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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes of 6.28.2023MEMORIAL HALL COMMISSION June 28, 2023 5:00 p.m. Veterans Memorial Hall Members present: Craig White in the Chair, Randy Miller, Scott McDonald, Mel Wittwer, Marilyn Robinson, Frank McCaw, James Lentfer, Mike Mrzlak, John Mrzlak, David Grimm (A). Council Liaison: Council person Belinda Creighton -Smith (Ward 4). Absent: Mike Hudson, Matt Carpenter (A), Angela Hickok (A), and Richard Berry (A). Also in Attendance: Richard Hurtado and Tara Thomas-Gettman, Bridgett Wood and Nancy Higby, Secretary, City of Waterloo. Moved by Miller, seconded by J. Mrzlak, that the Agenda be approved. Ayes: Ten. Motion carried. Moved by Miller, seconded by Grimm, that the Minutes of May 24, 2023, be approved. Ayes: Ten. Motion carried. Citizen's Oral Comments None. Treasurer's Report — Vacant Nancy Higby provided an update on the current fund balances as of June 21, 2023. Brick Fund - $6,940.80; Courbat Memorial Fund - $925.12; Special Projects Fund - $500.00; Artifacts Projects Fund - $163.99. Moved by Miller, seconded by Grimm, that the Treasurer's report be received and placed on file. Ayes: Ten. Motion carried. Chairperson's Report Craig White reported that the June 6th Honor Flight was a success and there are no other flights scheduled for the year. He reminded the board that the Vietnam Vigil will be held September 8- 10, 2023. Committee Reports Building, Grounds & Operations — Chairperson Mel Wittwer Mel reported that there are four bricks still to be engraved and set and that an additional three bricks have been sold. He stated that he is awaiting a quote from Meyers Nursery for the replacement plants. They are still working to get Courbat Court designated as a one-way street which would allow for additional parking. He said that Randy has taken the lead on this and is working with the City. Randy Miller gave a brief overview of the parking needs and handicap accessibility to and from the parking ramp, and shared that Mohammad Elahi, Interim Traffic Operations Director, will be coming to meet on Monday to review our request. He asked for councilperson Creighton -Smith's support on the matter. John Mrzlak questioned if there was an update on whether we might get some help from the Veteran's Way project. Jim Lentfer reported that he was told by Wendy Bowman that the Veteran's Way Committee did not plan to meet again until after the convention center work was finished, so it is still unknown if they'll be helping to cover the cost of some of our requests. Operations — Chairperson David Grimm David Grimm thanked Randy, Mel and Jim for their efforts on the Operating Procedures. He provided an update on the progress and stated that most everything is complete except for the finance portion. Because there is currently not a Finance/Fundraising Chairperson, it will be important to get input from the board. He suggested forming a finance committee to help move June 28, 2023 Page 2 this along. Once the Operating Procedures are complete, the entire board will have a chance to review and provide feedback. He reported that on July 3, 2023, City Council will be moving to approve the proposed amendments to the Constitution and By -Laws and he plans to attend the meeting. Dave questioned the process to move him from the alternate representative to primary for the (DAV) Disabled American Veterans since Terry Scheffert resigned about four months ago. Moved by McDonald, seconded by J. Mrzlak, to approve David Grimm as the primary representative for DAV. Ayes: Ten. Motion carried. He stated that the Memorial Day parade was very good, and shared that the VFW has been asked to take over the planning for the next year and they are still waiting for their response. Education/Historical — Chairperson Randall Miller Randy commented that he has been in this position since 1997 and has been giving serious thought to stepping down. He stated that Frank McCaw would be a great fit for this role with his knowledge of historical events, etc., and would like to nominate Frank to replace him when the time comes. Frank has agreed to consider the nomination and will let Randy know when he has made his decision. Artifacts Preservation — Chairperson James Lentfer Jim reported that the Open House planning is going well. He shared that he contacted Stardust Productions about the possibility of securing some entertainment and that told him the entertainers would expect to be