Finger Lakes Museum Project

DANSVILLE, NY (Monday, Dec. 21) – As the site selection process for the Finger Lakes Cultural and Natural History Museum continues, committees are being organized to bring the museum to reality.The five site sponsors submitted final proposals on Dec. 3 and the Site Selection Committee, as well as members of the Board of Trustees, met with each group individually for presentations and questions and answers last Wednesday at the Inn On The Lake and Thursday at the New York Wine and Culinary Center, both located in Canandaigua.The committees were organized at a special meeting on Dec. 5 at the Esperanza Mansion near Branchport.President John Adamski said the site proposals are “impressive.” “Together the submissions weigh 21 pounds and include site plans, maps, photos, text, demographics, CDs, DVDs and letters of endorsement as well as offers of financial assistance and potential partnerships from all levels of academia and each level of government.”Adamski noted that he is “truly humbled by the time, effort and expense that has been put into what was once a daydream that I had presented in a magazine article only 19 months ago. As I read through each proposal,” he added, “I was moved by the efforts put forth by everyone involved.” Adamski said the site selection committee has already had one meeting to discuss the sites and that the deliberations will likely take at least six to eight weeks. The five sites being considered are: Wells College Campus in Aurora; the Bush Farm in Ledyard near Aurora; Sampson State Park in Romulus; Geneva Lakefront/Seneca Lake State Park in and near Geneva; and Keuka Lake State Park in Bluff Point.Meanwhile, at the committee organization meeting attended by 45 people, two presenters spoke on museum matters. Suzanne Kolodziej, art educator at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, talked about “Museum Educational Program Concepts” and outlined potential programs for visitors and students. Don Naetzker, a Board member and Chair of the Site Selection Committee, presented the organizational framework for the museum project. Naetzker told the crowd that he already has 131 tasks listed and the Museum is still in the project stage. After the presentations, Board members Rolf Zerges, Jon McKnight, Adamski and Naetzker gave an overview of each committee’s function. The committees and their functions are: Programs – Creation of museum program concepts and themes and implementing andupdating the Strategic Plan.PR & Marketing – Presentation of the museum’s public image in radio, television, and print media as well as managing its Internet presence. Partnerships – Provide liaison to partners such as other regional museums, academia, the Native American communities, tourism organizations, and others.Facilities – Oversee the development and maintenance of the physical facilities necessaryto accommodate the programs and administrative needs of the museum. Facilities is the next generation of the Site Selection Committee, the role of which will cease once a site has been determined.Finance – Accounting for the income and expenditures of the museum, managing its bank accounts and endowment and filing tax returns.Fundraising – Creation of an effective capital campaign to bring the project to fruition and sustain itself in the future.The audience members then broke into committees for discussion of missions and duties. Adamski said the groups discussed ideas and tasks for the committees to pursue and organized for future meetings.A spokesman for each committee reported on the discussions at the luncheon following the meeting. Committees are still looking for people to help. Contact President John Adamski at [email protected].