BUDGET WORK SESSION OF THE GREENBELT CITY COUNCIL held Monday, June 2, 2003, for the purpose of meeting with representatives of the Friends of the Greenbelt Museum (FOGM).

Mayor Pro Tem Roberts started the meeting at 8:10 p.m. It was held in the Council Room of the Municipal Building.

PRESENT WERE: Council members Alan Turnbull and Thomas X. White, and Mayor Pro Tem Rodney M. Roberts. Councilmember Edward V. J. Putens arrived at 8:25 p.m. Mayor Davis was away.

STAFF PRESENT WERE: Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager; Jill St. John, Curator; and Kathleen Gallagher, City Clerk. Katie Scott-Childress, Curator, arrived at 8:20 p.m.

ALSO PRESENT WERE: Karen Yoho, Stephen Oetken and Mary Corbin Sies, FOGM.

Karen Yoho, president of FOGM, spoke briefly about the changes created by the transfer of the curator position from FOGM’s administration to the City’s. She said there had also been other personnel changes in FOGM. They have been working on defining more clearly the mission of the museum and the respective roles of FOGM and the City. They want to establish a clear identity and image to the public.

A list of current activities and projects was reviewed and discussed:

Jill St. John described a proposal that was submitted for a National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant for Local History Initiatives. A grant would require a 50/50 match. $100,000 of NEH money was requested in support of establishing endowment for a part-time education/outreach position. There was some discussion of fundraising tactics, particularly regarding local businesses. Mr. McLaughlin asked that the curators touch base with him in order that any established City relationships could be taken into account. Mr. Turnbull suggested the museum make more effort to give name recognition to donors who provide major support for exhibits and events. Ms. St. John said they were already working on this.

Stephen Oetken talked about the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), which is a four-step program leading to museum accreditation. He said FOGM had received a grant to undertake a MAP IV governance evaluation. Mr. Turnbull sought clarification on whether the goal was to assess the effectiveness of the governance of the museum or of FOGM, and there was further discussion of the need to sort these issues out. Mr. White commented that there are probably issues the City has never thought through since adding the curators to the staff as well. Mr. Turnbull added that he would like to know more about how other cities operate: e.g., whether it is typical for the museum to report to the City Manager or whether there would be a community board with governance responsibility.

Ms. Yoho said a great deal of work had been put into strategic planning earlier this calendar year but that further work needed to be done in terms of focusing documents and tasks to make the work really useful. Ms. Scott-Childress commented that she thought a strategic plan would benefit from clarification of the governance of the museum and the development of a clear mission statement.

Ms. Sies described the success and good attendance at museum programs over the last year. She also talked about logistical issues in managing large groups, since there has been increasing interest from county schools.

In terms of the museum’s need for identity and image, there was discussion of the breadth and variety of museum programs. Mr. Oetken stressed that the museum is “more than 10B Crescent Road.”

Ms. Sies raised the issue of establishing a visitors’ center of some type in the Old Greenbelt Theatre during the day during the week when it is not showing films. Ms. St. John pointed out that many visitors come to Roosevelt Center assuming it is the historical center of town. Ms. Yoho added that the museum’s video about Greenbelt could also run there. Mr. White commented on the need for Council to undertake a work session overall on the theater building and how it will be used now that the City owns it. Ms. St. John asked that FOGM and the curators be included in that work session.

Council suggested the museum talk with GATE about developing a trailer on the museum that could be shown in the movie theater. Ms. St. John mentioned that the Greenbelt video also needs some refurbishing. The usefulness of an audio tour was discussed, but the curators agreed that would need to be done professionally and would cost a fair amount.

Council thanked everyone for participating. This part of the meeting ended at 9:15 p.m.

Other Business: Council discussed its upcoming meeting with State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey. Mr. White had suggested a number of topics via e-mail. Mr. Roberts suggested adding the topic of reduction of sentences by judges in Maryland, and Mr. Putens mentioned problems with cars apparently being resold from residential property. Mr. McLaughlin sought clarification on the need for holding an executive session on June 4, saying that both topics were still developing, and meeting in executive session now might be premature. Council agreed that they wished to go ahead with the meeting.

The meeting ended at 9:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Gallagher
City Clerk

City of Greenbelt, Maryland
City Offices, 25 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Phone: 301-474-8000 FAX: 301-441-8248