Riley County Historical Museum seeks one as-needed assistant; announces summer programs

Katherine Hler, Director of the Riley County Historical Museum, asked the commission on June 8 to approve posting and filling a budgeted as-needed museum assistant position to maintain weekend hours and visitor services.

Hler said the museum currently operates with three as-needed assistants out of five budgeted positions and that one staff member who had been covering extra hours will be unable to continue. She requested authorization to advertise and hire the vacant as-needed role at $15 an hour; a commissioner moved, the request was seconded and the motion carried.

Hler also introduced Jen Pley, the Riley County Historical Society's new administrator, and reviewed recent museum activity: April school field trips that brought 693 students to the Wolf House site, heavy volunteer support for programs, participation in the Flint Hills Festival and receipt of $15,775 through the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Grow Green campaign for capital improvements and preservation. She described an ongoing collections backlog and a contracted registrar hire planned to address it.

The museum director outlined upcoming events including a cemetery preservation workshop on June 20, a living history weekend July 10–11 and other summer outreach programs. Commissioners approved the museum's request to post and fill the as-needed assistant position; Hler said the move carries no additional fiscal impact beyond the approved 2026 personnel budget.