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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3.1 H&C Arts in City CITY CLERK File #910-80 AGEN DA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: October 15, 2002 SUBJECT: Presentation by Parks & Community Services Staff on Heritage and Cultural Arts in the City Report by Diane Lowart, Parks & Community Services Director ATTACHMENTS: None RECOMMENDATION: ~ -/~eceive and FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None accept Parks & Community Services Staff presentation DESCRIPTION: The City of Dublin Parks & Community Services Department is organized into three divisions: Community Services; Heritage and Cultural Arts; and Parks and Facilities Development. Staff has prepared a presentation on heritage and cultural arts in the City. The Heritage and Cultural Arts Division preserves Dublin's heritage and promotes the arts. The main focus of the City's heritage is the Dublin Heritage Center comprised of the Old St. Raymond's Church, the original Murray Schoolhouse and the Dublin Pioneer Cemetery. The museum in the Schoolhouse attracts over 1,000 visitors each year and features artifacts depicting local history. The Heritage Center staff and volunteers also conduct special tours of the Heritage Center as part of the local elementary school curriculum. Old St. Raymond's Church is available for rent and has been the sight of many intimate weddings and family gatherings over the years. The Heritage Center is currently offering new programs for the community. A Community Choir has started rehearsing in the church and everyone is welcome to join. There is no audition process, just a willingness to sing. The Community Band has a list of interested members and will be joining the choir in rehearsing at the Church by the first of the year. There will be a Holiday Open house held on Sunday, December 8 from 2 - 5 p.m. featuring holiday ornaments, a sing-a-long with the choir, storytelling, hot cider and treats. Since the City acquired the Dublin Heritage Center in 1993, the Church, Schoolhouse and grounds have undergone major renovation. One of the last renovation projects is the reconstruction of the bell tower on the Murray Schoolhouse. The project is currently underway and scheduled for completion in December. The project is a partnership with the Dublin Rotary Club, the Dublin Historic Preservation Association and the Dublin-San Ramon Women's Club, all who have pledged funding for the project. Upon completion of the bell tower the Heritage Center will embark on a new program of quarterly exhibits in the little gallery adjacent to the museum. Staff is currently preparing the necessary documentation to nominate the Dublin Heritage Center to the National Register of Historic Places. The application should be ready to submit as early as November. COPIES TO: G:\COUNCILXAgenda Statemcnts\2002\l 0-15 presentation.doc ITEM NO. The State Historic Preservation Office will then review the application and provide feedback to the Heritage Center Director on the application. Upon revision the application will then be sent to the State Historic Resource Commission for approval. The 'Commission meets on a quarterly basis so this process could take up to a year. Upon approval at the state level the application will then be sent to the National Trust in Washington for final approval to the National Register. Heritage Center Staffwith the assistance of a committee with representation from the DHPA, the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission, a local fourth grade schoolteacher, and two Interpretative Volunteers from the Dublin Heritage Center, are working on the development of a Collections Management Policy for the Heritage Center Museum. The purpose of the policy is to define the collecting goals for the Heritage Center Museum within standard museum policy and procedural guidelines. A draft of the policy has been approved by the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission and will come before the City Council at a future meeting. The visual arts in Dublin can be found in and around public buildings and public parks as well as on private property. Regarding City funded projects, a number of projects are underway. These are as follows: Historic Crossroads Mural (formerly Freeway Underpass Art ProjecO Bus Shelter Art Project Street Banner Art Project Art in new Library (three commissions) Art in new Senior Center On private property, a number of artworks have been installed or fabrication is underway. These are as follows: Clocktower at Downtown Safeway (fabrication underway) Metal Sculptures at Archstone Dougherty Road (installation underway) Tile Pyramid at the Waterford Shops (fabrication underway) Corten Steel Sculpture at Expo Design Center (installation complete) The City also has a successful partnership with the Dublin Arts Foundation for the "Art in the Park" program. Artworks have been installed at the following parks: Alamo Creek Park Stagecoach Park Kolb Park Shannon Park Mape Memorial Park Ted Fairfield Park Additionally, artwork for Emerald Glen Park has been approved and art will be included in the Dublin Ranch Area G Neighborhood Park with design scheduled to begin in Fall 2002. It is recommended that the City Council receive the presentation from Parks and Community Service Department Staff.