Friday, August 30, 2013

Quiet but busy

The house has been quiet without the telephone interrupting my thoughts.  It has been silent since Sunday, one call snuck through yesterday, in between waves of off again on again phone and Internet service.  The repairman came again yesterday afternoon.  Hopefully it is fixed once and for all!  It has worked about six hours in a row now.

I called the business office of the telephone company.  The Customer Service gal there said she was not authorized to issue a credit for five days of no service, she would have to speak to her supervisor and will get back to me next week.  Why was she in Customer Service if she cannot give customer service?  Seems redundant to me.

Far Guy went to work in the oven(museum) on Thursday.  He was pretty much well done when he came home.  Chance and I enjoyed the AC at home all day long.  We are going to send Far Guy back into the oven again Friday.  It works out well to split up the days…he is working on some projects there that he enjoys.  The museum has some old movies taken in 1943 that will become a program next year after they are edited and digitized.

I finished scheduling all the evening programs for 2014 and meeting places have been reserved.  I finished all the advertising for 2013.  Yes..cross something off the list.

Next week I meet with the County Commissioners.  I don’t like pleading for more money but someone has to do it.  The average dollar amount that County Historical Museums receive from their respective counties in Minnesota is $57,000.  We get less than 10 percent of that.  Broken down even further than that we have 20,000 residents in the county and we receive 27 cents per person per year.  I have asked for $3 per person. Of course I don’t have my head in the clouds…they will not approve that amount.  IF I were a County Commissioner I would be ashamed. 

The museum got a grant for an HVAC study ( Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning).  It will cost $6,300 to have an expert from The Cities come into our building to evaluate it.  She will write us a report which we can then use to write another grant to purchase and install a HVAC system.  I am not certain how anyone will be able to afford the heating bill…but I am following the suggested route and won’t put up a roadblock before I need to. ( Last winter I met with The Minnesota Historical Society mucky mucks and we made a plan to follow to gain heating, air conditioning and an elevator.)

I absolutely hate the politics, I am no good at smiling at a bunch of morons. I am certain that the Commissioners will be surprised  to learn about the HVAC study…oh well…they are the governing body for the Historic Building…and all of them have been notified of our monthly meetings and have been encouraged to attend.  I cannot drag them into one of our meetings and make them listen to the goings on.  Although that thought makes me smile:) 

Great Blue heron on Fish Hook Lake

Great Blue Heron on Fish Hook Lake

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17 comments:

linda m said...

Good luck on getting the HVAC for the Museum. I don't envy you having to plead with Government officials. Sure hope you phone and internet service is finally fixed. The phone company customer service person sounds typical. "Sorry, I can't help you. Let me talk to my supervisor". What a waste. Good luck on getting the refund. Have a great weekend.

Unknown said...

You are tremendously upgrading what is a very valuable asset to the County and obviously the Powers That Be do not realize this. They need some educating. You have done so much already for the Museum and such a shame that you have to suffer excessive heat and cold doing it. I hope that there will be some progress in your negotiations with them. Shirley H.

Pauline Persing said...

Glad to see your post. It was a little later than usual. I was concerned. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your museum. There has to be money somewhere.

L. D. said...

The people who designate funds tend to discriminate where the can if people will let them. Squeaky wheels do get the grease. Art funds were also cut before any sports funds. I have found today that the music room is the hottest. It is a toss up on all the others. The lunchroom is in the new wing so I got to dry off my clothes a little. Politics is such a continue power play by those who really don't know or care in general about doing the right thing.

troutbirder said...

Sad report. Although our county is also small (less that twenty thousand) our commissioner's and school boards do the best they can with the limited funds available. Even at the township level the supervisors manage to keep the roads open in winter and the bridges repaired. It's an often thankless job....

Anonymous said...

Customer Service is a game...they hope you won't take the time to call back. Sorry for all the hassle of politics/morons. I'll be glad when you can close the door for a while and take care of you. Wishing you, FG and Chance a good weekend.

DJan said...

I also am looking forward to the day when you and FG can relax and forget the museum for awhile. You certainly are going the extra mile for it, and I am hoping that it pays off with those government officials. I can be pessimistic or optimistic, so I'll choose the latter. :-)

marlu said...

Good luck on obtaining the funds. And that photograph is Gorgeous!

Jacqi Stevens said...

It seems to me that installing the HVAC would create an automatic draw to your building: the comfort of air conditioning! (Not to mention the preservative effects on your displays...and your personnel!)

Best wishes for an enormous dose of perseverance and tenacity to shepherd all those grant proposals through all the hoops.

And if the County Commissioners can't find it in their hearts to give you three dollars per capita per annum, maybe they can at least give you ten times what they are authorizing right now. At least the person running their museum knows the definition of Customer Service...

Leilani Schuck Weatherington said...

I love reading your tales of the museum. When I was in high school I got to be part of a special project at the big Natural History Museum in Los Angeles -- behind the scenes, getting to go in doors for "authorized personnel only" and see stuff that nobody else got to. Sorry that you just can't do the "museum" without the politics that go along with it. Don't loose heart.

Red said...

It's really sad that the value of museums is such a low priority. Same here. We have to kiss butts for every dollar. The sad part is that when we do get money the public complains.

LindaG said...

What a great photo!

*hugs* on the museum stuff. Congrats on getting Far Guy to do the hot work.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Linda Reeder said...

I love your dedication to your museum cause! Go get 'em.

Cynthia said...

Love the silhouette of the Great Blue. Hang on--we have some free air conditioning on its way tonight, I hear. I don't have air at home and I will certainly be rejoicing! This has been a miserable stretch.

Terry and Linda said...

I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hope you get the funds...baking and freezing is ridiculous...an those that govern should be sorry and help!!!!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

Rae said...

The bigwigs need to be forced to spend a week at the museum during periods of heat like this. Maybe realism will smack them in the face after a long day of sweating.

Rita said...

Makes me smile, too. ;)
Glad you got a couple days at home with the AC!!
Have you been feeling better with the Lymes?