City of Naperville Naper Settlement Museum Board met Aug. 25.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
A. CALL TO ORDER:
Mayor Scott Wehrli called the meeting to order at 8:00am
B. ROLL CALL:
Staff Attendees - Macarena Tamayo-Calabrese, President & CEO; Donna Sack, Vice President & Chief Programing Officer; Alexandra A. Atkinson, Director of Finance; Jeanne Schultz Angel, Associate Vice President; Diane Fornek, Administration Specialist
Also, Present - Rachel Mayer- Finance Director/City Treasurer; Marcie Schatz - Assistant to the City Manager
Present 6 - Erik Long, Josh McBroom, Lee Quillinan, Alan Tang, Scott Wehrli, and Al Zucco
Excused 1 - Leanne Meyer-Smith
Absent 1 - Julie Schremser
C. PUBLIC FORUM:
The NSMB board acknowledged community member Marilyn Schweitzer present during the public forum. Ms. Schweitzer voiced her concerns regarding City of Naperville historical house recognition plaque program. Ms. Schweitzer suggested that better records of the houses that have received this honor be kept and posted on the City and Naper Settlement website. She also suggested that the City and Naper Settlement’s websites provide maps indicating where all the houses with plaques are located. Lastly, she requested that the cost of having these plaques be absorbed by the City and not be at the expense of the homeowner.
D. OLD BUSINESS:
Receive an update on deferred maintenance
Updates on the deferred maintenance was presented by Macarena Tamayo Calabrese. A comprehensive list of outstanding maintenance needs for the buildings and grounds at Naper Settlement was included in the packet. Mayor Wehrli asked if we have an annual budget in place or a formula that we use to achieve this number. Tamayo-Calabrese said that we work within the budgeted amount and prioritize the work based on the more immediate needs. Both Capital Campaigns include an endowment for the structures to help assist in future repairs. Sack also indicated that due to the historical nature of these buildings NS is hopeful to hire a preservation architect that will have the skillset to monitor these buildings and catch potential problems early. Next years’ budget reflects the cost of hiring said preservation architect.
Receive an update on Camp Naper
Camp Naper update was addressed by Jeanne Schultz-Angel. Naper Settlement just wrapped up nine weeks of camps. The Settlement offered 20 camp options. There were 479 registrants and 292 individual participants with several children enrolled in more then one camp. The revenue budget was $94,000. Camp out performed expectations and brought in a total of $109,660 in revenue. NS continues its partnership with Camp Hope and Edward Cancer Center. Camps have enjoyed very good reviews and NS has begun preparations for next year.
Receive information on Unvarnished 2.0
Information on Unvarnished 2.0 was provided by Donna Sack. Unvarnishedhistory.org was launched last year on June 1st, 2022 and it is a robust historical website on the housing discrimination in the Northern and Western United States. Naperville Heritage Society received a 1:1 National Leadership match grant to assist in the funding of this program. Working with five other communities in the Northern and Western United States diving deep into how the demographics of these areas had changed from predominantly white communities to the diverse communities presently seen. The Secretary of State office is helping to fund the teacher resource section of the website which will provide resources to share in their classrooms. A travel exhibit based on the exhibit previously shown at the Pre-Emption House is also available.
E. NEW BUSINESS:
Receive update on strategic and master planning
Update of strategic and master planning was presented by Tamayo-Calabrese. Conversations and a precursor to development of the museums long range planning and master plan are underway. Naperville Heritage Society has appointed a task force of board members and a facilitator was hired to assist in organizing and guiding the meetings. The first meeting is scheduled for September 7th. As things develop further NHS will collaborate with the City and NSMB to ensure their input and vision as well as that of the community. Special attention will be given to historic moments coming up, such as the 250th year anniversary of our nation, 200th year anniversary of the City of Naperville in 2031, and the museum’s reaccreditation in 2026.
Receive information on museum goers survey
Information on the museum goers survey was next on the agenda. Schulz-Angel provided information on the importance of museum goers survey and explains how it compares national statistical information to other museums. This is an extensive community participation project that was rolled out about a year ago. This survey is conducted by the American Alliance of Museums and The Wilkening Group, an independent survey company. Schultz-Angel went on to explain that there were three areas in which Naper Settlement ranked high; Demographic diversity; Almost doubled our LBGQ demographics in the last several years and lastly, we ranked high on love of our events. Individuals surveyed said that our events left them with a deeper feeling of community and connection. Areas for improvement included providing more programming with a focus on adult learning.
