Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Metadata
Document management portal powered by Laserfiche WebLink 9 © 1998-2015 Laserfiche. All rights reserved.
2 <br /> <br />Center is one option to be considered. Whether this can expand into the cultural/genealogy <br />center the County has envisioned may also be worth studying. <br /> <br />Margaret Hauth said the Town has an interest in finding a new home for the current <br />museum that is more accessible. She said the Town would like to know if the County may <br />have a more desirable space in the near future, and staff will need direction from both boards <br />as to how to proceed. <br />Town Commissioner Ferguson said she is excited about this collaboration. She said <br />she is inspired by a small museum in Oneonta, Alabama that captures a sense of place like no <br />other to the extent that she has even become a member of this museum. She said this <br />museum partners with the Register of Deeds, leading the county’s efforts for genealogy and <br />historical activities. She said Orange County could have such a museum, if the right location <br />can be found with the right display cases. She said she hopes the County will partner with the <br />Town on this project, as it has great potential and is an important piece of the Town. <br />Commissioner Rich said the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has not <br />discussed this topic in any detail, and asked if County staff could provide some insight about <br />the County’s involvement, and exactly what type of collaboration is needed. <br />Jeff Thompson, Asset Management Services Director, said the staff is talking and <br />sharing ideas at a high level about needs, availabilities, and directions, in which, both the Town <br />and the County are moving. He said this evening provides an opportunity for further <br />discussion. <br />Commissioner Rich asked if there is a vision for what the museum will look like, if there <br />is an end game in mind. <br />Jeff Thompson said there is the heritage exhibit in the Orange County library, and there <br />is the museum in downtown Hillsborough that is in a stressed situation. He said there has <br />been discussion of the merging of these two places somewhere in the vicinity of where they <br />are currently located. He said the discussions revolve around the content inside the building, <br />and the location of the building itself. <br />Chair Dorosin said the County and the Town could collectively decide what this <br />collaboration looks like. <br />Town Commissioner Bell said the strategy map says that the celebration of history is <br />valued in Hillsborough, and a museum is an important part of that conversation. He said the <br />museum is going through a top-to-bottom review of its strategies, and what opportunities may <br />exist. <br />Bonnie Hammersley said she and Commissioner Price toured the museum a while ago, <br />and the condition of the current facility is not good. She said the museum has approached the <br />County seeking to work together. She said staff has reviewed the available County space, but <br />none is available now. She said the question remains whether the Town and the County <br />should continue to partner, or does Hillsborough go off on its own. She said this conversation <br />has been going on for a while. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos referred to the museum in Alabama, and clarified that the <br />Register of Deeds is a partner in the process there. <br />Commissioner Ferguson said the Register of Deeds works collaboratively with the <br />museum in Alabama. She said the Probate Judge pays the salary of the docent, and the <br />museum is across the street from the courthouse and the Register of Deeds. She said the <br />museum is very small, but the way it is laid out is different: there are maps, display cases, <br />places to do research and there is an active collaborative relationship with the Register of <br />Deeds, which encourages the genealogy activity, as well as other historical activities.