MINUTES OF THE meeting

of the

ASSEMBLY Committee on Ways and Means

 

Seventy-First Session

February 9, 2001

 

 

The Committee on Ways and Meanswas called to order at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, February 9, 2001.  Chairman Morse Arberry Jr. presided in Room 3137 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada.  Exhibit A is the Agenda.  Exhibit B is the Guest List.  All exhibits are available and on file at the Research Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

 

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Mr.                     Morse Arberry Jr., Chairman

Ms.                     Chris Giunchigliani, Vice Chairwoman

Mr.                     Bob Beers

Mrs.                     Barbara Cegavske

Mrs.                     Vonne Chowning

Mrs.                     Marcia de Braga

Mr.                     Joseph Dini, Jr.

Mr.                     David Goldwater

Mr.                     Lynn Hettrick

Ms.                     Sheila Leslie

Mr.                     John Marvel

Mr.                     David Parks

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:

 

Mr.                     Richard D. Perkins (Excused)

Ms.                     Sandra Tiffany (Excused)

 

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Mark Stevens, Fiscal Analyst

Steve Abba, Principal Deputy Fiscal Analyst

Connie Davis, Committee Secretary

 

CULTURAL AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION (101-2892)– BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-1

 

The Chairman recognized Michael D. Hillerby, Director of the Department of Museums, Library, and Arts.

 

During his budget presentation, Mr. Hillerby discussed a recommendation that resulted from the Governor’s Fundamental Review process that changed the department’s name to the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs.  The new name was included in The Executive Budget so that it would be correct, pending legislative approval, for the next biennium.  Mr. Hillerby introduced Scott Sisco, Administrative Services Officer, who participated in the budget presentations.

 

Mr. Hillerby addressed the Governor’s Fundamental Review process, and advised the members of the committee that the process had included a thorough review of the department and had involved all the employees as well as the nine different boards and commissions of the department.  Mr. Hillerby acknowledged that the support and assistance received from the various boards and commissions were an important part of the public input process.  

 

Mr. Hillerby discussed other recommendations that had come out of the Governor’s Fundamental Review, and said the department was looking at ways to try to make their services more relevant to the communities being served. 

 

Mr. Hillerby moved next to the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Budget Presentation book (Exhibit C), and pointed out the organizational chart on page 3 that outlined the department’s different units, however, the chart did not include the boards and commissions. 

 

On the following page, Mr. Hillerby discussed the chart that illustrated the department’s funding by source for the 2001-2003 Executive Budget.  He addressed the funding sources and advised that the department was funded by 67 percent General Fund, 12 percent federal funds and 21 percent other funds which included tourism funds, admission fees, services fees, interest and trust funds, and member fees and agency transfers.  A summary of each of the budgets was also included in the book, and Mr. Hillerby pointed out seven items under Maintenance and Enhancement, which he indicated he would address as the hearing progressed. 

 

He stated that charts on the following pages illustrated the department’s total expenditure across the biennium by program and agency, the 0.53 percent of the budget allotted for the department and the fact that 4,161,730 people were served by the department.  Mr. Hillerby indicated that the number of people served by the department was being tracked as part of the workload performance measurements.  He clarified that the numbers did not include all the people that came through buildings and projects funded by the Commission for Cultural Affairs, the Arts and Education Program, or many of the outreach and other activities that occurred in schools, or the people who might interact through a Web site, or see television shows produced as part of the Public Information Program on cable access around Nevada and parts of California.  Mr. Hillerby expressed his satisfaction with the "impressive number" of people being served for the size of the department’s budget.

 

CULTURAL AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION, (101-2892), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-1

 

Mr. Hillerby gave his presentation of Budget Account 2892 and discussed the following sections under Exhibit C, Expanded Program Narrative.  Mr. Hillerby also pointed out the organizational chart that illustrated a proposed position for a Personnel Analyst beginning October 2001.

 

• Section 1 – Statutory Mandate, addressed the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) that covered the department and described the major functions of the programs within the budget account.

 

• Section 2 – Description of Major Functions of Programs Within the Budget Account, addressed the administration of the department.  Mr. Hillerby indicated that the director’s office was responsible for the general operations of the department and submission of its budget.  Mr. Hillerby further advised that the director oversaw the four divisions of the department and had statutory control and responsibility for the facilities, property, planning, and development of new facilities.  Also included in the director’s responsibility was an obligation to utilize personnel correctly, safeguard tax dollars and to ensure that the department ran smoothly.

 

• Section 3 – Public Purpose/Critical Need, Mr. Hillerby briefly discussed the department’s Public Information Program.  He stated the department’s one staff person covered public information needs across the department and included use of the Web site, e-mail, press releases and the growing market of public access television which was broadcast to about 800,000 households across Nevada and parts of California.

 

• Section 4 – Adjusted Base Budget, Mr. Hillerby pointed out that the budget request included the maintenance costs associated with the existing five full‑time equivalents (FTEs) for the director’s office.  It was also pointed out that the base had been adjusted for new leased office space for the director’s office, across the street from the Nevada State Museum.

 

• Section 5 – Maintenance decision units (Excluding M100s and M300s), Mr. Hillerby discussed the decision unit M200 request for a personnel analyst.  With no personnel analyst to serve the department's needs, it was pointed out that Scott Sisco, and the four administrative officers in each of the four divisions, in addition to their other duties, currently filled the personnel analyst role.  In justifying the department’s request, Mr. Hillerby pointed out that human resources and employment law required expertise.  Approval of the requested position would help ensure resolving personnel problems before those problems escalated into court cases.

 

• Section 6 – Enhancement decision units, E275 Department Training, Mr. Hillerby discussed the per capita request for training funds of $17,000 per year or approximately $100 per staff member, which was in accordance with the Governor’s goals for employee training.  According to Mr. Hillerby, a system was envisioned where an employee, or a group of employees, came forward to discuss their training needs, competed for training funds, and determined how the funds would be used.  It was anticipated that training funds would be awarded on a competitive basis throughout the department. 

 

Under the E-350 Video Production decision unit, Mr. Hillerby explained that the appropriation, using tourism funds, funded an enhanced television and radio production effort as part of the department’s Public Information Program.  Mr. Hillerby further indicated the television and radio production effort was important in making the public aware of events and activities within the department as well as attracting members of the public to those events.  Additionally, he advised that access to cultural activities through television and media production would be available for those without the ability to travel to department’s facilities.

 

The Enhancement decision unit E900 office transfer did not involve a change in funding.  In reference to the office move discussed at the beginning of the hearing, Mr. Hillerby explained that the transfer decision unit provided for moving utility and building maintenance costs from the Department of Cultural Affairs director’s budget to the Division of Museums and History administrator’s budget.  Mr. Hillerby indicated a more detailed explanation concerning the E900 office transfer would take place when the budget category was discussed.

 

When the performance measurements under Section 7 of the Expanded Program Narrative were discussed, Mr. Hillerby noted that as a part of the Fundamental Review Process, the department had been encouraged to review workload statistics and determine which ones made sense and which ones did not.  After their review, and the suggested changes were made to their budget accounts, the department inadvertently made an error in The Executive Budget on some of the figures reported for FY2000-01.  Mr. Hillerby extended his apologies for the error and indicated the figures had been corrected in the department’s handout, Exhibit C.

 

Under Section 10 – One-Shot Requests, Mr. Hillerby explained that the one-shot requests included a department-wide request of $153,309 for upgraded computer software and equipment.  Mr. Hillerby indicated a conservative replacement and upgrade schedule had been used in determining the request, and he pointed out that the one-shot requests contained line item detail across each of the budget accounts concerning where the $153,000 would be spent (tab in Exhibit C titled One-Shot Requests). 

 

Mr. Hillerby commented that the pink sheets, seen throughout the department’s handout (Exhibit C), were supplemental appropriation requests for utilities.  While the amounts requested were small, Mr. Hillerby advised that changing energy prices could affect the amount requested.  At some point, Mr. Hillerby advised that the Budget Division staff would come before the committee to discuss the supplemental requests.

 

Mr. Hillerby extended his appreciation to the staff of the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Budget Division staff, and the Assembly and Senate fiscal staff for their assistance with the Expanded Program Narrative. 

 

Ms. Giunchigliani questioned the 97 percent funding of the public information officer out of the tourism funds and the fact that there was no change seen for a salary increase.  Mr. Hillerby clarified that the actual tourism transfer had been a fixed amount for several years while the other 3 percent would be budgeted out of the General Fund. 

 

Ms. Giunchigliani requested that Mr. Hillerby address the department’s measurement indicators and the additional $40,000 requested for radio and television production.  Mr. Hillerby responded that the department produced television shows in-house and used existing funding; the shows were on stations across Nevada and northern California where it had been determined a tourism base existed.  Mr. Hillerby addressed the fact that one of the challenges of cable access television was that the stations were on "not-for‑profit networks" and, therefore, ratings would not be conducted.  Noting that there were 800,000 households in the tourism market, Mr. Hillerby said the numbers were considered "anecdotal" in terms of people calling and discussing what they had seen.  Mr. Hillerby used a recent example and related that during a television show, Bob Nyland, the State Museum's History Curator, held up an older item and challenged people to call in to identify the object and win tickets to the State Museum.  The following morning the phone rang and the object was identified as a pot scrubber from the 1940s. 

