Fair / 48° F
Museum director to retire Dec. 19
Published 11:03am Friday, December 21, 2012The board of directors of the Friends of the History Museum of East Otter Tail County in Perham received notice that long-time executive director Lina Belar planned to retire in early November. While Belar had stated previously that she was willing to stay until May, the board officially accepted her notice, with her retirement being effective Dec. 19.
“Lina has done an outstanding job,” said board president Marcia Davis. “Making a change now will allow us to be more aggressive with dealing with our financial issues. We already have broad community support, and will be meeting with stake holders and the city in January.”
The museum board is defining the role for a new part-time museum director.
“We will be looking for a candidate that is really passionate about fundraising and the mission of both museums,” said Davis.
The ITOW Musum opened in 2006. A final installment of $625,000 on the building loan is due in early 2014. The board currently has approximately $150,000 in funds that could be applied towards paying down the loan.
The ITOW Museum will be closed in January while renovations are being done. The museum is open for tours, upon request. Meeting rooms and the White Elephant Thrift store remain open. The History Museum is closed for the month of January.
For more information, contact Marcia Davis, Board President, at 218-758-3534. To make a donation and for general museum information, contact Julie Listrom, Museums Coordinator, at 218-346-7678 or email info@itowmuseum.org
