(Arnolds Park)– More rough water for the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum. Two of its higher-ups are throwing in the towel.
Cary Parker and Tom Kuhlman submitted their resignations at Friday evening’s board of directors meeting.
Parker is stepping down as General Manager of the Arnolds Park Amusement Park and Kuhlman as President of the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum. Both resignations are effective December 1st.
Kuhlman had submitted his resignation once earlier this year, but withdrew it after hearing pleas from some board members. This time, Kuhlman says his resignation is for good.
Both Kuhlman and Parker expressed concern over a report a consultant presented to the board at Friday’s meeting. They also said the timing of their resignations is appropriate with the newly-elected board members in place and with a change in the board’s officers.
The report, by consultant Jim Frost…a former Secretary/Manager of the Clay County Fair…called for major changes in the board’s philosophies to deal with public perceptions, divisiveness, the size of the board and other issues. He recommended the board be downsized from 28 people to nine…with members elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis.
Frost also recommended seven committees be formed overseeing park operations, budget and finances, fundraising, long range planning, the Maritime Museum, physical plant and Queen Two. He also recommended annual reviews of the amusement park General Manager by an ad-hoc committee. In his review of finances, Frost projected the park will lose about 31-thousand dollars for the past season of operations.
Frost also recommended a complete revamp of the board’s bylaws. The board voted 14 to four Friday evening to hire attorney Dick Ramsey to assist in the process, at a cost of 165-dollars an hour. When asked how long it would take, Ramsey said he wasn’t sure, but said it would probably be longer than just two or three days.
Frost recommended the committees meet soon and present their findings to the board in the next month or so.
The board voted unanimously to accept Frost’s report.
Johnson then distributed to the board a list of committees, their chairpersons and members. The board will start hearing from those committees at its next meeting, Saturday October 25th at 9:00 a.m.
