The Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin Society will introduce its new board and executive members during the museum’s annual Christmas Tea and Bake Sale taking place at the museum this Saturday.
The new board includes president George Atamanenko, vice-president Surinderpal Rathor; secretary Loren Buckle; treasurer Michael Rawluk; and directors Jason Hughes, Al Giddens, Wayne Lucier, Marjorie Schuk, Pam Mahon and Diana French.
The change in leadership follows a somewhat heated annual general meeting over how to best manage the museum on its limited budget, said Atamanenko.
About 50 people attended the annual general meeting held Wednesday, Nov. 23 at city hall.
The new board then met on Monday, Nov. 28 to elect its executive.
Before Monday’s meeting former president Mike McDonough, former treasurer Lori Wilson and Minette Fawcett, who had also been elected to the board at the annual meeting, tendered their written resignations, Atamanenko said.
“I want to advise that as a result of the museum AGM, I have resigned from the board,” McDonough said simply in his resignation letter.
He did not respond to a Tribune/Advisor request for further explanation.
Atamanenko said the previous board recently broke the contract the museum had with its curator/executive director, William Adams, leaving the museum without its only full time staff member.
This resulted in the museum being temporarily closed, he said.
After the new museum executive was elected Monday, Atamanenko said Adams is now back on the job and the museum is once again open.
Atamanenko said many artifacts that have been donated to the museum have yet to be properly documented and catalogued, and having only one full-time staff member employed to act as both executive director and curator makes it difficult for that to happen.
Atamanenko said he and the executive will be reviewing the museum’s resources to determine how best to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
In the past, he said, the museum has always had a paid assistant for the curator/executive director and the plan is to bring back that position.
“It is a really important position,” Atamanenko said. “The goal is to keep the museum really relevant in our community. We have many artifacts donated which need to be catalogued in a proper fashion.”
He encouraged young people to become involved with the museum, if not as directors, then as volunteers. The museum board can include up to 13 members and is currently short three board members.
“The new board is very enthusiastic about supporting the museum,” Atamanenko said.