LACEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (LHS)
PO Box 3324 Lacey, Wash. 98509-3324
‘To be a voice for the early citizens of Lacey, and to be their stewards
protecting the historical heritage they have given us’
BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING
March 10, 2026
Minutes
Present: President Jon Halvorson, Vice President Cynthia Pratt, Treasurer Tim McGuire, Secretary John Dziedzic, and Trustees, Larry Ganders, Denise Keegan, Ed Sorger, Paul Webb and Margie Wyllie. Trustees Yvette Burroughs and John Turner were excused
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President Halvorson convened the meeting at 3:23 p.m., acknowledged that a quorum was present, and announced that he had received a letter of resignation from Trustee Cheryl Malkmus, which stated that other personal commitments precluded her from fulfilling her duties as a Trustee. President Halvorson summarized Trustee Malkmus’ many contributions during her tenure and indicated that an appropriate recognition of her service would be presented to her.
Agenda/Previous Minutes: M/S/P Secretary Dziedzic moved and Trustee Ganders seconded a motion to approve the agenda as presented. The motion was adopted. M/S/P Trustee McGuire moved and Trustee Ganders seconded a motion to approve the Minutes of the January 14, 2026 meeting of the Board of Trustees. The motion was adopted. (The regularly scheduled February meeting had been cancelled.)
Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer McGuire distributed a financial statement as of February 28, 2026, which indicated that three Certificates of Deposit were scheduled to mature prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees. M/S/P Trustee Ganders moved and Trustee Keegan seconded a motion to authorize the Treasurer to re-invest the three identified maturing CDs at the best rate available for terms of 6 to 13 months. The motion was adopted. Secretary Dziedzic moved and Trustee Keegan seconded a motion to accept the report of the Treasurer as presented. The motion was adopted.
Liability Insurance: President Halvorson distributed a copy of the “Declarations Page” of the Liability Insurance Policy recently renewed by State Farm Insurance.
Election of Trustee: President Halvorson noted that, with the resignation of Trustee Malkmus, the Board now has three vacancies, which the remaining members of the Board having authority to fill by majority vote. The President also distributed a one-page biographical background statement of Mike Pettit, and his qualifications were discussed. Trustee Wyllie moved and Secretary Dziedzic seconded a motion to elect Mike Pettit to the remainder of the unexpired term of office (ending December 31, 2027) recently vacated by Ms. Malkmus. The motion was adopted.
Board Meeting Time and Place: President Halvorson distributed a meeting schedule for the remainder of 2026, with all meetings currently scheduled to be held in the conference room of the Capital Development Company, beginning at 3:00 p.m., with the requirement that meetings conclude no later than 5:00 p.m.. Interest was voiced in investigating the possibility of beginning at 2:00 or 2:30.
Dr. Ehlers project update: Secretary Dziedzic reported an update on the project will be given to the Nisqually Tribal Council on March 19, following a second informal lunch meeting with Tribal Elders who remembered Dr. Ehlers to obtain testimonials that are intended to be included in a pamphlet being designed for use in making presentations to service clubs and potential donors. It was also noted that the application process for requesting funding from the Tribal Charity Fund is scheduled to be posted on-line in April, with a June deadline. Lastly, Trustees Wyllie and Sorger and Secretary Dziedzic reported a productive meeting with City staff, where comments on the proposed policy on donated art was received
Annual Membership Meeting: President Halvorson requested input on reserving the the Lacey Community Center the Annual Meeting of the Membership on Thursday, September 10, 2026. M/S/P Trustee Keegan and Trustee Webb seconded a motion to authorize the expenditure of $486 to reserve all three of the main rooms of Community Center.
Website Re-Design Meeting: President Halvorson distributed a one-page summary of four issues discussed with the webpage designer, and asked for direction:
(1)The website was initially designed to permit donations and dues payments of less than $10. This has created not only the possibility that such small transactions could actually cost the Society more than the amount received, it also required two parallel payment platforms. The designer has recommended that the minimum transaction be raised to $10 and that the system allow a limited number of “discrete amount” transactions button (which users may choose to allow multiples of – such as five donations of $20, or $100).
(2)The designer also recommended that, rather than listing a favored few virtual payment option (i.e. credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Swipe, Venmo, etc) the website should be structured to allow the widest possible range of virtual payment options. (3)The introduction of “designated” donations for special projects, for example: The Doctor Ehlers statue, brings with it substantial accounting and other record-keeping requirements. The website can be designed to capture the relevant detail, but the duty to maintain the proper records is a new responsibility, which falls on the Treasurer, and will require the holder of the position to have relevant qualifications.
(4)The current logo is considered by some to appear “washed out” when appearing on-line, and a more vibrant logo should be considered.
Discussion of the four above issues ensued, with particular interest in questioning whether funds really need to be segregated or otherwise comply with “temporarily designated” rules and regulations. President Halvorson also noted that any of these and future changes authorized by the Board would be communicated to the web designer by written “change order.” Secretary Dziedzic moved and Trustee Keegan seconded a motion to authorize the expenditure of $250 for the purpose of developing a higher contrast logo for website use, and to adopt the changes outlined in (10 and (2) above, but to obtain more information about the requirements associated with “dedicating” donations before instituting that donation option. The motion was adopted.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for April 14, 2026.
There being no additional discussion President Halvorson declared the meeting adjourned. The meeting was adjourned at 4:53 p.m.
Submitted by: Secretary Dziedzic.