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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.2 Heritage Park & Museums Dedication EventG~?? OF?DpB?y 19? ?82 AGENDA STATEMENT \\\ /? PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MEETING DATE: March 21, 2011 SUBJECT: Heritage Park and Museums Dedication Event Prepared by John Hartnett, Heritage & Cultural Arts Manager and Elizabeth Isles, Heritage Center Director ATTACHMENTS: Map of Heritage Park and Museums RECOMMENDATION: Receive report and provide input on potential event components FINANCIAL STATEMENT: Funds for the dedication event are included in the FY 2010-2011 budget. DESCRIPTION: Phase I of the new Heritage Park and Museums is nearing completion. The City has created a dynamic park that provides a picturesque place to walk, relax, picnic, play and explore Dublin's heritage. Historical buildings from the Kolb Farm are the focal point of this new beautiful 4.3-acre park, which also encompasses the existing Murray Schoolhouse, Old St. Raymond Church and the Dublin Pioneer Cemetery. Attachment 1 is a site plan showing the amenities in Phase I, which include the following: • Kolb House - The main house, which is called the Kolb House, is a Craftsman Bungalow. The two-story building is outfitted with all original "Arts & Crafts" style furniture, fine china and household items that the Kolb family used between the years 1864-1957. The building will serve as a museum and volunteer docents will guide visitors through the rooms of the Kolb House. Before exiting, guests may visit "The Back Porch," a gift shop featuring local Dublin history books, postcards and country gifts and antiques. • Sunday School Barn - This landmark, which served as Dublin's first Sunday School, will become a venue for arts classes, theatrical presentations, concerts, barn-dances and events. The rustic interior includes theatrical lighting and a sound system and the facility will be available for rental opportunities. • Old Kolb House - This small building, which served as the original family home, has been converted into restrooms in the front, and the back tool-room has been redesigned as an art/ceramic studio. The City will start offering ceramic classes in the fall, and will have a kiln on- site. • Hay Barn - The Hay Barn is a large covered building that will be used for storing the original Kolb tractor and a Studebaker wagon, which have recently been restored. Additionally, the space could be used as a picnic shelter for youth summer camps. COPIES TO: ITEM NO.: 8.2 GAPARKS C0MMISSI0N\AGNDSTMT\2011\3-21 Item- Heritage Park Dedication Event (2).doc • Grounds - The spacious outdoor amenities include a large front and side lawn, outdoor concrete stage and seating wall (ideal for outdoor music events) and a number of large farm implements from the original Kolb Ranch which have been placed adjacent to the Sunday School Barn and enclosed for safety. Gardens, picnic tables and walking paths complete the park and provide areas for recreational use. Dedication Ceremony Date Major renovation of the buildings is nearing completion and the maintenance period for the grounds is underway. Staff anticipates moving the Kolb family collections into the Kolb House in early April. Art classes and summer camps are tentatively scheduled to begin June 20. Staff recommends that the Grand Opening and Dedication of the site be held in late June or early July in order to allow adequate time to stage the collection in the Kolb House, allow time for plant establishment, and select and purchase furniture and equipment for all the buildings. On April 5, the City Council will consider holding the Dedication Event on either Saturday, June 25 or Saturday, July 2, or an alternate date at the City Council's direction. Potential Event Components Staff envisions the event beginning with a ribbon cutting ceremony including presentations by local dignitaries, the City's Historian and Poet Laureate and the Kolb family. Following the ceremony, activities will be held in each area of the park and buildings including the Murray Schoolhouse and St. Raymond Church as described below. At the Kolb House, tours will be conducted by volunteer docents with an opportunity to purchase some historical items at the "Back Porch Gift Shop", including a new book about the Kolb family that has been created specifically for this occasion. Carol Kolb Strom provided the photographs and family history and former City Councilmember Claudia McCormick wrote the narrative for the book. In the Sunday School Barn, Dublin's local Bluegrass and Irish Jam groups will provide continuous music throughout the day. Seating will be available for those who wish to eat and listen at the same time. At the entrance to the Art/Ceramics Studio, an outdoor arts and crafts project will be made available for youth attending the event. At the lawn/outdoor stage area, a music concert featuring German music will be featured, with refreshments such as root beer, soft pretzels, hot dogs/brats and German potato salad, served from an outdoor tent. The adjacent picnic tables provide an eating area with pop-up canopies providing shade. Wagon rides for youth will be conducted around the grounds of the Heritage Park. The wagon will be pulled by the Kolb Tractor. Both the wagon and tractor have been completely restored this past year. In St. Raymond Church, a film about the Kolb Family and the re-location of the farm buildings back to Dublin, made available by the Dublin Historical Preservation Association and produced by Tri-Valley Community Television, will be playing continuously on the Big Screen TV. In the Murray Schoolhouse, the four Oral Histories produced by the Oral History Committee volunteers will be playing continuously throughout the day, and "The Journey" exhibit will be open for tours, as well. At the March 10`h Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission meeting, the Commission unanimously supported the event components. Additionally, the Commission recommended adding the following: 2of3 • Conduct tours of the Pioneer Cemetery • Have an outdoor booth set up to hand out information and materials for the City and Non-Profit organizations that support the preservation of Dublin's heritage and promotion of cultural experiences. • Provide a "handout" that provides information on the building and park amenities, especially as they relate to the Kolb Family RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Parks and Community Services Commission receive the report and provide input on the potential event components. The Commission's input will be shared with the City Council at the regular meeting of the City Council on April 5, 2011. 3 of 3