 

Mr. Hillerby discussed the department's problem in attempting to accurately measure outcome-related data as opposed to workload statistics.  He indicated the department could provide information on statistics concerning the number of press releases written and how many of those press releases resulted in articles; the number of television shows produced, and the number of people that had gone through Museum doors, Mr. Hillerby discussed the difficulties involved in measuring outcomes.  He questioned, for example, how the impact of a student on a school tour of the Museum, whose interest might spark a future career as an anthropologist, could be determined and measured.  While he indicated the need for performance indicators in terms of quantities was clear, Mr. Hillerby emphasized the importance of focusing on measuring the quality of the department's operations and, again, the difficulties in doing so.  Mr. Hillerby discussed the "science and art" involved in determining outcome measurements and pointed out there were standards used to measure outcomes and that certain knowledge, skills and abilities were required by the people conducting those evaluations.  He added that the same situation held true for the Division of State Library and the Archives and Records.  Mr. Hillerby questioned how it could be determined, for example, "that fifty or a hundred years from now the fact that a document was saved and was on file in the East Ely Railroad Museum allowed the descendents of a Japanese-American to be entitled to reparations for things that happened in World II."  Mr. Hillerby advised that while art and skill went into measuring long-term outcomes, the way in which long‑term outcomes were measured was difficult and a process at which the department would continue to work.

 

Ms. Giunchigliani asked Mr. Hillerby to elaborate on how the $40,000 requested for expanded promotional activities using radio and television production would be used.  Mr. Hillerby advised that the department would like to contract for the video and radio production work in order to keep the public information officer "in‑house" and working across all the divisions.

 

Mrs. Chowning expressed agreement that all of the arts needed to be more available to the general public.  She indicated that southern Nevada had no community access channel and emphasized the need for more programs that could be brought closer to those who could not afford cable television.  Additionally Mrs. Chowning requested numbers that would measure the success of the expanded program.  Mr. Hillerby agreed to provide the numbers requested by Mrs. Chowning. 

 

After the discussion on Las Vegas, Mr. Hillerby took the opportunity to commend Bob Stoldal, who was described as a loyal supporter and Chairman of the Board of Museums and History.  Mr. Hillerby indicated that Mr. Stoldal also ran Las Vegas One, which aired the department's television show.

 

Mr. Hillerby called attention to the Nevada History CD ROM that had been a department-wide project, and indicated the CD would be shown at the conclusion of the hearing. 

 

Chairman Arberry discussed the $9,000 appropriation contained in each year of the base budget and the one‑shot appropriation for support of the Nevada Humanities Committee and asked Mr. Hillerby to address how the $9,000 appropriation would be utilized in each year of the biennium. 

 

Mr. Hillerby responded that the $9,000 appropriation had been a long-standing budget line item for support of the Nevada Humanities Committee.  He reported that the one‑shot request for $200,000 was not part of the department's budget request but was recommended by the Governor for support of the Nevada Humanities Committee's southern Nevada office.  He indicated that while the Humanities Committee was a sister agency and would be appearing before the committee to present their own budget, Mr. Hillerby advised that funding would be used to support the Nevada Humanities Committee's activities in southern Nevada.  Mr. Hillerby indicated that the Nevada Humanities Committee had one staff person, and a Southern Nevada Chautauqua, which was an expansion of the Chautauqua Program in northern Nevada.  According to Mr. Hillerby, the Nevada Humanities Committee had also expanded their children's Chautauqua Program in southern Nevada.  Mr. Hillerby indicated he would provide the committee with additional information concerning the appropriation for the Nevada Humanities Committee.

 

NEVADA ARTS COUNCIL, BUDGET ACCOUNT 2979, BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-61

 

Susan Boskoff, Executive Director, of the Nevada Arts Council identified herself for the record.

 

Ms. Boskoff reported that the Nevada Arts Council was divided into six programs in order to serve Nevada citizens.  Beginning with the Grants Program, Ms. Boskoff advised that the program offered matching grants to non-profit organizations, public institutions, schools, and artists throughout the state in providing access to a variety of art experiences.  While one grant could be as little as 2 percent of a project's total budget, Ms. Boskoff indicated the significance of those dollars reached beyond their actual value and served as a catalyst for other public and private support.  Ms. Boskoff pointed out that in FY2000, 155 matching awards that totaled $829,174 were made to programs with a total budget of $19,748,000, and those programs served 2,155,262 Nevadans and tourists.  Ms. Boskoff added that grants were awarded to "a wide variety of recipients, from Nevada Ballet Theatre to the Reno Police Department, and to a wide variety of projects from literary publications to community cultural planning, and ranged from $400 to $30,000." 

 

Ms. Boskoff then moved to the Arts and Education Program and provided information that the program supported the goal of lifelong learning in the arts by promoting and expanding quality arts education opportunities for all Nevadans.  Ms. Boskoff further reported that in FY2000, the Artist in Residence Program had awarded $36,400 in matching grants to sponsor 38 residencies that totaled 576 days in 23 schools.  Henderson and Clark County Departments of Parks and Recreation, Wells Family Resource Center and the Boys and Girls Club in Yerington also received Artist in Residence grants.  Ms. Boskoff explained that during those residencies, more than 8,000 students had experienced hands-on art activities in dance, theatre, visual arts, and creative writing.  Another $47,000 in matching grants, to enhance professional skills and to support special arts education projects, was awarded to 10 schools and 10 arts organizations in 7 counties, and 14 educators from 4 school districts.

 

In reference to the Arts License Plate, Ms. Boskoff expressed her pleasure in the release of the Arts License Plate and extended her appreciation to Mrs. Chowning for her patience.  Ms. Boskoff reported that funds from the sale of the plate, projected at about $10,000 to $12,000 a year, would support additional artist residencies and special project grants.  She reported that a portion of the funds would also support activities of Very Special Arts of Nevada, a nonprofit organization that provided arts programming to the state's disabled population.  Art projects created by Washoe County school children, under the Very Special Arts organization, were passed around to the committee.

 

The next topic discussed was the Artists Services Program.  Ms. Boskoff indicated the program was created in 1996 to serve the state's growing population of artists in all disciplines and career stages.  Ms. Boskoff explained that the Artists Services Program managed Tumblewords, a statewide initiative that placed writers in communities where opportunities to explore the literary arts were limited.  During the year 2000, the Arts Council sponsored 31 Tumblewords' activities in Battle Mountain, Eureka, Fallon, and Baker.  Ms. Boskoff explained that the Artists Fellowship Program awarded fellowships to two artists each in Performing, Visual, and Literary Arts.  Additionally, Ms. Boskoff advised that during FY2000, 262 applications for Artists Fellowships had been processed.  Ms. Boskoff noted that the program also administered the Legislative Exhibition Series in the Legislative Building.  Currently in its ninth season, Ms. Boskoff indicated this year's exhibit featured Susan Church from Elko, Nolan Preece from Reno, and the Pahrump Potters.  A traveling exhibition show, curated from the Legislative Exhibition Series, had completed two years of touring and the second exhibition, "Night," was projected to travel the state during the current biennium.

 

The next program discussed was Community Arts Development Program.  Ms. Boskoff pointed out that the program supported the traditional and folk arts and artists throughout the state.  Ms. Boskoff advised that the program staff in the Carson City and Las Vegas offices provided specialized technical assistance, activities workshops, site visits, and grant opportunities.  The staff had visited 29 community arts organizations in 45 extended site visits during FY2000.  The program also administered the annual statewide arts conference, the Arts Town Meetings, produced the Arts Council's quarterly newsletter, staffed the Las Vegas office and operated the Salary Assistance Program, which provided organizational stability for local arts councils through matched funding of salaried leadership positions.  The Salary Assistance Program currently assisted Moapa Valley Arts Council, Wells Presenters, and Lincoln County Arts Council. 

 

During her presentation of the Folk Arts Program, Ms. Boskoff pointed out that the program supported the traditional folk arts and artists throughout the state through a variety of programs and projects.  Ms. Boskoff reported that the Folk Arts Apprenticeship was the flagship component through which master traditional artists passed their skills on to new artists in an effort to preserve traditional arts of Nevada's ethnic, tribal, occupational, regional and religious cultural groups.  Ms. Boskoff explained that the Folk Arts Program was one of the few state programs that honored, recognized, and helped to preserve Nevada's multi-cultural heritage.  The work of three participating folk artists was passed around to the committee.  Included were baskets by Joey Lavadour, who was raised on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon, and currently a resident of Reno; Ukrainian Pysanky or decorated egg creations by Zoria Zetaruk and Luba Eads of Las Vegas; and paper cutting or Wycinanki creations by Barbara Glinkski.  Additionally, Ms. Boskoff pointed out that the Folk Arts Program had co-sponsored the Sierra Folk Life Festival in Reno and the Las Vegas Folk Life Festival, produced publications, and in FY2000 restarted an education program that provided workshops, presentations, and slide shows for 25 Washoe County schools.

 

Ms. Boskoff discussed other agency highlights that included the combination of the Arts Awards and Humanities Awards; programs into the Governor's Millennium Awards in the Arts & Humanities; the co-sponsorship of the Korean American Cultural Exchange in Carson City; and the Economic Impact Survey of the Arts in Nevada, which Ms. Boskoff indicated she would distribute after the meeting.  Ms. Boskoff discussed the grants received by the Arts Council from the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Forest Service to oversee the Wild Horses of the Great Basin project.  It was pointed out that, through the grant, Fallon artist, Paula Morin, documented mustang herds throughout Nevada and interviewed Nevadans who worked with wild horses.  The exhibit was featured in a number of venues throughout the country.

 

Mrs. Chowning disclosed she was a volunteer board member of Very Special Arts Nevada, which provided art-related opportunities for disabled Nevada citizens, and expressed her concern over whether federal funds were projected to increase or decrease and requested that Ms. Boskoff comment.  Secondly, Mrs. Chowning also requested that Ms. Boskoff comment on the Las Vegas position authorized during the 1999 Legislative Session.

