With 2009 upon us it is now time to prepare for the 2009 Sailing Season aboard Friends Good Will.      Bos’n Eric Standen has work parties preparing the rigging, and Engineer Jim Milan is making sure our engine and mechanical systems are in good working order.    While refresher training is still a way off it is not too early to begin Introduction to FGW Basic Training I for persons new to the crew.      If you are new to the crew and have not completed this training, or if you have some friends who are wishing to join in the fun please participate in the training.

 

  Our first session is scheduled for 9 AM on Saturday January 17^th, and a second course will be held on March 21^st.     Sessions will last to about 3 PM with a lunch break.   To assure enough training materials are available pre registration is required.   This is an indoor session, which is followed by Session 2 held aboard the ship after the spring rigging, and followed by a third session underway at the beginning of the sailing season.  Note that Membership in the Michigan Maritime Museum is a prerequisite for this program.    You may pre register by notifying Al Kempf at alkempf1901@aol.com.    

Work session announcement

In only 15 weeks it will be time for the cover to come off and rerigging to begin!  So far this fall Wednesday and Saturday work sessions have been occupied with painting rigging, oiling blocks, and some minor rigging repairs.  After New Years we have to get busy and finish the painting and oiling.  Then we have to overhaul the windlass, make 3 dozen new hanks, and start painting and rerigging the yards.  Before you know it, it will be time to begin topman training in the Padnos.  In addition, there is plenty of work to do yet this winter on the gun carriage.   Other projects include deck repairs on the doghouse and in the crews’ quarters, relocating the reef combs on the main boom, releathering the gaff jaws, and making two new double blocks for the cannon tackle.  So, don’t hesitate to come out for the Wednesday evening and Saturday morning work sessions or the new  Thursday evening work session.

New Exhibits and Museum Store

We will need a hand with the new small craft and fishing exhibits in January and February.  It's warm in the museum and there lots of donuts and coffee.  The exhibit work will be a slower paced project with some painting and moving of small boats.  The store renovations will be allot of fun and a little dirty.  We will be removing two walls and the ceiling.  Then installing shelving and a new floor.  The new store will be about 500 square feet without taking away from exhibit space.  Talk to David for more specifics if you are able to help.

Make sure to check out the Website.  I will be updating it monthly.  www.michiganmaritimemuseum.org

Newly Revised Bylaws

208%20bylaws

Board Meeting November 21, 2008

Michigan Maritime Museum

Board Meeting

November 21, 2008

Present: Arlene Dickerson, Bob Hoppes, Jim Spurr, Pete Mathews, Janice Varney, Mike Winkel, and Jim Woodruff

Teleconference: David Bergman and Barbara Busch

Absent: Charlotte Giesler, Gary Horton, Bob Copping, and Cleo Miller

Guests: David Ludwig, Janice and Jim Milan, Eric Standen, Mary Stephens, Dave Bugge, Larry Hollenbeck, Diane Schlanser, and Jim Schneider

President James Woodruff called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. Jim Spurr made a motion, supported by Winkel, to approve the October minutes. Motion passed.

Treasurer/Finance Committee Report: Bob Hoppes stated that there was no October close out report as the accountant was still trying to catch up. There is $24 K in the checkbook and Mary Stephens reported that she had deposited $4 K this morning.

Bob presented the finance committee’s draft for a FY09 budget including the process used to develop it, the goals and objectives necessary to achieve it, and the commitment of the board, staff, and volunteers needed for its success.

Discussion: Spurr had three areas of concern. (1) Personnel expense

(currently 120K/ yr). He felt that the crew could do other tasks and asked how else would we need to use the money. (2) Donation and fundraising assumptions in this economic environment. (3) The maintenance need for FGW , $13,500., needs to be identified.

Winkel stated that the budget is a provisional operating plan which the museum could operate under for 30 days until the budget is approved at the December meeting. This gives everyone time to think about the budget and an opportunity for an open round table discussion.

