Annual meeting membership listens to Administrative
Coordinator Tami Sneddon introduce river historian Patricia Benner. The
program also included a financial report by Treasurer Michael Kok, election
of 4 incumbent board members, & light refreshments. |
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Chairman's Report to Membership: This has been a year of transition for the organization. First, this has been my first year as chair following in the footsteps of our founder and chair of the previous dozen years, Jerry Brenneman. Thank goodness for me, he agreed to serve as vice chair and continue his 25-year-plus association with the Museum. The year barely got under way when our administrator resigned. Fortunately, we were able to find Tami Sneddon, a new resident of the community with museum experience, to fill the position of administrative coordinator. And I can report that the board has been very pleased with her efforts. We've also had some turnover in our part-time staff. At the moment we are looking for a volunteer bookkeeper. This is a position that takes about 10 hours a month. The person maintains a basic computer program, writes checks, pays bills, makes deposits, the usual kind of stuff associated with a very small nonprofit business. Let our treasurer or me know if you know someone who might be interested. It is worth noting that our paid membership set a record for the fifth consecutive year. At last year's annual meeting we had 375 paid memberships. Tonight we have 417. By the end of our fiscal year on Dec. 31, I'm hoping that the number will be even greater. These members include individuals, families and businesses and mean that more than 500 individuals regularly contribute to our operations. Thank you for that support because it is the funds from membership dues that make it possible to pay increasing operational costs. The Museum has continued its series of educational events, which we call "Chautauqua" programs. These have included an afternoon tea that featured historic handkerchiefs; a program on Oregon's role in World War II presented by the Oregon National Guard; an appearance by a textile conservator during the Albany downtown quilt show; a social event for our patrons that included a classic movie at the Pix Theatre and finally a presentation on Willamette River history which follows this business meeting. The 1887 building in which we are sitting continues to demand our attention. We spent more than $8,600 upstairs painting an area which we hope to eventually use for exhibit overflow. In 2006 we spent approximately $14,000 redoing the window frames upstairs. (There are 23 upstairs windows.) These are basically maintenance efforts. This work is short of adding bathrooms downstairs, more fire and safety exits and adding an elevator so that the second floor can be better utilized. Progress is slow at times because of the costs involved. But we are thankful that our ownership of the building is free and clear thanks to the Sharpf family. Your Museum has been the recipient of significant artifacts this past year. These have included documents from the World Championship Timber Carnival which was a major community celebration from the 1940s until its demise a few years ago; many photographs of the community during th 40s, 50s and 60s by Robert Potts; the D. L. Pepper carvings depicting the Albany community in the 70s and 80s; textiles from the Clintena Wells-Olsen collection and more photographs from the late Albany Democrat-Herald photographer/reporter Connie Petty. Next year friends, volunteers and staff will work on new exhibits, new Chautauqua programs, build the volunteer base, produce the "Albany Old Times" newsletter, revisit long-term goals, and set another membership growth record. That should keep our part-time staff and volunteers busy. John Buchner |