 

Ms. Boskoff responded that the National Endowment for the Arts received additional funding from Congress and each state art agency had been permitted to apply for additional funds.  According to Ms. Boskoff, the funding, in the amount of $40,000, was exclusively limited to new projects and could not be used for existing grant programs or activities.  While the National Endowment for the Arts had not yet responded to the application, Ms. Boskoff said the projects that had been proposed included an additional grants category for at-risk youth projects around the state and also for a performing arts touring program to take Nevada artists to the rural communities and to under-served populations.

 

Mrs. Chowning inquired as to whether the programs would continue if federal funds were not received.  Ms. Boskoff responded it was anticipated the funds would be received and clarified the programs were new initiatives for at-risk youth and the performing arts touring program. 

 

Ms. Boskoff responded to the question that concerned the position in the Las Vegas office, and advised that the employee who had initially been placed in the position had been hired away by the city of Las Vegas.  The position, Ms. Boskoff noted, was currently vacant as the last person hired had not made it through the probationary period; however, she said staff from the Carson City office and a half‑time employee regularly used the office.  Ms. Boskoff indicated it had been determined that the office, located in the Arts Factory in downtown Las Vegas, was difficult to maintain because there were so many phone calls and so many people that dropped in.  Ms. Boskoff advised the members of the committee that the vacant folk arts associate position would be opened either for the Carson City or Las Vegas office, however, the agency preferred to place the employee in Las Vegas since that was where services were needed. 

 

Chairman Arberry addressed the Nevada Arts Council anticipated growth of 2,600,000 in FY2002 and 2,766,800 in FY2003, and questioned how the number of people who viewed or took part in its sponsored cultural activities was determined.  Ms. Boskoff responded that the Arts Council's cultural activities were sponsored through the Grants Program and that workload statistics demonstrated the number of people who attended activities sponsored by the grantees.  Ms. Boskoff advised that fairly consistent growth had occurred during the past seven years going from about one million participants to over two million.  Ms. Boskoff explained the figures were calculated from an extensive final descriptive report submitted by the Arts Council to the National Endowment for the Arts.  The report consisted of about 60 pages of statistics, and grantees were required to identify the number of people who had participated in their activities including audience members broken down by ethnicity, as well as the number of students and artists who had participated.  Grantees were also required to submit figures for "their in-kind services and matching dollars."  Ms. Boskoff expressed confidence in the number of participants since the actual figures were from the grantees' final reports.

 

In response to a question concerning the Arts Council's enhancement request, which was a continuation of the funding appropriated during the 1999 Legislative Session, Ms. Boskoff clarified that the $75,000 allowed the agency to return to the pre-fiscal year 1988 level of $30,000 as the highest grant award in their grants category for organizations that had budgets over $750,000.  For FY2001, Ms. Boskoff indicated there were 9 organizations with budgets for more than $800,000, 5 of which had budgets over $1,000,000.  Ms. Boskoff anticipated there would be 11 or 12 organizations that would apply in this category, 9 of which would have budgets of more than $1,000,000, indicating that the Arts Council would be reaching a much larger base of public, tourists and citizens.

 

Mrs. Chowning addressed the projected reduction of the number of K-12 student participants expected to take part in arts and education programs for FY2002, and requested an explanation.  Additionally, Mrs. Chowning inquired as to whether the proceeds from sales of the Arts License Plates slated for arts education for children would boost K-12 participation in FY2002.

 

Ms. Boskoff recalled that the number of students, 540,580 projected to take part in programs, was high because of certain projects funded through the Arts and Education Grants Program, and that the figures were contingent on the activities that the grantees provided to the communities with several having had large outreach activities.  Ms. Boskoff also recalled that it was determined the projections should be reduced rather than remain at the higher level.  However, Ms. Boskoff indicated she would review how the projections were determined and provide additional information to the members of the committee.

 

Chairman Arberry addressed the $150,000 appropriated to the Arts Council for support of the grant programs during the 1999 legislature and asked Ms. Boskoff to highlight utilization of the funds.  Ms. Boskoff explained that the $150,000 was appropriated for the biennium and that the Arts Council had placed $75,000 into the FY2000 and FY2001 grants program to create "a fifth level of funding" in the grants category for grantees with budgets of more than $750,000. 

 

Ms. Leslie discussed the number of letters she had received from grantees who had received funding and asked Ms. Boskoff to describe the general response from members of the arts community concerning the extra money.  Ms. Boskoff replied that the role of the state's art agency was to nurture and assist in stabilization of emerging artists, organizations, and major arts institutions with grants of $30,000.  Ms. Boskoff advised that the grants were considered partnership grants, and were now titled Partnerships In Excellence Grants and indicated the grants had tiers.  The second tier allowed stabilized organizations with budgets of more than $100,000 and paid professional staff to apply to the Arts Council every two years for two-year grants.  Ms. Boskoff advised that the "fifth level of funding" was provided to the largest organizations, including the Nevada Ballet Theatre, Children's Theatre, Western Folk Life Center, Nevada Museum of Art, the Reno Philharmonic, Reno Opera Company, and the new grantees in this category were the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Sierra Arts and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.  Additionally, Ms. Boskoff advised that city of Las Vegas and the Clark County Cultural Affairs Division, who provided services similar to arts organizations, had been placed in this category also.  In conclusion, Ms. Boskoff advised that more programs affected a larger number of people and it was the intent of the Arts Council to reach as many people in the rural and urban communities as possible.

 

Chairman Arberry inquired as to whether it was anticipated that federal funding would be increased over the 2001-02 biennium.  Ms. Boskoff replied that additional funding from the National Endowment to the Arts was included in their new initiative, Challenge America.  The funding provided was for new populations and Ms. Boskoff advised that two new initiatives, the Performing Arts Touring Program for the rural communities, and a grants program for at-risk children had been proposed.  Further, Ms. Boskoff advised that applications had increased to all of the grants programs and that approximately 600 grants totaling more than $1,000,000 had been distributed during the year 2000, and it was anticipated that grant applications would increase in 2001.

 

In response to a question from Chairman Arberry, Ms. Boskoff advised that notification of receipt of federal dollars was typically received at the end of June or beginning of July.

 

In response to an additional question from Chairman Arberry, Ms. Boskoff advised that the $62,000 from the Commission on Tourism was recommended to continue in both years of the biennium and had been an ongoing source of funding for the past nine years.  Ms. Boskoff indicated the funding was placed into the grants program and would be distributed to major organizations and art groups in the rural areas for grantees whose activities attracted visitors to the state.

 

Having concluded her testimony, Ms. Boskoff extended her thanks to the members of the committee for their support.

 

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE – (101-4205), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-36

 

Mr. Hillerby introduced Ron James, the State Historic Preservation Officer, and advised the committee that the last three tabs in the department's handout, (Exhibit C) contained detailed information on the one-shot requests, the use of tourism funds, and additional back-up information.

 

Ron James, the State Historic Preservation Officer, identified himself for the record and advised the members of the committee a minor error had occurred in The Executive Budget on pages 37 and 39 for Budget Account 4205.  The error had been corrected and the corrected pages (Exhibit D) were distributed to the members of the committee.

 

Before he began his presentation, Mr. James expressed his gratitude to the members of the committee for their previous support and with their continued support promised to provide "an even bigger product in the next biennium."

 

Mr. James said the Historic Preservation Office achieved a number of accomplishments over the last biennium, and had pursued all of their programs.  He described the excavation of the Boston Saloon, an African‑American archaeological site in Virginia City, as an "extraordinary success."  The excavation had been covered by national and international media television that included CNN, BBC, and Dan Rather.  Mr. James provided a brochure titled "The Boston Saloon: An African American Past in the Wild West" (Exhibit E) that had been handed out to thousands of tourists in Virginia City during the summer.  Mr. James further advised that a short video on the excavation of the site would be aired on both public‑broadcasting stations and on Bob Stoldal's station, Las Vegas One, in Las Vegas, and it was anticipated that the video would reach a large audience.

 

Mr. James discussed the National Endowment for the Humanities grant that had been awarded to the state for a larger display program.  Mr. James indicated there had been interest across the nation to house the Boston Saloon exhibit, and he said the exhibit would generate good public relations for the state as well as for the agency.  It was anticipated that ultimately the story of the Boston Saloon would "communicate an aspect of the state's diversity that had not always been the focus point of understanding the state's past." 

 

Mr. James also provided the committee members a copy of "A Guidebook to Nevada's Historical Markers" (Exhibit F), and said that additional copies would be provided upon request.  He pointed out that the introduction to the pamphlet was a "carefully-crafted" history of Nevada intended to be sent to thousands of fourth graders across the nation.  Mr. James discussed the difficulty in quantifying how the introduction might "realize tourists for the future" but he was of the opinion the result would be a positive one.

 

Mrs. Chowning addressed the agency's performance indicators and noted that restoration of 62 historic markers had been completed in FY2000.  Mrs. Chowning questioned why it was anticipated that only 30 markers would be restored during each year of the coming biennium.

 

Mr. James responded that the agency began restoration on the markers that were closest to urban areas and as work progressed to more remote locations, the cost per marker for rehabilitation increased.  Mr. James discussed the agency's attempt to drive the costs of restoration down with the assistance of volunteers and public donations, which he indicated had been fairly successful.  It was anticipated that the state's historical markers would be placed on a five‑year rehabilitation schedule in order to avert the reoccurrence of a funding problem.  While Mr. James indicated that he believed most of the historic markers were in good shape, he advised the members of the committee to contact his office if they learned of any markers that needed restoration.  Mr. James said, however, that restoration of a marker did not prevent vandals from using the same marker for target practice the following day.  Additionally, Mr. James pointed out that the Historic Preservation Office would replace the rehabilitation program with a higher priority of new markers and indicated that the members of the committee should contact him if they had any ideas for new markers in either their district or throughout the state.  Mr. James expressed his appreciation to the members of the committee for their support, and acknowledged the funding received from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Department of Tourism.

