Holbrook Chamber Officials Discuss Budget Issues With Historical Society

By Linda Kor
   Members of Holbrook’s historical society and chamber of commerce met Tuesday to listen to a presentation by Chamber President Amber Hill on behalf of the chamber’s board of directors.
   While separate entities, both are housed in the historic courthouse. The museum and visitors center are also located there.
   Hill presented the historical society with a resolution supported unanimously by the chamber board. The documents cited 10 items, with last item stating that the overall desire of the chamber is to see both entities partnering and enhancing the courthouse as an efficient museum and welcome center.
   Currently, the visitors desk is manned by a part-time temporary employee paid through the chamber’s budget. In order to keep the museum open maximum hours, the desk is also manned part-time by an employee of the historical society.
   “We are looking to budget at least a 40-hour week for the visitors center. Personally, I feel we should budget conservatively; this isn’t just a local recession, it’s global. There are national parks closing their doors, and we need to be aware of what will be available to us,” stated Hill.
   She went on to explain that with the possibility of Old West Days not taking place this year, the chamber will not have another major event until the Holiday Business Showcase next December. If that is the case, the person hired for the part-time administrative assistant’s position may be able to assist at the desk of the visitors center.
   “I think we can cross-train our person to work at the visitors desk and assist visitors, and be trained to be part of your manpower,” explained Hill.
   The chamber plans to hire a second permanent part-time employee, who would be able to man the desk for the hours that the administrative assistant needs to be away from the desk for chamber events.
   The historical society has planned to man the desk for 16 hours per week, making up even more available hours.
   Hill also suggested looking at weatherizing so that funds that would go toward utilities could be put to use elsewhere. She also suggested combining office machinery, such as copiers and printers.
   “This, of course, is something you may choose not to do and that would be fine. We just want to provide options,” stated Hill.
   What Hill is ultimately hoping for is to present a unified front when it comes to budget talks with the city.
   “Community events don’t really cost that much, mostly marketing and advertising. The tourism efforts are what bring people here. This (unified front) will allow us to go to the city and say why this is important and not the other way around,” stated Hill.
   Hill also suggested that the responsibility of manning the visitors center and scheduling hours would be more efficient if conducted by one of the groups instead of both. She stated that the chamber is willing to take on that task, since the administrative assistant would offer the most availability. She said she felt that utilizing this employee would increase the workforce for the visitors center while still allowing for chamber business to be conducted, saving budget funds for other items.
   Historical Society President Paul DoBell stated that perhaps if the society proposed budget funds to man a seven day a week desk position and the city countered with less, then the conservative budget asked for by the chamber would not be in jeopardy; suggesting that perhaps the chamber personnel would not be needed at the front desk if funding was provided.
   Hill stated that she thought that approach defeated the purpose of the efficiencies mentioned, but added that it really doesn’t matter if it’s the chamber managing the visitors center or the historical society, just as long as it was under one entity.
   DoBell indicated that the historical society would like to have that task, and asked Hill to introduce to the chamber board the possibility of the historical society handling manning and budgeting for the visitors center. Hill agreed to discuss the matter with the board at the next chamber meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 10.
   Zelda Gray stated that she did not see why the two entities needed to get together at this point when they had no problems in the past operating separately.
   DoBell clarified that they will remain two separate organizations and separate budgets with a common goal. “It would be beneficial to both organizations to coordinate our budgets by the time we need to go before the city,” he stated.
   Both groups agreed that the most important issue is keeping the courthouse doors open to the public.
   “It is my understanding that the city and the county are in accord regarding the courthouse and it is no longer in jeopardy of having the doors close. The core of our being is collecting and archiving objects, and we need the doors to the museum open in order to do that,” explained DoBell,
   The meeting closed without a determination as to how the two groups will be working to efficiently conduct operations within the courthouse, but both agreed to further the discussion and refine their budgets to present to the city manager before budget sessions begin in the next month.