HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 7.3 St Raymond's Visitor Center
CITY CLERK
File # D[9][ZJ[(2].ffi[(2]
AGENDA STATEMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: June 19, 2007
SUBJECT:
St. Raymond's Visitor Center
Report by John Hartnett, Heritage & Cultural Arts Supervisor
ATTACHMENTS:
1) Tour Evaluations
RECOMMENDATION:
~thorize Staff to purchase equipment for Visitor Center
FINANCIAL STATEMENT:
$12,375 Donation from the Dublin/San Ramon Women's Club
DESCRIPTION: One of the City Council Preliminary Goals & Objectives for 2007-
2008 is to; Establish a Visitor Center at St. Raymond's Church. The purpose of the goal is to provide
some technical improvements to St. Raymond's whichwill allow Staff to further enhance school tours as
well as expand on program offerings in the future. The Dublin Heritage Center reopened its doors in
August 2007 with the new exhibit, "The Journey". In September 2007, a new school tour program was
designed by Staff to cover information from Dublin that is specific to the California State Board of
Education History-Social Studies Content Standards.
Tour Program:
The school tours incorporate Dublin's History with the State Standard and utilizes the new exhibit, a
video, a walking tour of the cemetery, and if time permits, hands-on history trunks. The goal of the two
hour tour is to provide historical content, recall important facts and build civic pride in Dublin. Each tour
adapts to the individual group's energy levels, attention span, time constants and interests.
Over the past ten months, the tour program has been modified to highlight the new exhibit and an
enthusiastic new volunteer group of docents have been trained to provide tours throughout the school year.
"Post-tour" evaluations by teachers have provided valuable feedback and useful suggestions (Attachment
1). Teacher suggestions have been routinely incorporated to improve the museum experience.
A typical school tour starts at Old St. Raymond's Church where the class is welcomed and told what they
can expect. They are shown a ten minute orientation video on the history of Dublin. Next, the group goes
to the Murray Schoolhouse where a docent gives them a 45 minute tour. There are eleven sections in all,
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within the tour, beginning with the experience of New York, Westward Expansion, the Valley Before and
the Murray School House. When the tour reaches the Green Store exhibit, the children sit on the floor and
the docent reads a story and passes around various artifacts and samples, such as raw wool, a small
spinning wheel, linen and an embroidery hoop. At the Cemetery exhibit, the class learns how they can
help preserve gravesites. Then the group tours the Pioneer Cemetery. Stops are made at many of the
graves of people that had been covered in the video and museum. When the tour concludes, each visitor
is given a "Dublin Gazette", which is a worksheet with questions, word searches, connect the dots, and fill
in the blanks on Dublin's history. Students are also given the Dublin Heritage Center Wooden Nickel as
their reward. Students are invited to come back and on the return visit, they can redeem their nickel for
old fashioned candy and toys in the "General Store" located in the museum. The tour is paced to provide
facts without overwhelming; to spark interest, and to invite visitors to come back again and again.
Visitor's Center:
In February 2007, the Dublin/San Ramon Women's Club presented the City of Dublin with a donation of
$12,375 for the purchase of technical equipment including a large screen television, sound system and
portable lighting system. Staff has evaluated different types of equipment and related costs and is
recommending the purchase of the following:
. 58" Flat Screen television and DVDNCR recorder
· JBL sound system including two speakers and rack mount with mixer & CD/cassette unit
· Two portable light trees with four instruments per tree and color gels
The television will be mounted directly above the existing altar in the Old St. Raymond's Church and will
be covered by a customized white curtain at all times, when not in use. The sound mixer will be situated
in the back of the church and the two speakers will be mounted on the north and south interior walls on
either side of the stage. The portable light trees will be placed in front of each side of the stage during
performances, such as the Winter Concerts. The improvements will blend with the existing appearance of
the interior of the church. The speakers will be white and all wiring will be covered with white conduit.
The work will conform to the Secretarv of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, the standard of
which is to have minimal impact on the historic materials and that are reversible. Conforming to this
standard will ensure that the building's status on the National Register of Historic Places is not
compromised.
