I think this thread demonstrates "you can't satisfy everyone". There are many people who'd prefer that design, and many who like the "less is more" approach. More than anything, I suspect a third party offer to help "modernize" the website is bad idea not because the visual design is bad, but because it becomes another distraction that might take away from other things the project needs, especially if the third party discovers they don't have time to help maintain it going forward.