Amador County – Jackson historians set about getting a second opinion on the structural status of the Amador County Museum Monday, with the hope of reopening the old building. Jackson Councilman Keith Sweet and Planning Commissioner Dave Butow joined Larry Cenotto, president of the Amador County Historical Society, and former museum Curator Georgia Fox to lead an assessment tour of the building, looking for a second opinion on upgrades needed for the facility. Fox said the museum has items that took decades to gather, but it was unfortunate they could not be seen by the public. Sweet agreed, saying that history and museums are a major draw for tourists to the Mother Lode, and to Jackson in particular. Sweet said that at a recent Jackson Farmers Market, three people who approached him asked him how to find the museum. He said they could look around the outside, but the interior of the museum has been closed to the public for two years, while the Historical Society and the county have sought to make the building both accessible to the disabled and safe for inhabiting. Fox said the tour by a civil engineer and a construction contractor on Monday was to “get a second opinion, like you do from a doctor.” The museum, a relic of a building itself, has been shuttered since its roof began leaking. It was fixed, but at a cost that was triple the original estimate. Fox said the $400,000 final cost led to the Historical Society looking for a second opinion for the remaining structural integrity issues of the building. Cenotto, longtime Amador County Archivist, said the Historical Society has a signed contract with Amador County to work on getting the museum’s scale model of the Kennedy Mine open to the public. Cenotto said the contract includes “preliminary plans on what we need to do to be ADA compliant,” and managing the grounds of the museum. Two Nevada business representatives on Monday toured the museum to work on a free estimate for repairs. Paul Ferrari, president of Ferrari Shields & Associates Engineering (of Reno), toured the museum with Lee Johnson, of Reyman Construction, located in Sparks, Nevada. Lee said one place to start would be to install exterior French drains around the museum in order to divert water from the building’s foundation. Lee and Ferrari also looked at the old county courthouse and Kennedy Mine Wheel Number 4, which Sweet said is getting to be in bad shape. The Nevada companies have previously worked on restoring a tailing wheel at the Kennedy Mine. The pair planned to inspect the museum and purported structural weaknesses. The Reyman firm is noted for its preservation work at the Stanford Mansion in Sacramento. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010 06:24
Historical Society Leads Inspection of Amador Museum
Amador County – Jackson historians set about getting a second opinion on the structural status of the Amador County Museum Monday, with the hope of reopening the old building. Jackson Councilman Keith Sweet and Planning Commissioner Dave Butow joined Larry Cenotto, president of the Amador County Historical Society, and former museum Curator Georgia Fox to lead an assessment tour of the building, looking for a second opinion on upgrades needed for the facility. Fox said the museum has items that took decades to gather, but it was unfortunate they could not be seen by the public. Sweet agreed, saying that history and museums are a major draw for tourists to the Mother Lode, and to Jackson in particular. Sweet said that at a recent Jackson Farmers Market, three people who approached him asked him how to find the museum. He said they could look around the outside, but the interior of the museum has been closed to the public for two years, while the Historical Society and the county have sought to make the building both accessible to the disabled and safe for inhabiting. Fox said the tour by a civil engineer and a construction contractor on Monday was to “get a second opinion, like you do from a doctor.” The museum, a relic of a building itself, has been shuttered since its roof began leaking. It was fixed, but at a cost that was triple the original estimate. Fox said the $400,000 final cost led to the Historical Society looking for a second opinion for the remaining structural integrity issues of the building. Cenotto, longtime Amador County Archivist, said the Historical Society has a signed contract with Amador County to work on getting the museum’s scale model of the Kennedy Mine open to the public. Cenotto said the contract includes “preliminary plans on what we need to do to be ADA compliant,” and managing the grounds of the museum. Two Nevada business representatives on Monday toured the museum to work on a free estimate for repairs. Paul Ferrari, president of Ferrari Shields & Associates Engineering (of Reno), toured the museum with Lee Johnson, of Reyman Construction, located in Sparks, Nevada. Lee said one place to start would be to install exterior French drains around the museum in order to divert water from the building’s foundation. Lee and Ferrari also looked at the old county courthouse and Kennedy Mine Wheel Number 4, which Sweet said is getting to be in bad shape. The Nevada companies have previously worked on restoring a tailing wheel at the Kennedy Mine. The pair planned to inspect the museum and purported structural weaknesses. The Reyman firm is noted for its preservation work at the Stanford Mansion in Sacramento. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Latest from
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