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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRM020912 75th MinutesMINUTES OF THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 9, 2012 STATE OF TEXAS § § COUNTY OF BRAZOS § Present: Linda Harvell, Chair Jerry Cooper Ben White Bill Harper Jack Fugate Tracy Paine Shannon Overby Don Barber Richard Weber City Staff: Sherry Mashburn, City Secretary Jacob Morris, Historical Records Coordinator Mike Neu, Multi-Media Coordinator Peter Lamont, Recreation Superintendent 1. Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present With a quorum present, the 75th Anniversary Committee was called to order by Chair Linda Harvell at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 9, 2012 in the College Station Conference Center, 1300 George Bush Drive, Room 102, College Station, Texas 77842. 2. Hear Visitors There were no visitors. 3. Discussion: Where We’ve Been . . . and Where We’re Going On March 8, Chair Harvell and Mayor White will present to the Council the proposed activities for the event. They will be asking for feedback from the Council related to the viability of the activities in order to prepare the budget request. Chair Harvell stated it is time to start developing the specific budgets, schedules, dates, etc. The budget must be delivered to the City Manager in May. A free-flowing discussion included the following high points: Bill Harper and Jerry Cooper reported on the Book Project (Bill Harper, Jerry Cooper). $10,000 has been budgeted for the manuscript, and the contract is being negotiated. Mr. Harper stated that research was underway, and Mr. Cooper will present a proposed printing plan to Council on February 23. He reiterated that publish-upon-demand options are being explored. One such company was named – Create Space, an Amazon.com affiliate. It is intended that books will be sold online via Amazon.com, in local bookstores, and at local events/festivals in 2013. Mr. Cooper will present a proposed printing plan to the Council at their February 23 meeting. Mr. Harper and Mr. Cooper were asked to prepare a methodology for book distribution and revenue allotment at the next meeting. Mike Neu stated there are some concerns about the Time Capsule, citing cost and potential difficulties in attaining consensus upon contents, location, etc. It was suggested that the 100th Anniversary may be more appropriate. Committee consensus was to remove the Time Capsule from the recommended list of event activities. The Homecoming/Reunion/Gala (Linda Harvell, Jack Fugate) will culminate the celebration on an unconfirmed weekend in October. The homecoming refers to invitations that will go out to alumni/patrons of College Station to encourage attendance at the all-day Saturday event. The Gala dinner will be an informal dinner at the Veterans Park Pavilion. Logistical issues include individuals/businesses to recognize at the dinner, shuttles for overflow traffic, brick dedications to raise money, a vintage car show or display, and a vintage softball game. The committee was asked to provide an itinerary for the event and dinner as well as funding options at the next meeting. Mike Neu and Peter Lamont spoke about the Vintage Baseball Game (Peter Lamont, Richard Webber, Mike Neu, Bill Harper). A suggestion was made to have teams composed of City leaders, former mayors, local media, and other local celebrities. Bill Harper, Richard Webber, and Don Barber offered to assist in soliciting these local celebrities to play. Some VIP names included Tom Chandler’s family, Ben Downs and Wally Moon. A suggestion was made to hold an auction of the memorabilia after the game (Shirt Off Your Back auction). Discussion included options for uniforms, the merits of full uniforms vs. jerseys only, potential announcers, first pitch candidates, a Kid Zone with inflatables, horseshoe and washer pits, and musicians. Mr. Lamont discussed the logistics of events at Veterans Park, such as parking, electrical services, construction, scheduling conflicts with other sporting events, etc. Richard Webber, with the Brazos Valley Bombers, volunteered to work with Mr. Lamont with the planning. Ben White reported on the Speaker’s Bureau (Ben White, Travis Rollins). They are on track for contacting area civic groups, churches, etc. to arrange dates to make a presentation during their meetings and get them involved in the event. Chair Harvell reported that she and Mayor White had appeared on Brazos Valley Magazine with Sharon Colson to promote the event and create community awareness. Ms. Colson has agreed to dedicate a segment of time in KAMU-TV Brazos Valley Magazine television show to recognition of this event. Chair Harvell noted they will be working closely with the College Station Communications Department to coordinate all publicity of the event. Mike Neu reported on Ongoing Recognition (Priscilla Miller, Don Barber, Mike Neu, Jacob Morris, Tracy Paine, Mayor Ben White, and Travis Rollins). The committee has discussed various methods of recognizing the City’s history throughout the year. These include Conference Center and Bush Library exhibits, Council meeting presentations from Public Communications, Chamber of Commerce business recognition, and the Speaker’s Bureau series to reach civic clubs and churches. For the next meeting, the committee will bring possible exhibit ideas for consideration. They will also begin to collect profiles of local businesses/groups to incorporate into a 75th website and bulletin. Mike Neu reported on the 75th Anniversary Website (Mike Neu, Jacob Morris, Public Communications). Possible content for the website could include videos from the Exploring History Lunch Lecture series, vintage audio clips from WTAW, vintage newspaper headlines from The Eagle, and stories and images pulled from Project HOLD. The site could also link to an e-commerce portal where the 75th Anniversary book and related promotional items would be available for purchase online. The committee was asked to construct an outline of content that would be displayed both online and in print form. Promotional items were discussed. Items could be sold via an e-commerce site linked from the 75th Anniversary site. Possible items include lapel pins with the 75th logo, challenge coins, bricks at Veterans Park, and the book. Other items such as pull-up banners could be produced and used as displays for book sale trips, event promotions or Speaker’s Bureau sessions to raise awareness of the 75th Anniversary. Mayor White reported he has approached local grocery stores about having the 75th Anniversary logo printed onto their paper bags for a limited time in 2013. 3. Adjournment MOTION: There being no further business, the Regular Meeting of the 75th Anniversary Committee was adjourned at 10:05 a.m. on Thursday, February 9, 2012. ________________________ Chair ATTEST: _______________________ Secretary