Clarksville Region Historical Society
Board of Directors Meeting held at
9045 Orchid Shade Drive, El Dorado Hills, CA
January 16, 2008
MINUTES
Board Attendees: Jim Brunello, Hal Erpenbeck, Melinda Peak, Fran Thomson, and John Thomson. Absent : Betty January and Mike Sproull.
A quorum of directors being present, President Hal Erpenbeck called the meeting to order at 7:22 PM.
FIXED AGENDA
The proposed agenda was adopted.
Minutes: The minutes of the October 19, 2007, Board Meeting were approved as written. The minutes of the November 28, 2007, General Meeting will be added to the e-vite for the January General Meeting and approved at that meeting by the general membership.
Treasurer's Report and Liabilities: John Thomson gave the Treasurer's It was moved and seconded that the Treasurer's Report be accepted as presented. Passed .
Membership Report: John reported that current membership stands at 64 and that he is prepared to send out renewal letters for 2008. He did some research to determine whether CRHS dues are tax deductible, and he has concluded that they are because the members do not receive any substantial material benefit. John also advised that the new IRS rulings require that charities have to report all donation amounts to donors in writing.
The renewal letter will show the member's name and contact information, as they will appear in the CRHS Roster. A separate receipt for donations and a return envelope will also be included. It was moved and seconded that the Treasurer be authorized to expend the monies for postage and materials required to prepare and mail the annual CRHS membership renewal letters. Passed .
Confirm Speaker for Next General Meeting: Hal Erpenbeck confirmed that Bob Graham would be the speaker for the January 23 meeting. He will discuss the 1854 Mariette Wagon Road Survey. Hal said that Betty January plans to take Bob to dinner before the meeting.
Hal passed along the following suggestions for speakers from Betty January, who was not at the meeting:
OLD BUSINESS
Registry of Archives: At the last Board Meeting, Hal agreed to evaluate the Past Perfect software. He reported that he has done so, was not impressed with it, and does not recommend purchasing it.
Participation of Architectural Focus Group: Jim Brunello reported that the architects are still preparing the plans for the Clarksville Center and should have a rough design by the end of the month. Jim would like to see the Center be evocative of the historical era and has been investigating the architecture of business centers in Folsom, Copperopolis, and Chico, which are also historical areas, to get ideas.
Brochure: Hal said that he has not had time to work on this project.
Clarksville Region Historical Society
Board of Directors Meeting – January 16, 2008
Page 2
Buckeye School District's 150th Anniversary: Hal said that he and Betty January are scheduled to meet with the committee chairman, Kathy Hall, next week. He did not have any other information to report.
Update of CRHS Web Site: Hal advised that he has committed to do monthly updates and did a big update after Christmas. He has added some pages and information on early wineries in the area. Hal said that he is getting more comfortable with the web site software.
NEW BUSINESS
Report from Betty January/Planning Next Year's Events: Hal read a report from Betty January, who was unable to attend the meeting. Items noted for the Minutes are as follows:
Clarksville Day has been scheduled for May 17 at the El Dorado Hills County Library. Betty wanted to know if the Board wants her to chair the Clarksville Day Committee again this year, and the Board agreed that they did. Hal said that he has checked when the Town Center will hold its Wine & Art event and found that there will be no conflict with Clarksville Day this year.
Betty took some pictures of Mormon Island and Salmon Falls Bridge while they were exposed by the drought. She was even featured on the six o'clock news. She took around 150 pictures and has been promised another 100 pictures from a friend who also took pictures at Mormon Island.
Betty attended the EDC Historical luncheon and met some interesting people. One was Clara Schrieber aged 90. Clara is a Dixon and had visited her grandparents on Negro Hill (the Darlington Ranch) and went through Mormon Island. She has many good stories to tell, and Betty recommends that CRHS interview Clara.
Betty has brought the miniature blacksmith shop model and all the books that she has purchased for CRHS to the storage facility. She would like to see bookshelves installed to keep items off the floor.
Betty would like CRHS to hold another Clarksville/Lincoln Highway tour. Jim Brunello mentioned that Art Tong is moving out in two months, and perhaps we could hold another tour in June. Jim said that he would like to see a more structured, docent-led tour next time.
The Board discussed the possibility of having a tour and barbeque at the Zentgraf House. Melinda Peak said that it might take some time to convince the owner to do another tour. She suggested that the Board consider providing an honorarium to the owner in the event that CRHS is able to tour the house.
Hal said that he would like to see some day trips such as a tour and lunch at the Sacramento Medical Museum and bus tours to local historical areas such as Murphys, Markleyville Museum, etc. Hal is going to research the cost of bus and van rental.
Future Board Elections/Strategic Planning Session/Additional Board Members: These items were tabled in the absence of Mike Sproull, at whose request these items were put on the agenda.
Approval to Pay Annual Membership Fee for the Sacramento Area Consortium of Historical Societies: It was moved and seconded that CRHS renew its membership in the Sacramento Area Consortium of Historical Societies in the amount of $25. Passed .
Membership in the Conference of California Historical Societies: Fran Thomson brought information about membership in the CCHS. Membership for groups of between 51 and 300 members is $40/year. Membership includes a year's subscription (four issues) of the California Historian magazine, participation in symposia and workshops, and assistance with skills in management, acquisition, preservation, and restoration techniques. Liability insurance is also available through the group at low rates, and information about the policy is provided to members.
Clarksville Region Historical Society
Board of Directors Meeting – January 16, 2008
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After discussion, it was moved and seconded to join the Conference of California Historical Societies. Passed . Once CRHS becomes a member, we will request information on the liability insurance policy for discussion at the January Board Meeting.
Shelving for Storage Area: Hal would like to put shelves in the storage area to hold CRHS items. Melinda suggested investigating to see what type of shelving would best meet our needs. She thinks it should be an expandable system. Hal will get magazine holders for now and look for a temporary solution.
Other : The Board discussed providing copies of the minutes of board meetings to the members. They agreed that minutes should be sent to members and that the CRHS By-Laws should be posted on the CRHS web site.
There being no further business to transact, the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Fran Thomson
Secretary