June 1, 2011

Although we have been closed for the past month, everyone has worked with the limited parking so that we could continue the school tours, the Children’s Native American Cultural Workshops, meetings, and a few of our special tours and luncheons. We very much appreciate everyone’s cheerful cooperation, but it truly does not seem the same without the volunteer presence, our various volunteer teams, and our visitors! We expect to reopen to the public on Wednesday, July 6th.

Over the past couple of months we have made dramatic progress, although some of it is invisible and within the walls of the Education Center, such as all of the telephone and data lines that will support our communications and computer connectivity. The Bookshop/Classroom is 98% complete, all of the cabinets are installed and the free-standing cabinets are finished but will await delivery until after the concrete floors have been finished and polished. The simple but elegant blend of unpainted wood, metal and concrete creates a space that feels precisely in character with the ranch. We are looking forward to having a well-appointed Bookshop for all of the intriguing merchandise that Teresa Barbee, Bookshop Manager, has rounded up, and certainly the Classroom will be a great space for a myriad of activities.

The Education Center continues apace with doors being hung and interior walls beginning to be readied for closing up. Over the past few months there has been a strong focus on the parking lot and bringing all the new utilities into the building. The driveway and parking lot were demolished in careful phases in order to allow for hand excavation and examination of the root structures of our historic pepper trees where they could be affected by the construction. Under the direction of the consulting arborist, minimal, selective root pruning was done where absolutely necessary and the configuration of the planter islands in the lot modified to better accommodate the root systems. Once the demolition and rough grading was done, the initial work began on the installation of all the underground irrigation and utilities to feed the building and from there distribute throughout the site. Concrete retaining walls on the north and west sides of the Education Center edge the ramp down to the lower level, and will also contain the planter beds for the trees and other landscaping to be installed, including some new pepper trees.

Quite dramatic was the demolition of most of the City-built areas of the Maintenance Yard, including the non wheelchair accessible public restrooms. The remodeled Maintenance Yard will include a wheelchair accessible public restroom to serve the tent and front lawn side of the site. The Maintenance Yard will also be used to accommodate the tables and chairs used for events in the tent and on the front lawn, and will house horticultural offices and a break area for garden staff.

Under the direction of Claudia Jurmain, Director of Special Projects and Publications, steady progress was also made on the graphic elements for the Education Center, with particular attention to the Orientation Panel in the lobby which features a hand-rendered bird’s eye view of the site, and also illustrates the evolution of the landscape over time, as well as our signature trees.

All in all quite a multi-faceted project that will shape the site and the institution for decades to come!

- Pamela Seager, Executive Director