Des Moines Historical Society

Minutes of 6/30/09 DMHS meeting

6/30/09 DMHS Minutes

DES MOINES HISTORICAL SOCIETY of DES MOINES, IOWA
MINUTES
TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2009 at THE SOUTHSIDE LIBRARY

The meeting was called to order by the chair Pat Meiners at 5:47 p.m. Attendees were: Jacob Shoemaker, who recently earned a bachelors degree in history; Natasha Moore, a masters degree graduate from UNI; Archie Cook, an American History teacher at North High; Ted Lussem, retired insurance agent has written histories of the insurance business in DM; Max R. Knauer, III, a retired teacher; Jim Bush, a retired teacher; Colleen Kinney, of the North of Grand Neighborhood Association is planning a centennial celebration for over 200 homes in NOG; Jo Corigliano, of the Indianola Hills Neighborhood Association works on IHNA and Fort DM III history; Christian Lutz, Executive Director of the Iowa Architectural Society conducts walking tours of Downtown; Jack Bassford, of the south-side and Avon Lake, enjoys old photos of architecture; Karen Hanley, interested in building and architectural history; Rick Bentley, from DM likes history and Dawn Bentley, Rick’s wife; Maureen Myshock, of the Gray’s Lake Neighborhood Association working on neighborhood history; Sarah Oltrogge, of the Dept. of Cultural Affairs, State Historical Society and also East Village has a home in NOG that turned 100 last summer; Pat Meiners, started neighborhood associations and edited the Polk County Historical Society Newsletter about three years and Rick Meiners has lived in DM over 25 years and sees a lot of the older homes through his business.

A motion was moved and seconded that the reading of the May 16, 2009 minutes be dispensed with. That motion passed. A motion was moved and seconded that the minutes be approved without corrections. That motion passed. There was a discussion regarding the bylaws and obtaining the 501C3 status as quickly as possible for tax deductible donations may be received. The meetings will be at various times for a while so as many people as possible may become involved. The chair of the Bylaws Committee resigned due to having another group he must concentrate his time on. There is a temporary chair for the Publicity and Promotion Committee, but a permanent chair is needed. Pat Meiners has been preparing the flyers and asks for the group to distribute the flyers provided as much as they can and pass the word and emails they receive about the DMHS. She put flyers in the skywalk this month and that brought a new member. The new Facebook page brought a new member. Emails were found for the south-side neighborhood associations and that brought three new members. Ideas about how to spread the word are welcomed.

The discussion moved to the mission statement and bylaws. The proposed mission statement is:
The purpose of this Society shall be to advocate the preservation of documents, pictures, stories, landmarks and architectural features that are and were a part of the formation and operation of the City of Des Moines, Iowa, and educate the public about the history of the City.
This mission statement doesn’t mention collections or a museum, so is a vision statement needed? The collection of artifacts at the Northside Library would be a good example to follow. The articles are owned by the ‘Friends of Riverview,’ not the library. Apparently the ‘Friends of Riverview’ provided the display cases. That is a way the DMHS could have a presence in the city more quickly. There are DM items at the State Historical Society, but they are not sorted for easy access for just DM related objects and they are owned by the State Society so the DMHS may have to pay the use the collection. Items from the State collection could probably not be displayed in DM Library conference rooms due to a lack of security and transportation issues. A charge for using the items would depend upon the use made of them. We need to let people know what we stand for and concentrate on membership and getting started.

The Bylaws Committee spent a lot of time on the mission statement so they are looking for guidance so when the bylaws are presented they are accepted sooner. There was discussion about the term ‘architectural features.’ Most felt it meant ‘gingerbread’ or gargoyle type features. Is it necessary to specify documents, pictures, stories, etc.? It should be simpler, such as, “The purpose of this Society shall be to advocate the preservation of and the history and heritage of the City of Des Moines and educating the public about it.” It should be broad enough so something that comes up later is not excluded. Maybe it should include the metro area. But, there is a gap for Des Moines and it may be easier to get grants due to the lack of coverage. There was talk about the use of the Polk County Heritage Gallery and World Food Prize buildings. There is a good “Iowa Collections” of books, maps, photos, etc. at the DM Library and it may be a good place for a meeting. The consensus was that the primary focus of the DMHS should be Des Moines, but there should not be a strict limitation if conditions change so there is a need for a broader focus in the future. The word ‘city’ can be eliminated. The inclusion of ‘advocacy’ could be a problem and jeopardize the 501C3 status.

