HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Museum Of Science And History Advisory Committee - 05/01/2003 3
MINUTES
Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
Advisory Committee Meeting
May 1, 2003
The Museum Advisory Committee met in the Museum at Noon on Thtfrsday, May 1, 20037
Members Present: Shirley Abrams, Grady Price Blount, Hank Brennedke,Sharon Blower,
Tony Diaz, Joe Martinez, and Phyllis.Riddle.
Upon motion by Shirley Abrams and seconded by Joe Martinez, the minutes of the April 3, 2003
meeting were unanimously approved.
Upon motion by Grady Price Blount and seconded by Sharon Brower the absences of Shirley
Abrams, Joe Martinez, and Phyllis Riddle were excused for good cause.
Business:
a. The City Manager recommended that the Museum bundle its capital improvement needs
into packages so that they might be considered for inclusion in the proposed 2004 bond
issue. The details of two proposed packages were discussed: HVA/C Improvements/
$300,000 and Fire/Security System Improvements/$198,675. There was some
discussion of the needs,but most were very familiar to the Committee as they had been
on the list of unmet maintenance needs for some time. Tony Diaz moved and Grady
Price Blount seconded the motion to strongly recommend that these needs be included in
the proposed 2004 bond issue. The motion was unanimously approved.
The Committee then discussed the need to maximize the potential of the Columbus ships
as an educational tourist attraction. The parameters of this need include placing all three
ships in one display, in the water, and at a visible and accessible location. It was thought
that the Museum's role should be to provide a realistic proposal to prepare and re-float
Pinta and Santa Maria. The site designating and therefore the cost associated with the
development of the site were properly the province of a consortium of interests beyond
the purview of the Museum Advisory Committee. Upon motion by Grady Price Blount
and seconded by Sharon Brower, the Committee unanimously recommended including in
the 2004 bond package funding for the Columbus ships an amount of$320,600.
b. The visit by Admiral Prud'homme of the French Maritime Museum went well reassuring
him of the quality of the Museum as repository for La Salle's ship Belle. The Texas
Historical Commission will confirm the Museum as the repository on May 15th.
c. The Committee was told about the arrival of the exhibit from the Southwest Dairy
Museum including a model of a cow. The ongoing work on the interactive exhibits for
the Plaza. The commencement of the landscaping project associated with Discovery
Hall. And the upcoming lecture by Dr. Judith Sobre on June 3`d providing an art
historical context for the Spanish ceiling.
d. Mr. Stryker reported that teachers had been selected for the development of the
curriculum guide for the Corpus Christi History Gallery. Their first meeting will be May
16th.
SCANNED
411
vvid
Advisory Committee Meeting
May 1, 2003
Page 2
e. Within the next month both the new Natural History Collection Manager, Mark
McNamara, and the new Natural History Curator, Jeff Brown, will report for duty.
There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 1:15 p.m.