Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/25/2026 MEMORIAL HALL COMMISSION February 25, 2026 5:00 p.m. Veterans Memorial Hall Members present: Craig White in the Chair, David Grimm,Richard Day, Stephen Grimm(A), Mel Wittwer, Frank McCaw, Jim Lentfer and Heidi Warrington. John Mrzlak and Randy Miller were absent. Also in Attendance: Nancy Higby, Deborah Berry and Rick Grimm Moved by D. Grimm seconded by S. Grimm, that the agenda as presented be approved. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Moved by Wittwer seconded by Lentfer, that the meeting minutes of January 28, 2026, be approved. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Citizen's Oral Comments -None Chairperson's Report Craig White reported that things are moving forward with the Honor Flight fundraiser event at the Electric Park on April 18. He said that Mr. Magsamen has been in contact with four or five different bands, one band has a price tag of$400 and they sound good. He further shared that there are still seats available for the June 9 Honor Flight and encouraged the commissioners to get the word out. Heidi Warrington asked who to call to donate items. Craig shared that Linda Bergman is the contact person. Committee Reports Building, Grounds & Operations—Chairperson Mel Wittwer Mel Wittwer shared that he replaced two flags and submitted a request for reimbursement in the amount of$110.98. Moved by Wittwer seconded by D. Grimm,to approve the reimbursement of$110.98 for the purchase of two flags. Voice-vote Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Jim commented that the reimbursement can come from either the brick fund or the city fund that Bridget set aside for VMH. Mel commented that he would like to know how much money is available that we can put toward the flooring project. Greg Ahlhelm said he has $20,000 but it isn't clear when he can get it. Mel said that he wants to commit $3,895 from the Marcia Courbat Fund and$7,081 from Waterloo Foundation Fund to move the project along. Frank McCaw questioned whether this commission should be committing our money on a city project. February 25, 2025 Page 2 Mel reviewed which areas the flooring project included and said he wants to be able to get it done before the July 4th event. He said that the city tested for asbestos and Greg Ahlhelm told him only the kitchen tiles tested positive. Greg also told him that we could not use a floating floor or use a self-leveler to minimize the unevenness of the floor. Mel said that he and Dave have an appointment to meet with the mayor to discuss this and several other items. Moved by D. Grimm seconded by Wittwer,to dedicate up to $10,000 to the flooring project. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Operations—Chairperson David Grimm Dave Grimm shared there will be a meeting tonight, on the Memorial Day Parade and the America250 celebration. He reported that the Town Hall meeting is set for the 19th of September, and the T-Shirts are in limbo as we are unsure how much money we will have available. He said that a supply of flags needs to be kept on hand so that we can quickly replace any that goes bad. Dave called for a second vote to amend Article III—Organization of the Memorial Hall Commission Constitution, by replacing Section 1(i) Rolling Thunder Iowa Chapter 1, with Daughters of the American Revolution and by adding Section 1. (1) Forty and Eight. Moved by Lentfer seconded by S. Grimm, to approve the amendment as stated. Voice vote- Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. The members discussed the possibility that the quorum, currently set at 5,might also need to be amended. Educational/Historical/Artifacts Preservation— Chairperson Frank McCaw Frank McCaw shared he has two UNI interns, one is currently working now, his name is Alex Imig from Des Moines. Alex is working on two separate projects,the creation of a reproduction round for the German grenade launcher that we have in the artifacts display. Frank said that Alex has found specifications online and is working to secure a commitment from someone to create the artifact out of plastic and possibly printed on a 3D printer. Alex is also working on cataloging the artifacts located in this meeting room. Frank further reported that the digitization of the grave registration records is about 50% complete, then provided a brief overview of the upcoming Town Hall meeting scheduled for September 19. Frank turned in a reimbursement request for the purchase of small tools used for working on artifacts and various projects in the building. Moved by D. Grimm seconded by Lentfer, to reimburse Frank McCaw in the amount of$48.34, using the $5,000 that the city set aside. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Finance/Fundraising—James Lentfer February 25, 2025 Page 3 Jim Lentfer presented the Waterloo VMH Consolidated Financial Statement. He reported that the Brick Fund has $6,791.68, the Courbat Fund has $3,895.12 and the Artifact Fund sits at $416.97. He commented that we have spent$171.88 of the $5,000 the city has earmarked for us and that the current balance of all VMH city accounts is $15,931.89. He further reported on the Waterloo Community Foundation fund accounts and shared that the grand total is $28,921.75. He commented on the possibility that Bridgett Wood could have a different accounting of the "city budget" funds and that he and Frank would be meeting with her to discuss any discrepancy. Jim shared that though there had been discussion on getting a laptop and printer, he did not believe there had been a formal motion. He reviewed the quotes he had received for the purchase a Dell Pro Laptop 16 for $959.68 and a Xerox C230 DNI printer for$250.24. Jim said that this should include Office 365. Moved by Lentfer seconded by S. Grimm to approve the purchase of a laptop and printer from the $5,000 city funds, in an amount not to exceed $1,500. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Moved by Warrington seconded by D. Grimm to approve the current consolidated financial statement, including the January 2026 statement. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Moved by Lentfer seconded by D. Grimm to approve the payment to Creative Impact for the purchase of a plaque for Mayor Hart, in the amount of$45 to be paid from the VMH Brick Fund. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Unfinished Business First discussion on proposed amendments to the Constitution. This matter was discussed under Operations by David Grimm. Heidi Warrington shared that Dave Hook had found a sound system, as discussed at the prior meeting, for under$2,000 and added that her family would cover the cost and that the anticipated date of arrival is May 1. New Business -None With no further business before the commission, it was moved by Warrington seconded by S. Grimm that the meeting be adjourned at 5:52 p.m. Voice-vote Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Nancy Higby Deputy City Clerk