The Sunnyvale museum gets approval from city council
New building will be constructed at the Orchard Heritage Park
By Jana Seshadri
The city of Sunnyvale will have a brand-new historical museum at Orchard Heritage Park, adjacent to the arboretum on the community center grounds. At the May 14 Sunnyvale City Council meeting, the council unanimously approved the staff's recommendation to build a new structure to house the city's historical artifacts and memorabilia. The project will be funded by the city and other grant sources.
This project will be a long-term partnership between the city and the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association, with primary responsibility for developing, operating and maintaining the museum falling to the society, according to Robert Walker, director of parks and recreation for Sunnyvale.
"To understand who we are, we have to know who we were," said Thom Mayer, resident of Lakewood Village in Sunnyvale, while requesting that the council approve the staff's recommendation for the new site.
"We have been making do all these years with a closet for a historical museum," said Jan Camp, the president of the historical society and museum association.
The existing facility at Murphy Park consists of a 650-square-foot room for display space and an additional 1,200 square feet for storage space.
"We don't have enough space for all our artifacts," Laura Babcock said at the meeting. Babcock, a member of the society, as well as a planning commissioner, was instrumental in forming a team and working with the city to obtain the museum site.
"All the teams have worked together wonderfully well on this project," City Manager Robert LaSala said at the meeting. "It's a textbook example of citizens working with the city and the city working with citizens."
After conducting several neighborhood input meetings and study sessions, the society and city staff ruled out the option of purchasing a "heritage home" and the properties located at 161 and 167 N. Sunnyvale Avenue and converting those into a museum. The option of physically moving the structure at 161 N. Sunnyvale Avenue to Orchard Heritage Park and renovating it was also dismissed, since the cost for just moving the building and placing it on a foundation would exceed $400,000. In addition, costs to purchase the structure and renovate it would cost an extra $1 million, bringing the total to $1.4 million.
Initial cost estimates for a new 4,000-square-foot structure range from $800,000 to $1,100,000, depending on the type of structure, Walker said. The floor area of the new building has also not yet been determined, as the society has requested at least 6,000 square feet to adequately satisfy all their requirements.
In addition to housing all the city's artifacts, the museum will need classrooms, conference rooms and an office area, Babcock said.
Several options to cover the costs for the structure were discussed. When Proposition 40 passed last March, a minimum of $644,000 was made available to Sunnyvale through its noncompetitive Per Capita Grant Program and an additional almost $390,000 in noncompetitive Robert Z'berg-Harris Block Grant funding, according to the staff report. Both of these grant programs stipulate that the city submit the applications for specific projects; the funds will only be released by the state if it is determined that the projects meet a set of definite criteria. Staff recommendation included an allocation of $500,000 of the city's funds to the museum project, contingent upon successful application for Proposition 40 funds.
Oliver Wesson III, a representative from State Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist's office, read a letter from Alquist that urged the city to agree to a long-term commitment to the museum project.
"I believe that the residents of Sunnyvale should enjoy their history," Alquist stated in the letter. Alquist is the assemblywoman for the 22nd Assembly District, which includes Sunnyvale.
When Councilwoman Pat Vorreiter asked Wesson if the assemblywoman would champion this cause should the city apply to the state for grant monies, he responded with a firm "yes."
To Councilman Jack Walker's query on whether the museum project could be combined with the senior center project, Robert Walker's response was that there is no design yet for the museum since it has just been approved.
Former Sunnyvale Mayor Pat Castillo read a letter written by the great-grandchildren of the Murphy family that approves building a replica of the old Murphy home at the new museum site.
Castillo also urged the council to consider committing to the museum project on a long-term basis and provide financial backing if the need should arise.
"I'm asking you to be a bank," Castillo said.
Mayor Fred Fowler suggested that the council consider the postponement of another capital project in order to fund this.
"This is a great opportunity for those who love the community to work together," Vorreiter said.
The next step would be for the city to apply for the park bond funds and for the society to start its fundraising campaign.
"This will be wonderful for our kids," Councilman John Howe said. "We now have a way of enhancing Orchard Heritage Park."
Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