paid. Jim questioned how much the board would be willing to pay. Frank McCaw questioned if someone had considered recruiting an organization or business to sponsor the event. Dave Grimm shared that the manager of the Best Western Hotel had expressed interest in helping the commission raise money. Moved by Wittwer, seconded by Miller to approve an amount of NTE $200.00, paid from the brick fund. Ayes: Seven. Nays: Three (McDonald, White and Robinson). Motion carried. Jim stated that he spoke with Nathan at UNI to inquire about the progress on our flags and banner and was told that due to construction dust, our project has been put on hold. He reported that he received an email from Beth Vaughn with Farm Credit Services of America stating that they would like to make a donation to the Veterans Memorial Hall, but they needed an EIN. He questioned how donations would be handled. The board discussed the process for handling donations with Bridgett Wood, Finance Director, City of Waterloo. She explained that if a fund were to be set up through the Waterloo Community Foundation, any donations to your fund would be eligible to get a tax benefit. She further stated that any use of funds through the foundation would not require Mayor or Council approval. David Grimm spoke on his experience with the Waterloo Community Foundation and how it works when funds are used. Moved by Lentfer, seconded by Miller, to look pursue a partnership with the Waterloo Community Foundation. Ayes: Ten. Motion carried. John Mrzlak questioned if we know who sits on the Veterans Way Committee and who is in charge of the monies, and if there are any veterans that sit on the board. Bridgett Wood commented that she thinks that the Veterans Way has also set up something with the Waterloo Community Foundation for the banner program. Finance/Fundraising — None. Position vacant. June 28, 2023 Page 3 Nancy Higby stated there are two invoices to be approved. One is a reimbursement to Craig White in the amount of $225.00, for the Memorial Day programs purchased from Dickey's printing and the second is an invoice from Black Hawk Memorial in the amount of $50.00, for the engraving of two bricks. Moved by J. Mrzlak, seconded by McCaw, to approve reimbursement to Craig White in the amount of $225, paid through the Courbat Fund. Ayes: Ten. Motion carried. Moved by McDonald, seconded by Grimm, to approve a payment of $50 to Black Hawk Memorial. Ayes: Ten. Motion carried. Unfinished Business Randy Miller invited Ms. Wood, Ms. Thomas-Gettman and Ms. Creighton -Smith to meet with him briefly after the meeting so that he may show them the mural he is proposing for the side of the parking ramp, as well as the parking situation. Mel Wittwer proposed changing how the brick register is accessed. Due to frequent vandalism to the current brick locator list, he would like to consider having signage that directs visitors to the city website. It was suggested to contact Agnes Kress at the city for the website portion and the Street Department for signage. New Business — Craig White opened the floor for questions for the city representatives. Randy Miller thanked everyone for attending the meeting. Tara spoke on the purpose and mission of the strategic visioning for Waterloo from now through 2030. One of which is Flying the W, so essentially pride in our city. She also asked that the board members to let her know when something good is happening so that she may post on social media where many are more than happy to comment and share with others. She stated that has taken a few photos of the Open House flyer, as well as tonight's meeting and will be posting this on Facebook. The board members discussed the history of Memorial Hall, the purpose of the commission, and funding for flag maintenance. Bridgett Wood shared that council last voted to deposit money into the flag fund back in FY2019 in an amount of $2,000 for four years. Based on that, it would be necessary to have council approve additional funding before any more money could be given. Bridgett asked that the board provide her with an amount she could take before council for approval. Board members emphasized that the flag fund would not be for city flags, but cemetery flags. Any replacement of tattered flags used downtown will be at the city's expense. With no further business before the commission, it was moved by Miller, seconded by Grimm, that the meeting be adjourned at 6:05 p.m. Ayes: Ten. Motion carried. Nancy Higby Administrative Secretary