The Bylaw Committee also had questions about memberships. Should other non-profits such as neighborhood associations or the Wallace House Foundation be eligible? What about businesses, large and small? Membership could be at levels according to size. Should they be sponsors only? If a business wanted to control an issue they could buy employee memberships. There will be only one membership and one vote per entity. Some corporations do not want to hire a curator and have difficulties storing their histories. For instance, the Des Moines School District has no place to store school artifacts. With the turnover that happens in any organization, people change their values and priorities and things are moved around and control is lost in the preservation. If there are more items donated than can be adequately stored, they can be rejected or the donor could fund the storage. Even in a museum, exhibits should change to maintain interest in revisiting. It was said that a vote is a voice. Money itself isn’t a voice, but it can influence individuals who have a voice and vote and we probably don’t want to push businesses. Most historical societies who put their bylaws on the internet have voting businesses members. Often businesses look for employees with interests in charitable organizations for their community works. A concern may be businesses would be more influential and have more clout than citizens. Businesses could be offered something other than a vote for their support. Historical societies offer corporate members perks such as, free or reduced museum tickets, use of historic homes for private events, speakers, museum store discounts, VIP events, magazine, etc., but the DMHS doesn’t have those, except maybe volunteer speakers would speak for supporting the society. Large corporations have foundations that give support and aren’t as interested in memberships as recognition.

The DMHS is a way people who don’t live in historic neighborhoods or historic homes can have a voice and participate in the history of DM. Those in historic areas have ways to get involved, but there are probably another 150,000 people in the city not regularly involved in DM history with no way to participate. We should be open to all of them and their businesses.

Should the bylaws have a provision for a regular ‘Founders Day?’ It could be based upon the 1843 date of the beginning of Fort DM II, or the 1851 date when the town of Fort DM began on the west side of the DM River, or the 1857 date when the east and west sides merged as Des Moines and DM became the capital city. The 1843 date was used in the past and the sesquicentennial was celebrated in 1993. An annual meeting is necessary, but not an annual celebration. The Program Committee and members can decide in the future. Some type of public event, with a membership drive, should be held soon. Could the DM Birthplace Cabin, at Ft. DM II be open sometime?

Should the bylaws specify consistent meetings? Most favored at least quarterly meetings of the Board and membership. Including only an annual meeting does not show an active organization to those wanting a sense of the organization. Bylaws are more for prospective members and contributors to get a picture of the operation and effectiveness of the organization. The group asked that the bylaws be written and distributed to as many as possible in a short time so they may possibly be passed at the next meeting.

What type of meetings should we have? Should a newsletter be produced? The DMHS should ask speakers to provide a 2 or 3 page account of their presentation if at all possible to be put in a newsletter or kept in a permanent record. What officers are needed? Should directors represent part of the city or wards? There are requirements for 501C3 status, and the Iowa Non-Profit Corporation Act has requirements. Board directors could chair certain committees.

Should a person be allowed to cast a vote for more than one entity, or should it be one person, one vote only? If business memberships are allowed they should be allowed a vote regardless of who casts that vote. It was said that if we are membership based we cannot take rights from members. It would be an issue to keep track of during votes. It would usually be a moot point because most vote counts are not very close. There would be requirements to be sure a membership is not given to a false group. The group agreed to allow one vote per paid membership, regardless of who casts that ballot. What could be the annual dues? $20 was suggested on a calendar year basis, but not specified in the bylaws and they can be prorated so those who pay later in the year are paid through the next calendar year. It is easier for most volunteers to account for dues on a calendar year basis so all members are sent notices at the same time and it is easier to remember when they are due. Memberships will be considered resigned if dues are more than three months late; the member will be removed from the contact list.

The next meeting will be Monday, July 27, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Forest Avenue Library at 1326 Forest Avenue. Take flyers to distribute. We hope to have the bylaws approved at the July meeting and the dues paid and charter membership signature role at a meeting soon thereafter. Keep in mind the SE Connector Bridge under construction near the cabin and possible names for the bridge. ‘The Pointe’ Bridge has been suggested. Pat will look into the use of the cabin in September. Possible future meetings may include the Architectural Walking Tour or a bus tour. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted


Richard Meiners, Secretary
Des Moines Historical Society