O’Fallon Museum Board – Meeting Minutes June 3rd 2025
O’Fallon Museum Board
Minutes
June 3, 2025
Present Absent
Toni Reetz, Trustee
Linda Rost, Secretary
Vaughn Zenko, Curator
Curt Williams, Chairman
Kenny Griffith, Trustee
Convene:
The meeting was called to order by Curt at 4:03 pm at the O’Fallon Museum metal building.
Public Comment: Time limit 10 minutes per subject.
Minutes: Read by trustees.
Toni made a motion to approve minutes as presented and Kenny seconded. Minutes approved.
Accessions
- Bags of postcards were dropped off museum – radio advert fliers
- From Wimans – will call Kay Wiman to get more information
- Ham Radio Club – Steve Kolbach, Slim “Duane” Brockel
- Donald Howe estate – Boards from Westmore schoolhouse, postcards of early Westmore, Plevna, and Ismay
- Toni makes a motion to accept these items. Kenny seconds it. Motion carried.
Deaccessions
- Core samples – offer it to the schools, Ekalaka, Plevna, Baker, plus area museums
- Motion carried.
Discussion of Curator’s Report
- 459 visits in May. 20% of total visitors from last year.
- 68 people from High Tea
- 32 from gunfight presentation
- Homeschoolers from Glendive
- 67 kids for 5th grade scavenger hunt and 1st grade dinosaur class
- Had visitors every single day; only three days with no tour
- 73 from out of town (Loveland, CO, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas, Portland, Alabama, Georgia, etc.)
- Preschool time – making videos and using AI to make songs on Dinosaurs in Fallon County
- CSI party with meat and cheese tray
- Northwest Magazine for US stopped by – will send pre-article
- Booked for July 12 at 11 am – Liningers – book on Bowen – 20-30 minute presentation
- Will sell books and give $5 per copy to Historical Society
- Art Walk – July 12 at 11 am – ?? pm
- Digital artists are living here in Baker from Butte and NY
- Summer school kids coming in June/July
- Waterworks traveling – Juried art exhibit from Miles City – July 3 – July 31, 2025
- In sewing room – put up a fireworks exhibit and use a BBQ to debut exhibit
Old Business
- Discuss alcohol idea – to check with Kenny
- For events to serve limited drinks with ticket purchase
- Need to determine what the next steps would be
- Vaughn will look into insurance liabilities and other issues
- Heritage Fest – June 14, 2025
- Horse part taken care of – Curt
- Sparks – making rope
- Benner – cast iron stuff – cookies (premade batter for the chocolate chip bars) and cobbler desserts
- Hanging W – meat will be in 3 lb packs – Will be picked up June 11 – Do patties need to premade before frozen?
- Get some hot dogs and buns
- Just bottled water
- Vendors – have seven officially, but up to 14
- Dave Kirschen – petting zoo?
- Will be running the train on a route to attract kids from fishing day
- Date change has helped with vendors, but may conflict with Bump-n-Run and kids’ fishing day- will evaluate how it works
- Need volunteers – have one for community service
- Train for car show on June 7 – Vaughn will operate the train. Hopefully an insurance agreement is in place.
- Will need to put it in Curt’s grey shed so it can stay set up.
- Will need to put new oil in before Heritage Fest, so can run it over to the shop.
- Willard School
- Roof looks structurally sound – only needs reshingled.
- Putting tin is not historically accurate. Wood or regular shingles would be best.
- Check with Adamson’s
- May have to do a bid if it’s over a certain amount.
- Can still apply for a Grid United grant or maybe just budget it
- Fiscal year 2026 Pre-Budget Discussion
- Did not go over budget except for office supplies because of a new printer
- Everything else was way under budget
- Overall: $151,000 and we are sitting at $76,000
- Traci is at 688 hours now – probably at 18 hrs for summer and 12 hrs a week for rest of the year.
- There were inconsistencies in how many hours Vaughn was able to schedule for Traci in May and June, which has been really challenging. Vaughn was told he had 360 hours but later was told it was only 100 hours.
- The commission denied another 80 hours for Traci.
- Would like to get her for 18 hrs a week for March, April, May – that would add only 72 hours
- Will ask for 788 hours
- Is she working in other county positions?
- Vaughn is going over on hours just with the basic duties and he can’t even keep the place open. He also can’t hang up Heritage Fest signs — have had very important visitors when he is trying to do other things. He needs someone to cover for these things!!!
New Business
- Applied for grant for glass case for Steer Montana – grant was pulled, but grant was for $29,000.
- When in Heiser’s, was in a plexiglass case which would cause off-gassing
- Kenny’s board term is up on June 30 and he is not renewing. There will be two open board seats at that point.
Next Meeting: July 17 at 4 pm
Adjournment: Curt adjourned the meeting at 5:12 pm.
_______________________________ __________________________________
s\ Curt Williams, Chairman s\ Recording Secretary, Linda Rost, Trustee