F. REPORTS:
Approve the minutes from the May 5, 2023 Naper Settlement Museum Board meeting
The minutes were approved by Al Zucco and seconded by Lee Quillinan.
Motion approved 5-0
A motion was made approved. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 4 - Long, McBroom, Quillinan, Tang, Wehrli, and Zucco
Excused: 1 - Meyer-Smith
Absent: 1 - Schremser
Approve Naper Settlement financial reports as of June 2023
NS P&L JUNE
06. NS 2023 projections as of June 30 through December
Alexandra Atkinson reviewed the Naper Settlement financials January through June 30, 2023.
School services are over budget by 14K for the year. Currently, there is a 105K in school services revenue; the yearly budget is 91K, wedding revenue is also over by $16k year to date. Public programs revenue has exceeded yearly budget by over $13K and Camp revenues are at $105K of the $117K collected through June 30, 2023. On the expense side, Naper Settlement is under $266K through June 30, 2023. Salaries and benefits are under by about $161K for the year mostly due to vacancies for the Event Specialist, Digital Archivist and Gifts Officer positions. The Finance and HR Specialist position was filled in July.
As of June 30, there is about 24K in year to date buildings and grounds variance. HVAC about $14K in expenses will be reflected in July to reduce the variance. Naper Settlement anticipates about $20K in savings for utilities, between gas, electric and water.
Motion to approve financial reports by Erik Long and seconded by Lee Quillinan.
Motion passed 5-0
A motion was made approved. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 4 - Long, McBroom, Quillinan, Tang, Wehrli, and Zucco
Excused: 1 - Meyer-Smith
Absent: 1 - Schremser
Receive update on Naper Settlement’s new buildings
Macarena Tamayo-Calabrese updated the board on the Phase II of the Capitol Campaign projects. NHS is expecting roughly 175K in donor funds, approximately 800K in federal funds and another $500K in state funding. The federal and state funding is waiting for their 2024 budget to be approved. Approval is expected in October. Private donations have increased but are now more typically restricted to specific projects or programs.
Innovation Gateway construction is moving along; completion is scheduled for December 11, 2023. There has been great interest in renting this space which has been expressed by businesses and wedding planners. Once the liquor license piece is complete, the space will be available for rental events in 2024.
Receive update on events
Events have done very well this year with Naper Nights leading the way. There has been very positive feedback from the community, sponsors, vendors and the community partners. The Taylor Swift tribute concert presented a new attendance record along with logistical challenges. A total of 6223 people attended, and all were admitted by 6:00pm. The June concert presented a different challenge. The police department made the call to suspend the concert and evacuate given an approaching storm. The site was evacuated in under 25 minutes. Staff did an amazing job!
The October events, October Fest, Howlin’ at the Moon and All Hallow Eve are showing positive pre-sales. Octoberfest and All Hallows Eve include interests for all age groups families in the community, while Howlin’ at the moon is a 21 and over event.
Receive update on current exhibit: Infrastructure Creating 19th Century Clothing Then and Now
Schultz-Angel updated the board on the current exhibit Infrastructure; Creating 19th Century Clothing Then and Now. The exhibit is doing very well and has garnered much interest. In addition to the exhibit at Naper Settlement there is a window display currently at Fox Valley Mall which has become quite popular. The exhibit is based on Naperville’s first (unofficial) historian Hannah Ditzler’s scrapbook from the 19th Century. She was a teacher and a historian who saved clothing scraps and kept a journal pertaining to their significance in history. This scrapbook was the catalyst for the current exhibit at the Pre-Emption House.
Receive update on upcoming exhibit: Santas Around the World
Updates on upcoming exhibit was discussed by Schultz-Angel who introduced the new exhibit Santa’s Around the World. This exhibit will be opening December 6th and will run through the holidays. The exhibit will explore the different cultures, stories and traditions around the world during the Holiday Season.
Receive information on American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) award
The Unvarnished Program has received National recognition. According to Donna Sack Unvarnished received the National Award of Excellence from the American Association of State and Local History. This was the most significant research project taken on to date. It was evidence based with over 5,000 teachers participating. Naper Settlement is pleased to be recognized for its work on this project.
Receive attendance and demographic report through July 2023
Attachments: Attendance & Demoraphic report thru July 2023
This report was received by the board for review
G. ADJOURNMENT:
Motion to adjourn at 9:00am by Erik Long and seconded by Lee Quillinan.
Motion Approved 5-0
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