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Adjourned Meeting
April 25, 2000
6:30 p.m.
Meeting Convened. An Adjourned Meeting of the York County Board of
Supervisors was called to order at 6:37 p.m., Tuesday, April 25, 2000,
in the East Room, York Hall, by Vice Chairman James S. Burgett.
Attendance. The following members of the Board of Supervisors were
present: Donald E. Wiggins, James S. Burgett, and Melanie L. Rapp.
Mr. Zaremba and Mrs. Noll were absent.
Also in attendance were Daniel M. Stuck, County Administrator; and
James E. Barnett, County Attorney.
WORK SESSION
YORK HALL USE ISSUES
Mr. Stuck asked the Board members if they had any questions about
the materials which were presented to them concerning the possible uses
of York Hall.
Mr. Wiggins stated he was a member on both of the previous
committees, and he read all the material and did not have any questions.
He indicated he felt it was now a matter of deciding what functions
would go in the building and where.
Vice Chairman Burgett stated a general philosophy was needed as to
how the building was going to be used. He stated he did not want to see
any of the building used for storage, and he would like all of the rooms
to be used. He noted he was not interested in any of the space being
used for retail purposes other than perhaps a small gift shop. Mr.
Burgett stated it was important that the Board find a home for the
Historical Committee's museum, but perhaps not to take up the entire
basement of the building. He indicated the next question to answer was
who would manage the building. He spoke of the valuable equipment
contained in the building and stated he felt it should be operated by
staff who knew what they were doing. He stated he was leaning toward
County management and having someone in the building during the times
when the building was being used.
Mr. Wiggins agreed with Mr. Burgett, stating he felt the building
should be handled by the County because it has a large investment in
York Hall. He then noted that the Fife and Drum Corps had
representatives present, and he asked them just what it was that the
Corps wanted relative to York Hall.
Mrs. Beth Wilson, representing the Fife and Drum Corps, indicated
the Corps needed a place where it could get out of inclement weather to
practice. She stated they prefer to practice out-side, and they don't
need indoor space on a regular basis. She also stated they do not need
any storage space. Mrs. Wilson noted the Fife and Drum Corps meets every
Tuesday from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Discussion followed concerning the fact that the Fife and Drum
Corps meets when the Board of Supervisors would be conducting its
regular meetings or work sessions, at which time the Board members
suggested other places the Fife and Drum Corps might try for the use of
indoor space on Tuesdays. Also discussed was prior problems encountered
when the Corps practiced in the basement of the Courthouse years ago and
the supervision that would be supplied by the organization and its
parents today.
Vice Chairman Burgett then stated he felt the process developed by
staff for allocating space was very well done and very fair and logical.
He reiterated that he was in favor of County management of the building.
Mr. Stuck noted that the Board would also have to make a decision
as to whether or not to charge for non-County use of the building. He
stated that as the Board members make that decision, they will run into
other issues once the building is opened for non-County use. He
indicated that by doing so, the Board won't necessarily have control
over who uses the building. By opening it to one group or organization,
the Board may be forced to allow its use by other groups that might not
necessarily be groups that the Board would want using the building. He
suggested that before making any final decisions on the use of the
building the Board establish some written guidelines, approved by the
County Attorney, for specific kinds of uses to be accommodated. He
discussed the types of groups and whether or not York Hall should be
used instead of other facilities that might be rented. He suggested that
the Board give a great deal of thought to this issue, and he explained
the problems that have been encountered in allowing use of other County
buildings such as the meeting room in the Public Safety Building to
non-County groups.
Mr. Wiggins indicated this was why he felt the County needed to
manage the building.
Mr. Stuck asked if the Board thought parts of the building should
be used for office space or retail space. He also stated he was not
clear as to what the Trustees were requesting.
Vice Chairman Burgett stated he did not believe the building
should be used for a rental hall for receptions and such. He stated he
would like to see it more County-government related. There are other
facilities available in the area for retail and catered reception-type
functions.
Miss Rapp expressed her agreement that because of the investment
in the building and the expense of wear and tear on the building over
time that it should not be used for commercial purposes.
Mr. Stuck suggested that another option to consider was the
possibility of having some sort of retail shop, art gallery, or museum
as a permanent resident and working an arrangement with them for
supervision of the building during the hours the activity was open. If
the Historical Committee was going to operate a museum in the basement,
perhaps an arrangement could be worked out with them to monitor activity
in the building while their activity was in operation. Other possible
activities Mr. Stuck suggested included a tourism office or having a
retail gift shop run by the Victory Center or the National Park Service.
Vice Chairman Burgett suggested that the main hall be opened for
concerts and cultural activities.
Mr. Wiggins asked if the television equipment for the East Room
had been ordered.
Mr. Stuck explained that the Request for Proposals was just being
completed, and the order should go out in a few days.
Miss Rapp noted that only four groups had requested space in the
building.
Mr. J. Mark Carter, Assistant to the County Administrator,
indicated that only four had made formal requests.
Miss Rapp again addressed the use of the building by the Fife and
Drum Corps, and asked if the main first floor room would be adequate.
Mrs. Wilson indicated it would.
Miss Rapp suggested that the East Room could be used by the
Trustees if all they needed was a meeting place. She asked what need
they had for storage and display.
Mr. Carter stated the Trustees have several things that have been
gathered by them over time, and they would like some place in Yorktown
to put them on display.
Miss Rapp indicated the Board would need to know exactly what kind
of display case the Trustees were considering and what it would contain.
Mr. Wiggins suggested that perhaps the Historical Committee's
museum could display the Trustees' items.
