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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.21.26 MAB Minutes Board Members Present In Person: Rick Andrews, Nancy Bullock, Dana Crater, Stephen Fortlouis, Lucy Holman, Ben Ivey, Harold Jarvis II Board Members Present on Teams: Laura King, Eileen O’Malley, Tim Pinnick Others Present: Commissioner Dane Scalise Absent: Susan Barbee Staff Present: Kate Baillon, Barbi Baker, Heather Yenco, Kitty Yerkes, Amy Thornton The Cape Fear Museum Advisory Board held its bi-monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, in the museum’s new first floor classroom at Grace Street and via Teams. The meeting was called to order by Rick Andrews at 4:04 pm. Consideration of Absences: Barbi Baker • Susan Barbee was unable to attend. Approval of Minutes: Rick Andrews • A motion to accept the November 18, 2025, minutes was made by Fortlouis, seconded by Crater, and approved without opposition. Associates Report: Kitty Yerkes • Yerkes noted Associates are currently working on three main projects: Membership Drive, Volunteer Program/Recruitment, and the Grand Opening Mid-Summer Soiree event. • The Membership Drive will include three options: Dual at $75, Family at $150, and Smithsonian at $175. Dual includes membership for two people, Family is for up to six people, and Smithsonian is up to six people and includes the Smithsonian Magazine subscription. • Family and Smithsonian memberships also include reciprocal benefits that may be used at other museums. • The membership drive will likely begin 2 to 3 months prior to opening. • A new Volunteer Program is also being created. We are looking at two, three-hour shifts per day and multiple people per day. The new museum has many more spaces and loose parts so we are hopeful that volunteers will consider regular commitments as we get closer to opening. Recruitment will begin 1 to 2 months prior to opening. • The Grand Opening Mid-Summer Soiree is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026. Associates are working on sponsorships, logistics, and marketing for the event. Cape Fear Museum Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Wednesday, January 21, 2026 4 pm, Grace Street & Teams 2015-16 Board David Ball Stuart Borrett Gwen Brown Melissa Collins Will Oden, III Dan Owen Tim Potter Nancy Pritchett Bill Terrell Allen Trask, III Rob Zapple NHC Commissioner Ex-officio: Mike Hudson CFMA, Inc. 2025-26 Board Rick Andrews Susan Barbee Nancy Bullock Dana Crater Stephen Fortlouis Lucy Holman Ben Ivey Harold Jarvis II Laura King Eileen O’Malley Tim Pinnick Dane Scalise NHC Commissioner Ex-officio: Toni Pence CFMA, Inc. Lisa Wurtzbacher Assistant County Manager Kate Baillon Museum Director Barbi Baker Museum Manager Operations • Crater asked about how reciprocal benefits work. Yerkes replied that each museum chooses their benefits but most offer free or discounted admission to members. Grace Street – Cape Fear Stories: Heather Yenco • Yenco shared a visual presentation of the new Cape Fear Stories exhibition. • It included a walkthrough of the first and second floors with explanations of each of the primary zones. • The presentation may be viewed on the Advisory Board SharePoint site by clicking this link. • King asked about the story of the sloth and why the actual bones are in another museum. Baillon replied that the actual bones are property of the state. • Ivey asked where the sloth skeleton was found. Yenco replied it was found off Randall Parkway. There is a panel in the exhibit that notes it was found close to the museum. • King asked if the 1898 text mentioned the tax structure at the time. Baillon noted the text is more overarching and the specifics related to the tax structure would be a consideration for a future program or talk. • Ivey asked about climate change content. Yenco noted that the panels discuss temperature increases and sea level rise over time. A media interactive includes a custom created video featuring Tim Armstrong from the National Weather Service that highlights almost 200 years of collected climate data. • King asked if the location of shipbuilding was shown on a map in the exhibit. Yenco replied that it is included in the exhibit. • King asked a question about Latin representation in the voting rights interactive. Baillon noted that the interactive is designed from a historical perspective and includes White, Black, and Native people. • Ivey asked a question about content related to school closures during COVID. Yenco noted this is mentioned in the 2020 section. But as this is very recent history, the effects are still happening and being felt today. • Fortlouis asked about library partnerships and how to dive deeper into particular historical topics. This is a great idea and the museum hopes to explore possible partnerships and ways to share information across departments. Grace Street – Port City Play: Amy Thornton • Thornton shared a visual presentation of the new Port City Play exhibition. • It included a walkthrough of the space with explanations of each of the primary zones. This exhibit explores the themes of Cape Fear Stories through the eyes of early learners. • The presentation may be viewed on the Advisory Board SharePoint site by clicking this link. • Crater asked if there was a book nook in the exhibit. Thornton noted due to space considerations and with the library as our building neighbor, there is not a book nook. The museum and library do plan to collaborate and cross promote. FY2026-2027 Budget Process: Kate Baillon • Baillon noted that we continue to finalize our budget for next fiscal year. • The museum is requesting one additional position, a Planetarian Educator. This position will allow the museum to operate the planetarium seven days per week and offer shows on free Sundays. • There is a slight change to the admission fee schedule due to a clerical error. NHC resident admission will remain at 50% of standard admission or $8 for adults and $5 for children. Non-resident admission will be $16 for adults and $10 for children. • The board and county management continue to be supportive of the budget needs for the new museum. Reaccreditation Update: Kate Baillon • Baillon briefly reminded the board that the reaccreditation process is ongoing. The museum will complete the self-study in November 2026. That will be followed by a site visit in April/May 2027. • Cape Fear Museum is one of only two to three hundred museums that have accreditation status so it is a major accomplishment. A250 Update / National History Day: Amy Thornton • Cape Fear Museum is the chair of the NHC A250 committee. Thornton noted the committee meets monthly and kicked off over a year ago. • The A250 pop-up exhibit is currently on view at UNCW’s Randall Library and will travel throughout the community this year. • The First in Freedom festival takes place at Moores Creek National Battlefield on February 27 & 28, 2026. • The museum is partnering with the state and Azalea Festival to bring a One Day Wonder event to Grace Street on Saturday, April 11, 2026. The state archives will be displaying four of the founding documents in the auditorium from 11 am to 4 pm. This is a free event and open to the public. • National History Day is taking place at the NHC Government Center on Saturday, March 14, 2026. We are actively recruiting judges and invite board members to participate. • Ivey asked about how many students participate in NHD. Thornton noted about 100-125 students on average. Upcoming Programs: Barbi Baker • Baker noted that board member, Tim Pinnick, will be presenting a program in the Grace Street auditorium on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 2:30 pm. It will explore the lives of WWII Navy Veterans from Williston. It is a free event and all are invited and encouraged to attend. Old Business: Rick Andrews • Ivey asked a question about the museum’s This Month in History column and presented a list of possible topics to explore for future columns. Ivey noted this appeals to residents who want to learn more about local history. Baillon appreciated and thanked Ivey for the list and noted that many of the topics have been explored in previous columns. These may be viewed on the museum’s Flickr site by clicking this link. Baillon noted that columns for the next several months have been researched and planned due to the upcoming workload to move into Grace Street. The list will be helpful for future planning ideas and will be shared with the museum team. • Scalise encouraged the board members to participate and continue to share ideas. He stated the board continues to advocate for the museum and thanked the team. He noted that things will change as we go along but the board is excited and will continue to be supportive. • Holman commented on the amazing work happening at the museum and thanked the small staff for their remarkable work. • King noted that all board members should join and become members at the new museum. A motion was made by Crater, seconded by Holman to adjourn the meeting. With unanimous consent, the meeting ended at 5:42 pm. The next board meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 4 pm at Cape Fear Museum and via Teams.