TULARE COUNTY AG MUSEUM SET TO GO UP
By Lewis Griswold
Fresno Bee
Dec 5 2008
CA
Construction of the Museum of Agriculture and Farm Labor at Mooney
Grove will begin in January, said Brian Summers, capital projects
coordinator for Tulare County.
Bids were opened Tuesday, and Webb & Son of Porterville had the low
bid of $2.3 million for the two-story building, which was designed
to look like a barn. It’ll be 17,000 square feet.
For drama, architect James Cioffi of Palm Springs put glass from floor
to roof on the entire north end wall. Rooftop solar panels will be
installed for an extra $90,000.
The county will spend $2.4 million on the project. Supervisors are
scheduled to review the winning bid on Dec. 16 and vote yes or no.
Twelve bids were received, and all came in under the engineer’s
estimate, probably reflecting the state of the economy, Summers
said. The building should be completed in September 2009.
The Tulare County Historical Society won a state grant of $1.5 million
from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment. The historical
society has pledged to seek contributions from the community toward
the cost of the building, and the county’s Millennium Fund will cover
the remainder.
When the museum opens, the contribution by Armenians to local
agriculture and farm labor will be highlighted, with other ethnic
groups added over time, said historical society past president Carl
Switzer.
FOSSILS HOLD GIFT DAY: The Exeter Fossils club will host its 14th
annual Children’s Christmas Store on Saturday at the First Southern
Baptist Church in Farmersville, starting at 8 a.m. until all gifts
are gone.
The Fossils spend the year finding gifts, then on the big day they
let children from kindergarten through eighth grade come in, select
a gift, and have it wrapped to take home for Christmas, said Barbara
Fowler. They’re not free, but cost only 5 cents to $1.
No adults are allowed in while the child selects his or her gift, but
each child is escorted by student volunteers from Farmersville High.
PARADE WINNER: Girl Scout Unit No. 12 won the sweepstakes award in the
Candy Cane Lane Parade for its float on the theme "A Child’s Christmas
Fantasy." The Girl Scouts got $500, a plaque and bragging rights.
The float had a train and a candy cane house, built by Charles Spencer,
husband of longtime Girl Scout leader Aloah Spencer. The girls made
the ornaments.
ABC30 will air a tape of the parade at 7 p.m. Sunday.
CALENDAR BOYS: Visalia Community Bank released its 10th annual calendar
of historical photos. Copies are free at bank branches.
The April photo shows four Cub Scouts — Bill Bohland, Stan Simpson,
Tom Link and Duane Davis — selling raffle tickets to the county
Board of Supervisors in 1950.
All four are still alive and showed up for a calendar party at the
bank this week.