 

Mr. James responded to a question from Chairwoman Giunchigliani, and explained that the $19,950 transfer from the Department of Transportation for the Historic Marker Program had inadvertently been omitted in The Executive Budget; however, the transfer was included in the totals. 

 

Chairwoman Giunchigliani questioned whether the agency anticipated increased federal funding due to census projections.  Mr. James responded that he had worked with the National Park Service over the past decade to revamp the Historic Preservation Fund formula.  He provided a brief history for the committee, and explained that because Nevada was the last Historic Preservation Office created in 1977, other states had a better advantage in the allocation formula.  With assistance from Nevada's congressional delegation, Mr. James indicated an adjustment to federal funding beginning in 2002 was anticipated.

 

Mr. James responded to an additional question from Chairwoman Giunchigliani on whether the federal funding would be reflected in the budget.  Mr. James advised that the agency had received an augmentation to the federal formula for the current year, and a work program would be presented to the Interim Finance committee.  Mr. James pointed out that the new level of funding reflected a dramatic change from Nevada's previous ranking from fiftieth to the high thirties.  As growth occurred, Mr. James indicated that Nevada would receive a "disproportionate" amount of funding that would place the state in a good position to take advantage of future growth.

 

Chairwoman Giunchigliani noted that her neighborhood association would be contacting the State Historic Preservation Office to look at the historic preservation issue.  In response to Chairwoman Giunchigliani, Mr. James indicated a grant application had been received from Las Vegas for video promotion and planning with regard to preservation.  However, Mr. James advised that because of a new initiative of doing a survey outside of Las Vegas High School, he suggested that the Local Architectural Review Commission augment their application with additional funding, and he anticipated the request would be honored.

 

 

COMSTOCK HISTORIC DISTRICT – (101-4205), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-33

 

Mr. James next presented the Comstock Historic District Commission's budget.  Mr. James described the commission's major functions and explained the nine‑member commission reviewed architectural changes within the Comstock historic district, which was one of the leading cultural historic resources that attracted tourism to northern Nevada.  The commission had two years of "rigorous architectural review" and had taken on a new initiative to address conditions of the local cemeteries.  Additionally, it was reported the commission played a vital role in providing logistical support to the staff and volunteers working on the Boston Saloon excavation.

 

Mr. James responded to a question from Chairwoman Giunchigliani and discussed the state's thousands of archaeological sites, which he noted were sometimes vandalized and also were subject to development.  Mr. James addressed private property issues, and discussed a current major excavation on private property in Gold Hill in which the state could not be involved.  Mr. James pointed out that the agency tried to keep ahead of problems on private property and noted that the Boston Saloon was on private property, located behind the Bucket of Blood Saloon.  Mr. James held up artifacts from the Boston Saloon excavation, which had appeared in a three-page spread in Dig Magazine as well as a number of other magazines.  Among the artifacts shown to the committee members was a queens-head pipe, discovered on a day when members of several scouting troops had volunteered to work on the dig, and a toothpowder can that was illustrated with a picture of Queen Victoria.  Mr. James expressed his appreciation to the members of the committee for their past funding support and said it was the intention of the agency, through the exhibits and other programs of the Comstock Historic District Commission and the Office of Historic Preservation, to reach even more people.

 

In response to a question from Chairwoman Giunchigliani regarding an incident in Dayton, Mr. James indicated the Dayton situation had been unfortunate and had occurred at a time when staff of 1.5 had resigned from the commission.  Mr. James explained that a private property owner, in refurbishing his private property for a sesquicentennial celebration in Dayton, painted over a sign he considered of no significance.  The gentleman's neighbors were of a different opinion and went to the Comstock Historic Commission who decided, in favor of overwhelming public appeal, to have the sign repainted.  The property owner did not want to repaint the sign and the commission was forced to take him to court.  In the process of going to court, a resolution to the problem was reached by the property owner, the neighbors, and the commission to have the sign repainted.  However, the property owner "pulled out of the agreement" and declined participation.  By the time the court decision was made to repaint the sign, the donations to restore the sign had disappeared and the cost would have been placed on the property owner.  While the commission worked to prevent situations of this nature, Mr. James pointed out there were 14,000 acres and "independent-minded citizens" who had a right to do as they liked. 

 

Assemblyman Beers discussed an unsuccessful attempt he made to locate the Sutro Tunnel and questioned whether the site was anticipated to become an area that could be visited by the public.  Mr. James described the Sutro Tunnel as a project that had been designed by Adolph Sutro to deal with some of the dangers and water problems within the Comstock Mines.  The Sutro Tunnel, Mr. James explained, was a three and a half mile tunnel built at a steady 1.5-degree rise that intersected with the Comstock Mines at the 1,600-foot level and passively drained the mines at that level.  It was anticipated that negotiations with the owner of the property concerning public access would be ongoing.

 

In reference to a question from Mrs. de Braga concerning Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, Mr. James responded that there were no federal or state statutes that required architectural review for private property owners.  He added, however, there was an exception when federal funds, permits, or federal tax credits were involved.  For the most part, Mr. James indicated that private property owners were free to do what they wanted with their historic resources.  The Comstock Historic District, however, provided assistance when requested, although Mr. James noted that their advice was often ignored.  Mr. James used an example of placing a large elevator on the front of Monticello and discussed the ADA philosophy that the purpose of an historic resource was defeated by making it so accessible to all individuals that nobody would want to see it.  It was Mr. James' experience that there was a "great deal of interest in providing fair and reasonable access" to historic structures.  Mr. James explained, however, that when the Comstock Historic District reviewed structures, especially with ADA in mind, compromises were made.

 

In response to Mrs. de Braga's view that it appeared as though excuses were being used to find a way to not comply, Mr. James indicated his willingness to discuss the matter further and to look into any specific cases she knew of.  Mr. James added that the caveat was there and could be exploited, and recalled Storey County's need to have an elevator in the second oldest courthouse in the state.  After analyzing the problem and considering the cost, Storey County paid the cost to have an elevator installed.  The elevator provided access to the second floor and was designed with glass doors so that visitors could view the old jail cells and have access to the courtroom.  Mr. James indicated he encouraged any local government or historic building owner to consider an imaginative application of the ADA to make their structures accessible to all individuals.

 

NEVADA STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES (101-2891), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-40

 

Mr. Michael Hillerby identified himself for the record as the Acting Administrator for the Division of State Library and Archives and the State Librarian.  Mr. Hillerby announced a new State Librarian, Sara Jones, formerly of the Elko, Eureka, Lander County Library System, had been hired and would begin her employment in March 2001. 

 

Mr. Hillerby began his presentation with a description of the major functions of the programs within the budget.  Mr. Hillerby advised that "State Library Services had the responsibility of identifying, evaluating, selection, acquisition, and organization of published materials to provide free and open access to all."  Library Planning and Development was "responsible for providing, consulting, literacy services, library advocacy, planning, training, monitoring, reporting and federal funds oversight services for all libraries throughout Nevada."

 

Mr. Hillerby discussed the library's primary functional areas that encompassed the following and pointed out that the State Library and Archives served to provide "critical information needs for citizens and government agencies." 

 

• The Reference and Research area that responded to approximately 35,000 reference and Legislative Hotline queries each year;
• The Federal Publications Depository that specialized in federal publications of interest to Nevadans;
• The Nevada State and Local Government Publications area to which copies of government publications would be forwarded and distributed to public libraries;
• The Nevada State Data Center, which served as the lead agency that dealt with the U. S. Census Bureau and provided the State Demographer, Department of Taxation, local governments and state agencies with information about the census and its impact upon Nevada;
• The Interlibrary Loan Program;
• The Government Information Locator Service, (mandated by the Paperwork Production Act of 1995 to give citizens access to information about their government);
• The Legislative Hotline, previously discussed;
• Technical Services (cataloging, acquisitions, and serials);
• Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) (provided federal funds for the operation of State Library programs that assist public libraries with funding for programs to serve their constituency);
• The Regional Libraries for the Blind andPhysically Handicapped (located in Carson City and Las Vegas);
• The Nevada Literacy Coalition;
• Statewide Library Master Planning (included five-year statewide master plan for public libraries and planning components required by the LSTA and the Institute for Museum and Library Services on the federal level;
• The ADA Access Program.

 

Mr. Hillerby moved to the adjusted base budget and advised that there were no enhancement decision units.  Under one-shot requests, The Executive Budget included $1,200,000 for the Library Collection Development fund, which was used to support local libraries with pass‑through funds as provided under NRS 378.087.  The funding, based on population with a base allotment, and matched 50 percent of the collection budgets, would be distributed to every county and public library district around the state.  Mr. Hillerby indicated he believed this was the third biennium the one‑shot had been requested and recalled that it had always been approved in the past.  Also included in The Executive Budget was a one-shot request in the amount of $41,690 for new and replacement equipment that included a large-print copier to copy large maps, blueprints, etc., and a bookbinding machine.

 

In response to a question from Mr. Arberry concerning the increase in rents paid to Buildings and Grounds, Mr. Hillerby deferred to Don Hataway.

 

Don Hataway, of the State Budget Division, identified himself for the record and explained that increased costs for the department's building maintenance, utilities, payroll and cost‑of‑living were combined to a uniform rate.  Mr. Hataway pointed out that the Department of Cultural Affairs' budgets were not charged any differential, and the increased costs would be easier to review during presentation of the Buildings and Grounds' budget.

 

Mrs. Chowning expressed concern that reference transactions were below the anticipated projection and that book titles purchased had continued to decline and were projected to decline even further in the coming biennium.  Mrs. Chowning asked for an explanation concerning the reason no inflationary increases were recommended in The Executive Budget and wondered whether the library was about to enter a "paperless" period.

