for a fee. Gardens and sculpture should be considered to dress up the space. The Chamber should have two or three times its current space and at least one more employee to serve as a real visitors center. He said a bigger and more elaborate project will be easier to sell. Think of "a shrine to all things educational."

Next Meeting

The next meeting was set for Wednesday, January 18, 2006, at 7:00 at City Hall. By that time all groups were asked to provide a letter indicating willingness to participate in the project, accompanied by a Board vote where appropriate, and an indication of whether or not the group can contribute any funds toward the building program statement.

The meeting adjourned at 8:38 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Alan M. Tollefson, recorder

Library Expansion Project | Community Minutes | History of Facilities | Historical Society | Needed Assistance | Space Estimate | Process | Band Needs