Mrs. Bonnie Karwac, Chairman of the York County Historical
Committee, indicated the Committee would be happy to work with the
Trustees.
Discussion followed on the current meeting place of the Yorktown
Trustees. The Board also discussed space needs for the Historical
Committee's museum.
Mr. Wiggins asked if the Historical Committee had a plan for use
of the space.
Mrs. Karwac explained that they had a couple of volunteers who
were professional museum people who have talked with the Committee about
what it needed to do to make sure the items were properly preserved. She
indicated the Committee has about $18,000 to begin its museum, and it
has a number of display cases. A new member of the Committee has offered
to set up a data log-in program for accurately cataloging all the items.
She stated the Committee has worked with the Victory Center about making
sure they get the museum off on the right foot. Mrs. Karwac also
indicated the Peninsula Museums Forum would be helping the Committee,
and eventually there might be a need for a paid person.
Miss Rapp asked if the County has approached On-the-Hill to
determine if they have any interest in changing locations.
Mr. Stuck stated no contact has been made in the last three or
four years. There had been some general discussion about the
possibility, but none has taken place since. He then noted that one of
the earlier committees had recommended the possibility of having
rotating displays or exhibits going on in the building, but in order to
do so, there would have to be an active management and marketing of the
facility.
Mr. Wiggins suggested that for such a rotating premise to work
there would need to be arrangements made with other museums and
exhibitors to ensure adequate rotation of different exhibits on a
regular basis.
Mr. Gary Freeman, 120 Ballard Street, noted there were many
traveling exhibits sponsored by foundations that pay for them to be
exhibited.
Discussion followed concerning the different kinds of programs
that could be exhibited at York Hall. The Board members also entertained
the idea of having the Arts Commission manage exhibits that would be
conducted in the building.
Vice Chairman Burgett recommended that the Board follow the
staff's recommended process for evaluating and making space allocations,
but he stated he felt all five Board members needed to be present to
make the decision on the actual allocations.
Mr. Stuck indicated the need to start looking for some use
guidelines from other jurisdictions which have tried to run a facility
such as York Hall. He stated if the Board is comfortable with this type
of process, staff will get busy setting up a tour according to the
recommendation.
Mr. Wiggins indicated he felt a member of the Parks and Recreation
staff should be available for the tour. He noted that as a member of the
previous committees, the main thing that everyone agreed on and wanted
was some type of meeting room where different groups could meet for
cultural events. He stated he felt the main hall would be the only room
in the building suitable for such a purpose.
Mr. Freeman noted that when committee members went to other
counties and talked to the State about York Hall and how it could be
used, it was felt that facilities that are managed by the jurisdiction
were a constant drain on the locality's funds. He stated it was felt
that the project combination of the locality providing the building and
paying for the maintenance of the building with a non-profit
organization providing the management was a more focused and equitable
arrangement.
Mr. Wiggins stated he felt that staff needed to get all the
prospective users of the building together to take a tour through the
building as proposed by the staff.
Vice Chairman Burgett noted his agreement.
Mr. Stuck stated he felt staff had a pretty good idea of what the
four organizations are looking for, but they would invite them and see
who else might be out there looking for space.
Mr. Wiggins suggested that staff contact the Watermen's Museum
because they have some great volunteers, and the gift shop/retail space
might be a good place for them. It might also be possible that the
Watermen's Museum could handle the tourism aspect for the County and
keep an eye on the building as well.
Vice Chairman Burgett expressed his concerns regarding using space
for retail purposes and the potential problems.
Mr. Stuck explained that instead of a lease, the County would
grant a permit which could cover some of the potential problems.
Miss Rapp discussed the need for usage guidelines.
Mr. Stuck stated if the Board could give staff some idea of what
it felt the general occupancy of the building should be, staff could
come up with some draft guidelines for the Board to review.
After further discussion, the Board indicated that the Board Room
and the East Room should be used for government-only purposes, and none
of the building would be leased for activities such as receptions.
Mr. Barnett then discussed the drafting of guidelines for usage of
the building and the need to do some research on the definition of
certain activities. He indicated the Board might be charting some new
ground legally, and he stated he would check with other jurisdictions to
see what they are doing.
Mr. Stuck indicated one way to address it was to turn the rest of
the facility over to a non-profit organization to manage, but he noted
the Board would have to have confidence in the chosen organization.
Mr. Freeman noted he could provide the Board with the names of
some groups that might be interested in such an arrangement.
Mr. Robert S. Kraus, Director of General Services, stated it
sounded like the Board had agreed that the County would manage the
facility in terms of scheduling and maintenance, but for the building to
be successful, he stated it needed marketing. He asked the Board if the
County would address that aspect.
Vice Chairman Burgett indicated he felt Mr. Kraus had a good
point.
Mr. Stuck suggested that perhaps the staff should prepare a set of
draft guidelines first before setting up the tour with potential users.
He stated that at the same time staff would move forward with the
process of evaluating the space allocations.
Discussion ensued on the timing of the evaluation process. The
Board agreed that the guidelines would be drafted first, and staff would
then go forward with implementing the recommended process for evaluating
and making space allocations. It was also agreed that no space would be
used primarily for storage purposes.
WORK SESSION SCHEDULE (Not on Agenda)
The Board members briefly discussed the draft meeting schedule
which was provided to them on April 4, and it was approved as
recommended.
Meeting Adjourned. At 8:03 p.m. Vice Chairman Burgett declared the
meeting adjourned sine die.
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Daniel M. Stuck,
Clerk
Walter C. Zaremba, Chairman
York County Board of
Supervisors
York County Board of Supervisors
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