 

Mr. Hillerby provided assurance that the State Library was not "going paperless" and indicated it was "firmly believed" that access to printed information was still needed.  Mr. Hillerby pointed out that the budget was prepared under a directive for a "flat budget," and as a result, there were no inflationary increases for the purchase of new books and periodicals included. 

 

Mrs. Chowning asked Mr. Hillerby to comment on whether the department had requested an increase and, if so, what the amount of the increase should be.  Mr. Hillerby responded that an increase had not been included in the department's original budget request and indicated they would work with the Budget Office staff to provide the committee with the requested information. 

 

ARCHIVES AND RECORDS, (101-1052), BUDGET PAGE – CULTURAL-45

 

In his introductory remarks, Mr. Hillerby commented that while storage of the state's records was crucial, it was "a behind-the-scenes program."  He explained that Archives and Records' staff prepared records management and retention schedules for all state agencies and were called upon on a daily basis concerning record storage decisions, the impact of which was sometimes not realized until, for example, information needed to defend the state in a lawsuit was not available.

 

In a brief discussion of the major functions of the programs within the budget account, Mr. Hillerby explained the State Archives and Records preserved and provided access to more than 12,000,000 paper records and 7,300 rolls of microfilmed records dating back to 1851.  The records, Mr. Hillerby stated, provided access to information that concerned Nevada's territorial and statehood status as well as information on the government, family backgrounds, and communities.  Additionally, Mr. Hillerby indicated that the State Archives and Records was the repository for Nevada's Legislative, Supreme Court, and Executive Branches and their function was to make certain the state's records concerning the institutional memory of state government was preserved and available.

 

Mr. Hillerby referred to the area of Records Management and the State Records Center, and explained that the Records Management Program inventoried records of the Executive Branch agencies and prepared the retention and destruction schedule for those records, assisted state agencies in decisions concerning what the agencies needed to retain and for how long, and where the records would be stored, adding that the State Records Center provided storage space as well.

 

Mr. Hillerby indicated that while there were no maintenance or enhancement decision units, the budget included a one-shot request of $40,000 that provided the remainder of the money needed for the laboratory furnishings and equipment for conservation treatment of the state's archives and historical collections.  Mr. Hillerby explained the conservation laboratory was originally envisioned to be a part of the Nevada State Library and Archives and that the agency had $35,000 in outside grant funding that matched the one-shot funding.  Mr. Hillerby pointed out that the conservation laboratory would serve Archives and Records as well as other parts of the department that had "delicate and fragile paper, photos and other kinds of records."  Mr. Hillerby explained that many important documents that were not archival quality paper contained a lot of acid and as the documents aged, they became brittle and required preservation.

 

Additionally, Mr. Hillerby discussed the Capital Improvements Project (CIP) for a new records storage facility in southern Nevada, which had been requested and not approved because of limited funding.  A plan brought forward from Public Works and Budget was to remodel part of the Belrose office facility in Las Vegas to serve as a records center.  The remodel for the Belrose facility was placed in the CIP budget; however, staffing or operational expenses were not included.  It was Mr. Hillerby's understanding that the building would not be finished until the end of the coming biennium and it was Mr. Hillerby's intention that the department would return to the 2003 Legislative Session with a budget request for staff and operating expenses.  Justification for the new storage facility included the large number of state agencies in Las Vegas; the considerable expense in moving records to northern Nevada, which was not offset by the expensive off-site storage costs, as well as safety and retrieval requirements required for state records that might not be met in off-site storage. 

 

In response to a question from Ms. Giunchigliani concerning fire suppression in the remodeling project, Mr. Hillerby advised fire suppression was considered adequate for what was viewed as a temporary facility until a new one could be built at some point in the future.  Additionally, Mr. Hillerby advised a vault was included to be placed in the facility as a part of the project.  Mr. Hillerby responded to additional questions from Ms. Giunchigliani that concerned associated costs and advised that $23,000 had been placed in the CIP budget for the fire suppression system and the vault.  Ms. Giunchigliani indicated the $23,000 for the cost of the fire suppression system and the vault was not seen in the CIP project budget and requested additional information concerning those costs. 

 

Ms. Giunchigliani asked a question that concerned shelving.  Mr. Hillerby responded there had been a proposal to use some of the shelving out of the UNLV Library; however, the shelving was the wrong size and was not rated to hold the 450-pound capacity required for archiving records.  Mr. Hillerby added that the Budget Division supported the idea of the one-shot equipment request for the shelving to be presented at the beginning of the biennium in 2003.  Mr. Hillerby clarified that the reference to the length of time the remodeled facility would be used was "probably" two or three bienniums depending on availability of funding and when the agency could be placed on a CIP list for another facility.

 

In response to a question from Ms. Giunchigliani addressing the agency's original request, Mr. Hillerby advised staff had looked at building a new facility on the Sawyer property that would have included space for the library for the blind and physically handicapped.  The request, he advised, was not approved because of limited funding.

 

Mr. Hillerby responded to a question from Ms. Giunchigliani concerning the amount of the request and advised he was not able to recall the amount; however, he would provide that information to the committee. 

 

In reference to Ms. Giunchigliani's earlier question concerning fire suppression, Mr. Hillerby advised that funding in the CIP request included $23,500 for a "temperature controlled room."

 

Mrs. Chowning commended former Assemblyman Paul May from North Las Vegas who in 1965 had been a great supporter of and instrumental in the start‑up of the office of the State Archives and Records.  Mrs. Chowning expressed her concern that the performance indicators indicated the actual numbers for both collection growth and preservation were down.

 

Guy Rocha, Assistant Administrator for State Archives and Records, identified himself for the record and explained that the performance indicator figures represented the transfer of records from agencies.  Mr. Rocha discussed the difficulties involved with the present staffing level to ensure compliance by state agencies to identify and to transfer their records to Archives and Records.  While the transfer of a higher number of records had been anticipated, Mr. Rocha advised that records currently in the Records Center would be transferred to the archives upon reaching the retention period, which would increase the number of actual documents for archives.  Further, Mr. Rocha explained that the agency was generally more passive than proactive and that the "ebb and flow" of the transfer of records depended on a cooperative working relationship with the agencies and their application of record retention schedules.

 

Mr. Rocha responded to a question from Mrs. Chowning concerning the increase of actual numbers and pointed out that it was anticipated the new appointees to agency leadership positions would appreciate the importance of maintaining the institutional memory of an office as they looked for the records of their predecessors. 

 

Ms. Leslie discussed the Reno public access station's idea of creating a media and video archive center since much of the video broadcast on network and local televisions stations, such as local flood footage, was not saved.  Ms. Leslie questioned the availability of State Archives and Records to work with the communities that were trying to archive their own historical record.

 

Mr. Rocha responded affirmatively that assistance was provided in maintaining video documentation of the history of local communities through the State Historical Records Advisory Board and Archives and Records staff.  Mr. Rocha explained that while not proactive, Archives and Records' staff had the expertise to maintain video documentation and provided assistance by telephone, e-mail or on-site.  Mr. Rocha discussed the new challenges being faced by staff in dealing with the new digital medium in addition to paper, tapes, and videos.  Mr. Rocha reiterated that the agency did not have the ability to be proactive and advised that staff provided assistance upon request.

 

MICROGRAPHICS AND IMAGING –(101-1055) – BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-49

 

Scott Sisco, Administrative Services Officer for the Department of Museums, Library and Arts, identified himself for the record.  Mr. Sisco advised that the Micrographics and Imaging program provided "high-quality scanning and film capture of essential government documents at significant savings to client agencies through a partnership with the Department of Prisons' Inmate Services program."  Mr. Sisco said the agency also provided "on-site surveys, consultation and appropriate media storage, and the production of CDs, microfiche and roll film to increase the efficiencies and cost efficiencies for all of client and prospective client agencies."

 

Additionally, Mr. Sisco advised that agencies that used the services of the Micrographics and Imaging program greatly reduced their record storage needs and allowed easy retrieval options.  Mr. Sisco pointed out that the program provided data base hosting over the Internet that allowed employees to view an agency's data base through the World Wide Web.  Mr. Sisco explained that the program was self‑funded through revenues received from client agencies for microfilming and imagining services.  Mr. Sisco advised that Micrographics and Imaging had added some major client agencies and customers over the past few months, and included projects for the Secretary of State's office, the Public Employees' Benefits Program, Gaming, Taxation, and Health Protection Services. 

 

Mr. Sisco then moved to an explanation of the M200 maintenance decision unit and recalled that during the last biennium, funding for a computer network specialist was approved and 20 percent of the salary for the position was paid out of the Micrographics and Imaging program.  Because the computer network position supported the entire department, Micrographics and Imaging's share of the employees' raise, as proposed by the Governor, was seen in decision unit M200.

 

Under the Enhancement decision unit, Mr. Sisco discussed the E710 unit that requested $73,078 in FY2002 and $93,918 in FY2003.  Mr. Sisco explained that because of the consistently high usage of the equipment, Micrographics and Imaging had a standard replacement schedule for most of the equipment and approximately every three years replaced almost everything in their equipment inventory.  Mr. Sisco further explained that usually by the end of the year the agency tended to have some leftover funding authority and the availability of the funds and authority would replace the equipment as needed.

 

Mr. Sisco indicated there were no one-shots requested and reiterated that the budget was supported entirely out of fees to client agencies and not out of the General Fund.

