Administrative Brief
COMMISSION INFORMATION MEMORANDUM
VOL. 29 NO. 04 February 8, 2007
ADMINISTRATIVE BRIEF FROM JOHN HIGHKIN
Update on the Community Cultural Assessment and SAHC Strategic Plan
By the time you read this CIM, we shall already have had our first major burst of activity, the visit
to Salina of project facilitator Diane Mataraza, February 7 and 8. The main goal for Ms.
Mataraza’s first visit is to lay the ground work for the overall plan, both in terms of working with
staff who will implement it, and articulating to the public and core participants what is the plan
outline. The visit will introduce Ms. Mataraza and her methods.
Ms. Mataraza will provide the 50+ member Steering Committee with the plan overview and set
the stage for utilizing members to help open doors for meetings and public forums in the next two
visits, March 27-29 and May 1-3.
Staff will participate in several specific activities including the reception in the Museum lobby. As
she will with every visit, Ms. Mataraza will facilitate meetings with both Arts & Humanities staff and
Commissioners; she will meet with the City Manager and Deputy City Manager. This is critical in
examining processes, structure and programs of the Arts & Humanities Department, including the
Museum.
Leaders of cultural organizations will meet with Ms. Mataraza for the plan overview, followed by
work with the six largest groups who will provide organizational information and databases for a
geodemographic survey conducted by her colleague Surale Phillips. Community artists will have
two opportunities to learn about their part in the process, with a day-time meeting and one right
after working hours.
Besides group meetings, Ms. Mataraza will meet with members of the media, appearing on
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Kansas Live on Wednesday, February 7. She will facilitate the Smoky Hill River Festival’s
annual Media Luncheon, gathering input on the Festival from print, radio and television people.
She will also meet with representatives from the main vehicles for gathering public input through
surveying, the newspaper and the City’s largest retailer.
To finish her visit, Ms. Mataraza will address the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Salina
group briefly at the Salina Art Center during that group’s Quality of Life day. She will have a tour
of the Philips Lighting plant and an unusual chance to visit an old mill, as she works with SDI
(Salina Downtown Improvement) and SAHC (Salina Arts and Humanities Commission) leaders to
learn about the region’s history and consider in what ways might downtown buildings be re-
imagined for other uses.
Throughout the two days, I will accompany Di ane in meeting and interacting with people—
keeping (or trying to keep) up with her should be fun, educational and exhausting. Meeting
people and learning about them and their desires and expectations is the meat of this entire
process, something which will fully kick into gear in the coming two visits.
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Complete Schedule for February 7 and 8
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Wednesday, February 7
Start Time End Time Event
8:30 AM 9:30 AM Preparation - John Highkin, Kathy Burlew
9:30 AM 11:00 AM SAHC/Museum Staffs
11:15 AM 12:15 PM River Festival Media Luncheon
12:20 PM 1:00 AM KSAL Interview
1:15 PM 2:15 PM Cultural Organization Leaders
2:30 PM 3:30 PM Database w/ 6 Cultural Organizations
3:30 PM 4:00 PM Meeting w/ City Managers
4:00 PM 5:30 PM Steering Committee
6:00 PM 7:30 PM Reception - Museum Lobby
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Thursday, February 8
Start Time End Time Event
7:45 AM 8:15 AM Smoky Hill Museum Planning
8:30 AM 9:00 AM Newspaper Survey - Salina Journal
9:30 AM 10:00 AM Surveying - Wal-Mart
10:30 AM 11:30 AM Community Artists #1
11:45 AM 1:00 PM Non Steering Committee A&H Commissioners
1:15 PM 2:00 PM Debrief - John H., Kathy B.
2:15 PM 2:30 PM Leadership Salina - Intro
2:40 PM 3:30 PM Philips Lighting Tour
3:45 PM 4:45 PM Former H. D. Lee Mill Tour
5:00 PM 6:00 PM Community Artists #2
Project Facilitation Team
A reminder of the credentials of the Project Facilitation Team, led by Diane L. Mataraza, Cocoa,
FL. Ms. Mataraza provides management and planning counsel to not-for-profit and local
government arts and cultures agencies across the country. Her work experience ranges from
program management at the National Endowment for the Arts to executive directorship of The
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Foundation (the Grammy Awards), The
Alliance of New York State Arts Councils, and the Dutchess County Arts Council. Past clients
include Americans for the Arts, Village of Arts and Humanities (Philadelphia) and California Arts
Council. Cultural planning clients include agencies in Richmond, VA, Viera, FL, Columbus, OH
and a consortium of west Phoenix municipalities.
Project collaborators include Surale E. Phillips of Decision Support Partners, Inc., a research and
planning company in Bozeman, MT. Ms. Phillips specializes in qualitative and quantitative
research, collaborative and individual market studies, who will analyze databases and survey
results. Her market research work includes studies in Kansas City, Milwaukee and Fresno.
Nicholas S. Walsh, Casselberry, FL, will do write and lay out the final report in collaboration with
Ms. Mataraza.
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MONDAY'S MEETING
1. Enclosed are other items on the agenda. If any Commissioner has questions or cannot attend
the meeting, please contact me.
2. The study session will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the Joint City-County Quarterly meeting, followed
by North Ohio Pond discussion. An agenda is attached.
Jason A. Gage
City Manager