No ban lift just yet for history duo
One more step.
Members of the Steele County Historical Society board on Monday voted on an intent to lift a lifetime ban on a pair of volunteers.
It wasn’t exactly what Lloyd Kaplan and Terry Prokopec wanted, but it moved the needle. They are the two at the heart of the ban, which went into effect in 2023.
After a tumultuous three years that included serious accusations of wrongdoing, legal action and enough hard feelings to float a battleship, Board President Dave Effertz wants cooler heads to prevail.
To that end, a committee is being formed to create a memo of understanding about how both sides can move forward.
“Once that’s drafted, I want to talk to these guys again,” he said, nodding at Kaplan and Prokopec, “and make sure we’re on the same page.”
If there are still concerns, the MOU will go back to the committee for some fine-tuning.
“I want everybody face-to-face, to work on this,” Effertz said. “That’s probably what should have been done” in the first place.
“Then we’ll formally draft the apology,” he told board members, Kaplan and Prokopec.
The tensions stem from a list of issues that seem petty – but got serious enough to involve lawyers.
In September 2023, the two men were issued a cease-and-desist order, which outlined several allegations, including unauthorized use of the SCHS logo and name on T-shirts; unauthorized sale of the T-shirts; accepting donations without properly tracking them; and creating confusion about a capital campaign for the project they brought to life.
The two had worked for years, along with dozens of other volunteers and the Ellendale Area Heritage Society, to restore and move Gus’ Station from Ellendale to the grounds of the SCHS in Owatonna. The gas station was a fixture in the town for 50 years, then sat empty for about 30 more.
In 2012, the little building was able to be moved, and became an integral part of the historical display on the grounds of the history center.
Kaplan and Prokopec organized a car show to raise money for the building’s upkeep, selling T-shirts and collecting donations during public events.
Former SCHS Director Jennifer Thiele recommended – then instituted – the lifetime ban.
She left the organization in November, and the work to mend fences began.
“I mean, I can say something myself,” Effertz said, “but (an apology) has to come from all of us, so we have to work it out.”
Monday night’s motion expressed the board’s intent to lift the lifetime ban involving the volunteers, subject to the drafting and final board approval of the MOU; it and “any related apology language” will be shared at next month’s board meeting – which will be held in Ellendale.
“So that’s unanimous,” Effertz said of the vote. “We definitely want the lifetime ban gone, and then we’re getting closer to … I don’t know if there’ll ever be 100% resolution, but we’re doing what we can on our end, and we’ll take it from there.”
There will still be restrictions on the use of the Steele County History Center logo, Effertz said, not unlike many organizations have.
The MOU, he said, will outline expectations, “and also acknowledge how much we appreciate everything that they did. Let’s go forward and talk about all the good things.”