 

NEVADA STATE LIBRARY LITERACY COALITION –(101-2893), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-54

 

A report on the budget for the Literacy Coalition was presented.  Mr. Hillerby identified himself for the record and provided a brief explanation of the major functions of the programs within the budget.  Mr. Hillerby explained that the Literacy Coalition provided training materials to trainers and to teachers around the state and to community and local organizations that provided literacy services; however, he made it clear that the Coalition did not engage in teaching people how to read.  Mr. Hillerby further explained that training materials were provided through the State Library, local libraries and on-line to assure that the literacy needs of all residents in communities across the state, including adults as well as children, were provided.  Mr. Hillerby pointed out that literacy training was crucial insofar as the expansion of Nevada's economic development and improving the quality of the workforce.  Mr. Hillerby further advised that two FTE positions were employed to provide the important services of the Nevada State Library's Literacy Coalition across the state.

 

There were no maintenance and no enhancement units in this budget and no one-shot requests.

 

Chairman Arberry asked Mr. Hillerby to comment on why no increase was seen in the receipt of federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds after the agency had projected an increase in receipt of LSTA funds.

 

Mr. Hillerby responded that the federal Library Services and Technology Act provided funding on a per capita basis and that notice had just been received that Nevada's entire LSTA funding, based on the latest census figures, would increase for the second year of the biennium.  Mr. Hillerby indicated that LSTA funding had been provided for some of the statewide programs within the State Library and that the majority of the funding was distributed in the form of grants to individual libraries and other programs that provided library services around the state.  Concerning the vacant literacy coordinator position, Mr. Hillerby indicated interviews of eight potential applicants were scheduled for the middle of February.  Mr. Hillerby indicated recruitment had been difficult to find a person with the required skills for the position.

 

Ms. Leslie questioned first, how the Literacy Coalition related to the Governor's new $10,000,000 initiative to guarantee every child reads at grade level by third grade and second, why the Literacy Coalition had been placed within the Nevada State Library.

 

Mr. Hillerby responded that the Literacy Coalition was a "traditional service" for state and public libraries, which were used as a clearinghouse for resources that were recognized in communities.  Mr. Hillerby indicated it was believed the library was a "natural fit" for a place where literacy services were provided.  Reiterating that a difference existed between what the Department of Education, the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation and other departments provided in actually teaching people to read, Mr. Hillerby explained that the Literacy Coalition provided the training materials and resources to teach people to read.  Further, Mr. Hillerby advised that the Coalition's employees had literacy, librarians, and the educational backgrounds that provided those services and materials.  Mr. Hillerby explained that the Coalition trained the trainers to work with the Governor's initiatives, to improve literacy and to provide training services at every level to those persons requesting services.

 

During an exchange between Ms. Leslie and Mr. Hillerby, Ms. Leslie expressed the probability that demand would increase with the Governor's $10,000,000 initiative, and she asked Mr. Hillerby to comment on how an anticipated increase would impact the Literacy Coalition.  Mr. Hillerby responded that the same question had been posed during the hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, and he indicated that Mr. Comeaux was working on a response.  However, Mr. Hillerby stated he believed that most of the demand would be at the student level and from those wanting to take advantage of the literacy services, and there would not be a huge increase in the number of trainers and teachers.

 

Ms. Leslie indicated that in the initial budget hearing, the opposite was stated in that the Governor's $10,000,000 initiative was more of a training program than a direct service program.  Mr. Hillerby indicated his preference to research the subject and provide Ms. Leslie and the committee with some additional and accurate information. 

 

Ms. Giunchigliani addressed the revenue source titled, "Transfer from Education for Teacher Training," and questioned why no increase was anticipated from the Department of Education funding and why the actual funding received during the current biennium was less than anticipated.  Mr. Hillerby responded that the Transfer from Education for Teacher Training was not projected to increase and actual funding was less than anticipated because the funding was based on workload levels and specific grants that focused on K-12, which was only one part of the literacy training.  It was Ms. Giunchigliani's understanding that the Literacy Coalition services focused on adults rather than the elementary school population.  Mr. Hillerby indicated that while funding from the Transfer from Education for Teacher Training had been requested, the funding was not always adequate to fund all the requests received.  Ms. Giunchigliani indicated that perhaps the title, Transfer from Education for Teacher Training, should be changed since the Coalition was really training literacy specialists to work with an adult population.  Mr. Hillerby clarified that the Coalition trained teachers and tutors to work with children as well as an adult population and that working with every age level was one of the things that made the program unique.

 

Chairman Arberry asked Mr. Hillerby for some additional comments on the Governor's $10,000,000 initiative.  Mr. Hillerby indicated his unfamiliarity with the Governor's proposal and deferred to Mr. Hataway from the Budget Office.

 

Don Hataway, of the Budget Division, identified himself for the record and advised the committee that additional detail on the Governor's $10,000,000 initiative would be provided during the Distributive School Fund budget presentation.  Chairman Arberry agreed to hear the additional detail during the Distributive School Fund budget presentation.

 

Mrs. Chowning also requested that the Budget Division provide information on the amount of funding that would be included in the Governor's initiative to reach the state's non-English proficient children.  It was Mrs. Chowning's opinion that with a rapidly growing population, dollars would have to be expended on the non‑English speaking population of children to ensure that they too could read at grade level by third grade.

 

NEVADA STATE LIBRARY-CLAN –(101-2895), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-58

 

Scott Sisco, Administrative Services Officer for the Department of Museums, Library and Arts, identified himself for the record and reported that the Cooperative Libraries Automated Network, known as CLAN, was "a consortium of member libraries and related agencies that were brought together through an inter-local agreement to share vital library and technological resources that would be cost‑prohibitive to the individual members."  Mr. Sisco pointed out that the CLAN member public library service area currently covered 87 percent of the area of Nevada and served an estimated 301,400 people.  Mr. Sisco explained that the CLAN's network was administered by a board of ten public libraries and the Division of State Library and Archives and was maintained by two FTEs located within the Division of State Library and Archives.  Mr. Sisco advised that the Division of State Library and Archives served strictly as the fiscal agent for the CLAN consortium.  It was clarified that Washoe and Clark County libraries were not members of CLAN as they had the financial resources to provide those services internally. 

 

As a consortium, Mr. Sisco reported that CLAN took advantage of automation and technology by sharing resources and revenues making it economically feasible to do more together than any one library could do on its own.  As an example, Mr. Sisco advised that CLAN, as a consortium, purchased their main library application for a total of $399,000 that would have cost each of the ten main libraries a minimum of $150,000 each if purchased separately. 

 

Mr. Sisco pointed out that all revenues were collected from member agencies through membership fees and CLAN received no General Fund appropriation.  The CLAN board met quarterly and each June approved a budget for the upcoming state fiscal year.  In FY2000, through an agreement with the Legislative Counsel Bureau's Fiscal Analysis Division and the Budget Office, all expenditure categories (excluding 01) were moved into the single CLAN Operating Expenses category.  As a result of this expenditure category consolidation, Mr. Sisco stated that fewer work programs were needed to match the actual budget to work-program authority, and he pointed out that the budget request reflected the continuation of the single-category format.

 

In response to a question from Chairman Arberry concerning the single-category format and how separate costs would be tracked, Mr. Sisco responded that an internal accounting system, called the Budget Expenditure Tracking System, was used throughout the department and provided a weekly report that was balanced against the controller's report, the budget status report.  The weekly report illustrated all out-of-state and in-state travel, and every category broken down by line item.  Mr. Sisco added that the separate expenses could be obtained within minutes of a request.

 

MUSEUMS AND HISTORY –(101-2941), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-7

 

Ken Rohrs, Administrator of the Division of Museums and History, identified himself for the record and indicated his recent appointment as administrator in October 2000.  Mr. Rohrs extended his appreciation to Mr. Sisco, Mr. Hillerby and Ms. Cindy Geraldo, Administrative Services Office of the Division, for their assistance in preparation of the budget.

 

Prior to beginning his budget presentation, Mr. Rohrs addressed the attendance issue of the museums around the state and indicated attendance was a priority of his as well as of the directors of the various museums across the state.  While it was Mr. Rohrs' opinion that door counts did not tell the full story of the museums and their function in the community, he affirmed that the counts were vital and important numbers.  Mr. Rohrs advised the committee that the directors had tried a number of different ways to reach out and present the state's museums to more and more people.  He indicated, for example, that Peter Bandurraga, Director of the Nevada Historical Society in Reno, had a satellite spot at the Circus Circus Visitors Center in Verdi and that approximately 45,000 people had seen the exhibit last year.  And recently, Mr. Bandurraga completed a changing gallery off the lobby in the Cal Neva, which was visited by approximately one million people a year.  A permanent gallery at the Cal Neva was anticipated to be completed in April.  Those visitor centers, Mr. Rohrs advised, were reaching a number of people who were not included in the museum door counts.  Additionally, Mr. Rohrs said that the State Museum in Las Vegas had opened a satellite at the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center that had increased the number of people who knew about the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society in Las Vegas by approximately 175,000 people. 

 

Mr. Rohrs also discussed another area he identified as the "museum in the trunk."  Since school funding for field trips had declined, Mr. Rohrs advised that the various museum directors and their staffs had been very creative in developing the "museums in the trunk" idea so that school children could experience the opportunity to see what was in the museum, and additionally, it was anticipated that those children would encourage their parents to come to the museum.  Mr. Rohrs indicated taking the museums into the classroom idea would be expanded into senior centers and service clubs as well.

 

Additionally, Mr. Rohrs advised that the museum was exploring the Smithsonian Affiliation Program.  Mr. Rohrs explained that the new director of the Smithsonian had expressed his belief that America's treasures should be available for all to view and had indicated there were ways that Nevada could use some of the Smithsonian exhibits in Nevada museum facilities.  One of the benefits to the Smithsonian Affiliation was a membership component where membership in a state museum also provided a membership to the Smithsonian.  In an effort to increase attendance, Mr. Rohrs advised that in March the directors, to whom Mr. Rohrs referred to as the administrative team, would be exploring other marketing alternatives to tell Nevada communities that Nevada museums offered a "great product."

