Museum Education Center Back on Track

Editor's Note: Updated with a quote from City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto.

Plans for a proposed 2,600 square-foot education center adjacent to the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage are back on track. The city has sent out bid requests for a design-build contract.

Floretta Lauber of the Gilb Museum Commission says she hopes to break ground on the education center this year.

The commission has raised $500,000 towards the design and construction of the education center. The city, which owns the land the museum sits on, will be responsible for the education center's maintenance.

City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said the city will likely also help cover some of the cost of constructing the education center, though museum commissioners insist that the building's price tag will not exceed the amount they raised.

"We have no expectations that the building will cost only $500,000," Lazzaretto told Patch. "The city is expecting to add additional funds to complete the project. We do not know the amount at this time. We will know that information when the bids come back."

The money will likely come from the Parks and Recreation Fund, he added. Contractors have 45 days to respond to the bid request.

Still, Lauber says, the commission is eager to move forward on the project.

The commission first conceived of the education center in 2006, when it became apparent the Gilb Museum simply did not have the space to accommodate the programs curators had developed.

The center would be nestled between the Gilb Museum and the community center, and feature one large lecture hall that can be divided into three separate classrooms, each equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment.

The center will also have a gallery that runs the length of the building, a modified kitchen area, restrooms and storage, along with a sheltered portico at the front for future fundraising events.

Curator Dana Dunn said she looks forward to expanding the museum's programs.

"It'll be nice because we have our patio now, but with our patio we have problems with lighting and weather," Dunn said. "Having an an indoor space…will be really, really beneficial."