Existing Programs and the Visitors' Center:
The installation of the flat screen television will improve viewing of the orientation film now shown to
classes and visitors (two teacher evaluations suggested that a larger screen would improve the student's
experience). The addition of a permanent sound system and portable lights will allow for better sound
quality and dramatic lighting for annual events such as the Winter Concert Series and Annual Bluegrass
Concert. In addition to existing programs, Staff feels that the new technical enhancements will provide an
amenity for those renting St. Raymond's as well as the means to expand program offerings in the future.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the purch~se of
equipment for the St. Raymond's Visitor Center.
;Z~02
Tour Evaluation
Dublin Heritage Center
School Teacher Date Comments Su estions Docent
Dublin Masinter, G 3/9/07 "Beautiful Museum! "Have a Scavenger Hunt E Isles
Excellent information for an worksheet with questions P Harvey
enrichment of what we have that students need to work
studied in class." with a partner to find
answers to questions."
"Great follow-up to what has
been taught in class."
Fallon LeCheminarnt, 4/24/07 "Great, Visual" "Gather students together Bob
M first before proceeding. Scheppler
Don't be afraid to tell kids to
be ready. Speak Louder."
Fallon Kennedy,C 4/23/07 "Thank you! The Museum Eva
looks qreat!" Kemenczev
Fallon Hitch on, C 4/26/07 "She did really well with E Isles
making the information for Training Pat
the children. They really & Albert
enjoyed it. .. Students will Kupferman
have more knowledge of the
City of Dublin. We are
~ ~ going to continue to add to
this knowledge. Thank you,
~ it was areal."
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School Teacher Date Comments Suggestions Docent
Fallon Jakubowicz, B "This really brought our "The only room for Bob
Dublin history lesson to life. improvement might be a Scheppler
The remodeled Heritage larger screen for the
Center is fantastic." monitor."
Nielsen Agenjo, L 5/15/07 "Loved it, Glad you suggest Bob
small groups. [it will] Greatly Scheppler
[benefit students] Perfect and
timing with curriculum." Ruth Ting
Nielsen Howe, L 5/27/07 "Good job the volunteers!" "You might want to split up Scott Roach
"It really helps [students] the group, so half does the Eva
understand the history of church /cemetery and the Kemenczy
Dublin." other half school. The
building is too small for a
large group."
Murray Kovalensky S 5/17/07 "Fabulous presentation" E Isles
Menriott, S "Meaningful information,
kids made connections,
appropriate vocabulary."
Frederiksen Anbderson, R 5/22/07 "Excellent new facility! Bob
Great information, they Scheppler
[students] learn a lot about E Isles
early settler's lives."
Murray Herdman, J 5/18/07 "Fabulous, Very interesting!" "None!" E Isles
"Our wonderful class is very (training
rambunctious and you did a group
great job!" "This has been a volunteers)
fantastic way to bring home
our lessons of Dublin ~
history, pioneers and the
Gold Rush. " ~
-..t"
School Teacher Date Comments Suggestions Docent
Frederickson Paulus, R 5/23/07 "Part of the third grade "Not much narrative during E Isles
social studies, local history, cemetery walk." (Museum)
[this] provides actual "Church; include a bit of Scoot Roach
museum/cemetery history like the wooden (Church
experience to classroom pegs, why shutters, and Cemetery)
learning." steel bars across the
ceiling."
Frederickson Butsuda, L 5/24/07 "The schoolhouse is "I'd like a little more E Isles
wonderful!" information about the
church structure and
"Seeing everything in history."
person cements all the
learning we've done in
class. I know they'll have all
new questions and ideas
when we get back to the
classroom."
Dougherty Fong, I 6/4/07 "Very informative. Love "A bigger monitor would be Bob
what you did with the great" Scheppler
center. Very well thought
out and presented."
"Thank you for a wonderful
day!"
Murray Fisher, D 6/5/07 "Very informative" Eva
"Very useful" Kamensczy
Tour provider: Excellent
Time; Just right
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School Teacher Date Comments Su estions Docent
Dougherty Flory, B 6/6/07 Very informative "Shorten cemetery tour" E Isles
Very useful (Museum)
Tour provider: Excellent Scott Roach
- Time: Just right ( cemetery)
Murray Gleichauf, J 6/7/07 Very informative " .. .all the history and E Isles
Very useful included the stories, like
Tour provider: Excellent Whitey for instance, very
Time: Just right well done!"
"Thank you for your
patience!"
"Be prepared to wait for
quiet before giving
information! You have the
right to demand respect,
and what you have to say is
interesting."
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