 

In response to Chairman Arberry's request for comments on the E-901 decision unit that reflected the reorganization of the division's fiscal staff, Mr. Rohrs deferred to Mr. Sisco.

 

Scott Sisco, Administrative Services Officer, identified himself for the record and described the Nevada State Museum in Carson City as the flagship of the Division of Museums and History.  The museum's programs, Mr. Sisco advised, included Nevada Anthropology, Natural History, Earth Sciences, History, Clothing and Textiles, Exhibits, Building/Maintenance and Security. 

 

Mr. Sisco provided information on the museum's public purpose and mission, and stated that the museum collected, preserved, and interpreted "some of Nevada's most valued and treasured historical artifacts and icons of the state's history while functioning as the official repository for much of Nevada's archaeological past."  Mr. Sisco also announced that the remodeling of the museum annex, which was the old First Interstate Bank Building, was almost completed.

 

In response to a question from Chairman Arberry, Mr. Sisco indicated that the move-in date for the museum annex was projected for April 2001 and that the first exhibit, Selections from the Collections, was currently being installed.  Mr. Sisco extended an invitation to the members of the committee to see the exhibit before the opening of the annex.  He attributed the delay in the opening of the annex to problems with the heating and air conditioning system, unanticipated asbestos and lead removal, and briefly discussed an energy retrofit system that would take care of such unanticipated problems without having to request additional money.  Mr. Sisco pointed out that the temporary exhibit for the annex contained many items from the museum's collections that had not been displayed for many years because of a lack of space.  The exhibit would be on display until March 2002, and then the Under One Sky Exhibit, which had resulted from the Spirit Cave Man studies and cooperative agreements with the area's Native American communities, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and museum staff, would be displayed.

 

Mr. Sisco provided testimony on the adjusted base budget and explained that the major adjustment to the base budget was to the utilities and energy retrofit categories.  Working creatively with the Public Works Board, the annex, along with many other state buildings, were retrofitted with equipment that was anticipated to result in savings on utility costs.  The anticipated savings on utility costs was moved into the energy retrofit payback category to pay for the new equipment.

 

In reference to enhancement decision units and the E901 reorganization of the division fiscal staff, Mr. Sisco advised that before Mr. Rohr's appointment, the Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs reviewed the Division of Museums and History's organizational structure.  Mr. Sisco advised that, with permission from the Budget Office, a transfer of positions took place that included exchanging an Administrative Services Officer I position and an Accountant II position.  With the transfer having proved successful over the last year, the E901 decision unit for reorganization of the fiscal staff permanently transferred the Accountant II position to the Nevada State Museum and the Administrative Services Officer I position to the administrator's office.  Additionally, an accounting specialist position was moved to the budget for the division administrator's office.  All three positions, Mr. Sisco pointed out, were funded out of the General Fund. 

 

In response to a request from Chairman Arberry to address decision unit E-175, which reflected a recommendation from the Governor to transfer $571,375 in FY2002 from the Commission on Tourism, Mr. Rohrs explained that the decision unit was an enhancement for the Boulder City Railroad Museum.  Mr. Rohrs indicated that there were two types of funding involved in reference to Boulder City, one for ongoing staffing, biennial operation, and the excursion train, and the other for one-shot funding for each year of the biennium to provide for the reconditioning of existing cars.  Detailing the enhancement request for ongoing operating, Mr. Rohrs indicated that the requested amount of $83,875 for the first year of the biennium included the addition of a railroad restoration supervisor and a railroad restoration specialist as of October 1, 2001.  Mr. Rohrs advised that for the second year of the biennium, the ongoing operating amount was $173,396 and would add a third position, a Facility Supervisor I on July 1, 2002.  Mr. Rohrs noted the three positions were reflected in the organizational chart in the department's handout (Exhibit C).  Additionally, Mr. Rohrs discussed the one-shot requests requested in each year of the coming biennium for a total of $487,500 to recondition three cars that included air conditioning, restrooms, and ADA accessibility for one car. 

 

Mr. Hettrick discussed visiting the Boulder City Railroad Museum and asked that staff discuss the status of the track installation; whether there was a functioning train; and if agreements had been reached to make the Boulder City Railroad Museum a "real" attraction.  Mr. Rohrs responded that the request for the "loop" was not included in the one-shot request; however, it was intended that the division would return to the 2003 legislature for an additional $3.5 million for the loop.  In the interim, Mr. Rohrs advised of problems that included two bridges going over the existing track and the installation of a waterline made it difficult to use the track for a period of time.  It was Mr. Rohrs' opinion that the funding request for the refurbishment and reconditioning of the cars and the positions was essential to bring the Boulder City Railroad Museum into full operation.  Mr. Hettrick was of the opinion that the Boulder City Railroad Museum could be a viable attraction that had real potential to add visitor numbers and revenue.  As an example, Mr. Hettrick spoke of his family's experience riding the Ghost Train in Ely and how, as the train moved westward out of Ely along the highway, the steam‑powered engine literally stopped traffic. 

 

In response to a question from Mrs. de Braga concerning the availability of $8,000 in the budget for a janitorial position at the Ely Railroad Museum, Mr. Rohrs advised the funding was a request from tourism for a summer contract custodian, which was a contract position.  Mrs. de Braga expressed concern about the availability of someone in Ely to meet the requirements of a contractual position and recalled an attempt to place the position in the budget four years ago.  At that time, Mrs. de Braga said assurance had been provided that there was no need to place the position in the budget as a separate item.  Originally, Mrs. de Braga noted that the position was funded through a program that never existed, and a retired person carried out the duty.  It was Mrs. de Braga's opinion that with a staff of two, the museum needed to have a year-round, part‑time janitorial position, or a part-time position in the winter and full-time in the summer.  At the very least, Mrs. de Braga indicated a position for summer only that was not contractual would be required so that the person could do other work and trade off duties with museum staff.  Mr. Sisco discussed his prior involvement in requesting a janitorial position for the Ely Railroad Museum and recalled that during the past year's budget preparation, it was clear that at some point there would be a need for additional staffing.  Currently, Mr. Sisco advised there was an employee in Ely, that with seasonal help, met the requirements of the contract and that the funding provided allowed a larger number of hours during the heavy summer months with a reduction of hours during the winter months.  It was also determined that using a contract position for janitorial duties would allow the Grade 35 person in charge to utilize more of his time to work with schools and visitors.  Mr. Sisco indicated a future request would be initiated.  In response to Mrs. de Braga's reiterated concerns, Mr. Sisco advised that the department entered into a contract several years ago with a temporary employment services contractor that enabled the museum to hire their own employee as a contracted position with the flexibility to assign duties as required by the museum.

 

Upon introduction of Mr. Renny Ashleman, a member of the Board of Museums and History, Chairman Arberry requested that Mr. Ashleman comment on moving the Lorenzi Park operation in Las Vegas.

 

Mr. Ashleman identified himself for the record and advised that the board had for some time tried to determine where they could move the Lorenzi Park operation to attract a larger audience.  In a discussion on the Big Springs Reserve area, located off Vegas Valley Drive, Mr. Ashleman discussed the contributions of the Las Vegas Valley Water District and an associated foundation that had placed money into the area.  Mr. Ashleman advised the members of the committee that the Board of Museums had been working with the group for several years, as an integral part of their planning, and that the foundation was willing to provide the space and to assist with roads, grounds, and even fund-raising.  The foundation, Mr. Ashleman indicated, was putting in a museum and would be advertising and promoting the museum on the archaeology and history of Big Springs, which would not conflict with the Board of Museums and History's relocation plans.  Additionally, there were plans by the foundation to expand their botanical gardens and xeroscaping operation, which drew tourists as well as locals, and it was anticipated the relocation would increase attendance.  Mr. Ashleman discussed the $300,000 budget for further study to determine if the move should take place, and indicated he believed funding should be devoted to actually planning the move.  It was Mr. Ashleman's understanding that Senator Rawson was attempting to put more money in the budget to actually get the study in planning underway and it was believed private and federal funding would be available.  Further, it was pointed out by Mr. Ashleman that the city of Las Vegas was interested in using the Lorenzi Park location for some of their programs and would work with the board on appropriate resolution of the property.  The city of Las Vegas, in any event, had the right of first refusal.  Mr. Ashleman closed his remarks by indicating that any consideration by the committee in support of the project would be appreciated.

 

Mr. Rohrs briefly discussed "The Las Vegas Springs Preserve" brochure (Exhibit G) that had been distributed to the members of the committee.  Considering the site's location, history, and size, Mr. Rohrs was of the opinion that "a golden opportunity" to be a part of the project was being presented to the State Museum in Las Vegas.

 

Discussing the one-shot requests in the Museums and History Budget Account 2941, Mr. Rohrs advised that the one-shot requests for this budget totaled $64,297 to purchase new and replacement equipment for the Historical Society.

 

NEVADA HISTORICAL SOCIETY –(101-2870) – BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-17

 

Mr. Rohrs advised there were no maintenance decision or enhancement decision units and no one-shot requests in the Nevada Historical Society budget.  The decrease in attendance records was attributed to the period of time the museum was closed for remodeling. 

 

In response to Chairman Arberry's question concerning the museum's floor and ceiling problems, Mr. Rohrs advised that an engineer's report had been received with assurance of the stability of the facility.  While the facility was currently stable, Mr. Rohrs indicated the problems would be monitored and would have to be addressed at some point in the future.