Hoppes responded that the budget includes three full positions and ½ position added for a future educational specialist. The donations section has eliminated the “Secure the Future” donations; major donors have been downsized because of the economy. There are two pledges booked for almost 70k and there is income from the foundation. Quickbooks records every transaction. The opportunity for grant money was not included. Major fundraisers were estimated to raise 27K.

The FGW committee was asked to come back to the Finance Committee with a preventative maintenance budget.

Also discussed was the cost of securing the campus, revitalizing the store, and a seasonal position to manage the store. The Merchandising committee needs to be formed and launch a program.

Review of Proposed By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation: Spurr presented a working draft of the MMM By-Laws (filed with these minutes). He felt that the Articles of Incorporation do not need amending at the present. Discussion was held about the membership voting on the By-Laws at the annual meeting, changing the calendar year, and allowing a proxy vote.

Collections: Pete Mathews presented a draft for the Management Policy for all collections (filed with these minutes). The next step is to have a collection plan about what is collected, why, and how. The procedure for collecting which should be done to AAM standards would involve a four year process for accreditation.

Staff Reports:

Captain Jim Schneider:

· Sell excess items (duplicates)

· Gathering information on how much it costs to take the students on a sail

· Make programs bigger and more profitable

· Grant writers: Richard Edwards and others are interested. David Green expressed an interest in grant writing on his volunteer form.

Mary Stephens:

· The letters and ads are complete. There are four sets of mailings, a blog letter for volunteers, and an ad in the South Haven Tribune.

· The next project will be a follow up to the fund drive in the newsletter with an envelope included for donations.

· Working on spring educational groups

· Works for the front desk and other duties

Other Business:

Jim Woodruff requested a resolution from the board to accept a monetary gift left to the museum from the sale of a property in St. Joe.

Passed unanimously. A copy of the resolution will be filed with the minutes.

Jim Schneider requested permission to redo the website. Permission granted.

Jim Milan addressed the board with his concerns and ideas. They include:

· Have a FGW donation box for the operation and maintenance. Also specialized fund raising for the ship. This would help pay for the maintenance (change the oil, filters, etc.), replacement (sails, lines, batteries), or emergencies (transmission, engine). Keep the funds separate.

· COZY free air time to discuss the store and gifts available. Posters around town to advertise seasonal gifts at the MMM.

· We need a part time/full time grant writer to capture money.

· Consider a FGW membership with the funds earmarked for the ship.

· Sell engraving on the dock boards for support of FGW

· May meeting has possibility of a large turnout opportunity for fund raising

· By-Law changes approved by the board over two meetings could get final approval at the next annual meeting.

Meeting was adjourned at 5:38 p.m.

Next board meeting is scheduled for December 19^th at 3 p.m.

The Michigan Maritime Museum Hosts Shipwreck’s of Lake Superior Presentation On Sunday afternoon, December 14, at 2:00 p.m., the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven will host Thomas Farnquist, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, speaking to its members and the general public about shipwrecks of Lake Superior. The presentation, held in the Padnos Boat Shed, will feature multi media images and continues the popular off season lecture series featuring authors and specialists addressing interesting topics of Great Lakes maritime history. Mr. Farnquist is an experienced technical diver and is one of the few experts to have visited the wreck site of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Mr. Farnquist will also speak to the wrecks found in the vicinity of Whitefish Point, Michigan, including the Superior City, Vienna, Samuel Mather, John B. Cowle and Comet. Each of the wrecks so close to Whitefish Point have recently been fully measured, documented for posterity and have benefited from state of the art technology now employed as standard techniques by underwater archeologists. Such exploration and documentation is becoming increasingly important as wrecks and associated debris fields are degraded or lost to invasive species. Mr. Farnquist will speak to the profound environmental changes occurring in the last two decades as will redefine the Great Lakes ecosystems. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society was founded by Mr. Farnquist and operates a museum and preserves historic buildings on the national register at Whitefish Point, Michigan. The buildings include a light station authorized by Abraham Lincoln, the Lightkeeper’s quarters, a United States Life Saving Crew’s Quarters and associated out buildings. The general public is welcome and while the presentation is free, donations are gratefully accepted.