SOLEDAD — A Civic Plaza and upgrades to the Soledad Historical Society Museum are being considered by the City Council for future development on Soledad Street.
“The City of Soledad finds that it is of value and importance to recognize and protect the historical and cultural resources of the city,” said Michael McHatten, city manager.
McHatten brought multiple options to the City Council on Sept. 6 to consider regarding the Civic Plaza. The city owns the adjacent parcels next to the museum.
“The concept of a Civic Plaza with landscape buffers, top lot, picnic shelters and other amenities is something that we might consider,” said McHatten. “We can also bring events to this, such as food truck Fridays. Ultimately, we would work in concert with the Historical Society as well as the Farmer’s Market.”
At the current point in time there is no funding for the Civic Plaza project because of the elimination of redevelopment agency funding. McHatten approached the City Council members to gain direction on the project on Sept. 6.
The Historical Society is facing its own challenges. In 2009, the Historical Society signed a 15-year lease with the city to use the museum site and President Craig Stephens along with board members needed to know if they would have long-term use of the building.
“They are eligible to apply for a grant through Small Museums in the State of California unless they have a 20-year commitment,” said McHatten.
The lease also impacts the recruit of new Historical Society members and longer-term planning. The Historical Society also is planning to add a single-stall restroom, and the museum needs to be treated for termites, which the Historical Society has the money to fund if the longer lease was granted to them.
“We have the money to finish the restoration of the interior, which includes the painting of the ceiling,” said Stephens. “Then we want to start fundraising for putting a building behind the museum because we need additional storage.”
The museum has plans for adding space to accommodate additional vendors, such as the Chamber of Commerce, wineries and others, as well as adding a conference or meeting room area and a launch point for tourism/tour ventures.
That proposed floor plan has a cost estimate of $400,000. The estimate also factors in making the doorways American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible.
The Historical Society is planning to be part of the 2018 South County Ag Tour. The City Council made the decision to hold work sessions to talk about the topic further and have a decision about the termites fairly quickly.