 

Additionally, Mr. Hillerby attributed the floor and ceiling problems at the Nevada Historical Society to the shifting of soil beneath the building housing the museum.  Working on the cantilevered foundation would entail considerable expense; however, Mr. Hillerby reiterated earlier comments that the problem would have to be addressed in the long term.  The impact to the facility was that the last two rows of compact shelving could not be moved because of the level of the floor. 

 

MUSEUMS & HISTORICAL SOCIETY – LAS VEGAS –(101-2943), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-26

 

Mr. Rohrs testified that while there were no maintenance or enhancement decision units in the Museums and Historical Society budget account, there was a supplemental funding request for utilities.  Mr. Rohrs further advised he had failed to mention that supplemental funding requests also existed in the previous two budgets.  A one-shot request was also included in the Museums and Historical Society, Las Vegas budget account that totaled $300,000 for the anticipated relocation to the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.

 

LOST CITY MUSEUM –(101-1350), BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL 29

 

Mr. Rohrs reported no maintenance or enhancement decision units were requested in the Lost City Museum budget; however, there was a supplemental request for utilities. 

 

Mr. Rohrs reported on the exciting work that had been done over the past year to develop a viable plan to maintain and preserve the integrity of the adobe artifact that housed the museum.  A request of $15,000 per year was included in the budget to maintain the integrity of the building. 

 

In response to Chairman Arberry's question concerning ADA compliance, Mr. Hillerby reported that while there had been an issue with the appropriateness of placing fire sprinklers in the building, work was being continued with the State Fire Marshal to ensure that both fire and safety issues were addressed.  Mr. Hillerby also indicated that ADA compliance had been previously addressed at the Lost City facility.

 

In response to a question from Chairman Arberry concerning whether the supplemental requests for utilities was sufficient, Mr. Sisco advised that supplemental requests for increased utility costs were included in the budgets for the Director's Office, Nevada Historical Society, Lost City Museum and Museum and Historical Society in Las Vegas; however, because of the energy crisis of the past few months, figures were being re-examined to be certain the request for funding was sufficient.

 

NEVADA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM - (101-4216) – BUDGET PAGE CULTURAL-21

 

Mr. Rohrs reported that two museums were included under Budget Account 4216.  Beginning with the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, Mr. Rohrs advised that there were no requests for enhancement or maintenance decision units or one-shots in Budget Account 4216.  The Nevada Railroad Museum, Mr. Rohrs reported, maintained one of the best collections of steam locomotives and was an important part of the economic development and tourism for the community.  In a discussion on important events taking place at the museum, Mr. Rohrs reported he had been contacted recently about participating in the Kids Fair at the Reno Sparks Convention Center to be held on April 6, 7, 8 and that it appeared as though 30,000 children would be at the Convention Center over the three-day period.  In addition to the placement of a handcart on a 100-foot rail at the Convention Center, the Historical Society, the State Museum in Carson City and the Art Museum in Reno would "partner" at stations in order to expose children to different museum settings. 

 

Mr. Rohrs noted that East Ely had exceeded its projection for attendance, which he cited as important since the local people using the railroad in East Ely declined by 62 percent because of the distressed state of the economy while use by tourists had increased by 16 percent.  Mr. Rohrs credited Sean Pitts with the good work being done at the museum in Ely.

 

Mr. Hillerby noted that the last pages in the department's handout (Exhibit C) included a business plan for the Nevada Railroad Museum. 

 

In reference to an earlier question from Mrs. Chowning concerning the Nevada Arts Council's K-12 performance indicators, Mr. Hillerby explained that the Arts Council was "locked into" the smaller figure for 2001 because that was the figure reported to the legislature during the 1999 Legislative Session and that the projected higher numbers of 500,000 to 600,000 were correct. 

 

In response to a question from Ms. Giunchigliani on why field trips had declined in the Railroad Museum's budget, Mr. Rohrs attributed the decline in field trips to financial issues with the schools and school buses.  Ms. Giunchigliani indicated she would address the issue in the K-12 budget since there had never been adequate money for field trips, and it was her opinion that participation for the children was needed so that they could learn about Nevada history.

 

On behalf of the museums, Mr. Rohrs extended his appreciation to the members of the committee for their past support and indicated he looked forward to working with them.

 

Mr. Hillerby discussed the 1999 legislative appropriation of $50,000, which he reported was used in conjunction with money from LSTA as well as other funds for the production of an education CD-ROM.  Mr. Hillerby acknowledged the work done by Mrs. Cegavske and Anita Watson, who served as the consultant on the project.  The product was designed to go to every school in Nevada and while targeted for fourth and eighth graders, Mr. Hillerby indicated the CD would be of interest to all students. 

 

 

PUBLIC TESTIMONY

 

While Mr. Hillerby prepared to show the CD to the members of the committee, Chairman Arberry called for public testimony.

 

Martha Gould, Chairwoman of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, could not be present to speak at the hearing; however, she faxed her comments (Exhibit H) in support of the Nevada State Library and Archives' budget request.  Ms. Gould's faxed comments had been distributed to the members of the committee before the meeting.

 

Mr. Danny Lee, representing the Nevada State Library Association, identified himself for the record.  Testifying that because of the flat budget over the past few years the association had gone to one-shot requests.  Mr. Lee recalled the $250,000 awarded in 1995 for collection development, which went to all counties with the exception of Washoe and Clark.  Additionally, Mr. Lee spoke of the $2.4 million awarded for collection development in 1997 and the $1 million awarded in 1999.  Mr. Lee advised that on behalf of the association he was before the committee to again request a one-shot for collection development.  A brochure distributed by Mr. Lee to the committee (Exhibit I) outlined figures for expenditures and collections.

 

Mr. Lee expressed his appreciation to members of the committee for their past support and requested a continuation of that support.  Additionally, Mr. Lee testified that a new report that would detail expenditures was on Mr. Hillerby's desk for his approval before being sent to the state printer.  Mr. Lee commented on Mr. Hillerby's previous testimony that concerned the use of a formula.  Outlined in Mr. Lee's handout (Exhibit I), was a formula based on how much locally generated money was spent on collection development.  An example was provided involving a number of small counties that would not put money into collection development but would go before the LSTA for a "handout."  A formula was developed that required the counties to use locally generated funds that were not gifts or grants as a basis for their contribution.  The formula, however, was geared to actually assist the smaller counties.  An example provided by Mr. Lee was that Lincoln County received 118 percent of their money and Clark County received 10 percent and while a differential existed, Mr. Lee advised there were no complaints.  Mr. Lee concluded his remarks and encouraged the committee to support a request comparable to the 1997 appropriation.

 

Ms. Shayne Del Cohen, of SDC Consulting Services and a representative of the State Historic Records Advisory Board, identified herself for the record.  Ms. Del Cohen explained that Mr. Rocha had suggested she expand on his answers to Assemblywoman Leslie concerning the activities of the State Historic Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) and "morphing" of the Nevada Cable Access Television SNCAT into the Media Center.  The Media Center, Ms. Del Cohen advised, included SNCAT, High Sierra Radio, and a digital media lab as well as a community access archives.  Ms. Del Cohen explained that the access stations had a mission to provide access to training and technology and to broadcast, in any medium, any message from the community, and any documentation of cultural life that could go, for example, from video to radio to Web streaming to storage on a CD format in a physical place and also be distributed through libraries.  Additionally, Ms. Del Cohen reported that with a $1,700 grant awarded to SNCAT by SHRAB, an hour video was produced, now also on CD, which documented the efforts of five Nevada communities to preserve their history, heritage, and culture and which would become the cornerstone of training.  Ms. Del Cohen concluded her remarks by indicating individuals had been scheduled to provide community seminars for all of the different archival mediums and that all of this information would be available through broadcast media.

 

Mr. Hillerby moved back to the presentation of the History of Nevada CD and said that the history information on the CD would be valuable to adults as well as children and would be available in museum gift shops across the state.  Components of the CD screen included landscape, people and lifeways, technology and transportation and Nevada government and politics.  Mr. Hillerby pointed out that students would have the ability to read the material in front of them, and click on the hyperlinks to go to photographs that included video and audio clips.  Using the exploration category and sound feature on the CD, Mr. Hillerby initiated audio narratives on Nevada explorers, pioneer women, Mark Twain, and miners.  Jeff Kintop, Annie Kelly, Assemblyman Bernie Anderson, and Assemblyman Lynn Hettrick read narratives on the CD.  Concluding his remarks, Mr. Hillerby indicated the video would be completed in time for the next school year.

 

 

Mrs. Cegavske discussed being in the third year of working on the project, which was an idea concept borrowed from Wisconsin.  Joan Kerschner was credited as being the force behind development of the CD and staff assistance was also acknowledged.  Mrs. Cegavske extended special appreciation to Anita Watson for her many hours of work on the project.  It was indicated that money from the sale of the CD would be used to develop a second CD. 

 

 

In response to a comment from Mrs. Cegavske on the amount of money still needed to finish the first CD, Mr. Hillerby indicated there was enough funding available to pay for the completion of the CD and with assistance from Mrs. Cegavske, private funds would be raised to pay for reproduction, teacher packets, and a public relations campaign.

 

In response to a question from Mrs. Cegavske, Mr. Hillerby advised that information would be provided on what was needed for the teachers' packets.

 

Mrs. Cegavske extended her appreciation to Mr. Hillerby for his work on the project and to the Chairman for allowing the CD to be shown to the members of the committee.

 

Chairman Arberry complimented Mrs. Cegavske's work on the project and extended his thanks to Mr. Hillerby and his staff on their excellent presentation.

 

With no further business before the committee, the meeting was adjourned at 10:42 a.m.

 

 

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

 

 

 

Connie Davis

Committee Secretary

 

 

APPROVED BY:

 

                       

Assemblyman Morse Arberry Jr., Chairman

 

 

DATE: