HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Museum Of Science And History Advisory Committee - 06/05/2008 •
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Advisory Committee Meeting
June 5, 2008
The Museum Advisory Committee met in the Museum's DeDietrich Conference Room at
Noon on Thursday, June 5, 2008. Members Present: Margaret Bolick, GG. Gasaway,
Jonda Halcomb, Kimberly Harris, Kathy Juneau, Tom Kimes, Jim Moloney, Nelida
Ortiz, Luci Sosa, and Linda Tomo.
Upon motion by Kathy Juneau and seconded by Linda Tomo, the minutes of the May I,
2008 meeting were approved as presented.
Upon motion by Tom Kimes and seconded by Margaret Bolick, the absences Linda,
Tomo, Kim Harris, and GG Gasaway were excused.
Business:
a. The Committee reviewed a summary of notes from a conversation between Rick
Stryker and Dick Frenzel of Dixieland Marine Surveyors regarding the condition of the
Columbus ships. A complete survey of the ships was commissioned and paid for by the
Friends of the Museum.
Recommended short term actions include:
• Close Santa Maria to on-board tours due to the unsafe condition of the decks
resulting from dry rot.
• Remove the main mast from Santa Maria which is no longer properly supported
by the hull structure due to dry rot. The fear is that it could topple in high winds
creating an unsafe condition for visitors.
• Remove the engines and ballast from Santa Maria to reduce the stress on the ship
structure.
• Take Nina out of the water and remove the masts, engine, and ballast. It could
break apart if exposed to wave action associated with storms and the main mast is
rotted and could topple in a wind storm.
• Immediately initiate reconstruction efforts on Pinta so that it will not continue
deterioration to the point where it is no longer safe for visitors to board.
Mr. Frenzel estimates the cost for this short term work would be$200,000 to $300,000.
Based on current observations,he estimates that the minimum cost to do the repairs and
replacements necessary to bring the ships to a safe condition and attractive appearance
for visitors while blocked ashore would exceed $3 million. He estimates that once the
ships are again in good condition, so long as they remain on outdoor exhibit, the
maintenance expenditures should be in the range of$200,000 to $300,000 annually. He
also emphasizes that maintenance and reconstruction work should be done under the
supervision of a highly skilled shipwright with extensive experience on the construction
SCANNED
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and maintenance of wooden ships.
Upon motion by Margaret Bolick and seconded by Tom Kimes the Committee
unanimously recommended that,
• for the safety of Museum visitors, the City Council immediately approve funding
sufficient to address the short term actions recommended by Mr. Frenzel,
• Further, the Advisory Committee urges the City Council to commit to longer term
funding to support the ongoing maintenance needs of the ships.
• The Committee reaffirms their unanimous support for the Visualized Concept
Study recommendations presented to the City Council in September 2007 and
urges Council's immediate action to give the Friends of the Museum time to
implement this concept.
• And finally the Committee expresses their concern that if this issue is not
addressed with swift action and the ships are allowed to deteriorate further, there
would be an indelible black mark on the image of the City of Corpus Christi.
Committee Chair Nelida Ortiz was asked to put this action into letter form and transmit it
as soon as possible to the Mayor and Council.
b. Museum Educator Sandra Linderman reported on revisions to guided tours offered by
the Museum as a result of the closing of Santa Maria to on-board tours. More than one
year ago the guided tour was restructured to begin at the Spanish shipwreck exhibit in the
center of the Museum, include brief stops at the Seeds of Change and La Belle exhibits.
Tour guides are dressed in 15th century costumes to enhance the experience. Santa Maria
(a cargo vessel) is now contrasted with Pinta (a coastal trading vessel) during a walk-by
tour. Visitors are given an on-board tour of Pinta and the interactive elements in the
Santiago's Challenge exhibit(which is on the Plaza) are now included as part of the tour.
Visitor response to the tour remains positive although there are frequent comments orally
and in writing on visitor surveys that call on the city to repair the ships.
c. In a report on consideration of the proposed General Fund Budget Rick Stryker
reported that the City Manager's proposed budget was not reduced from what was
submitted. However, as part of a broad freeze in hiring, any vacancies are unlikely to be
filled. The Museum presently has 3 full time positions vacant (out of 19) and 2 part time
positions vacant(out of 7). Museum staff will not receive a cost of living raise, although
benefits costs will not increase. It is hoped that positive consideration will be given to
the capital budget request items, especially those that would result in energy cost savings.
e. Rick Stryker reported that there is a downward trend with attendance lower than the
previous year for 4 out of 5 of the past months. This will also be reflected in lower
admission revenue. Unperturbed, the Museum staff is offering an ambitious schedule of
experience enhancement programming five days each week through the summer.
f. It was decided the there would be no July meeting of the Advisory Committee. The
next meeting will be August 7.
The meeting adjourned at 1:15 p.m.