Vista museum prepares for move

By: CRAIG TENBROECK - Staff Writer | Sunday, September 30, 2007 11:05 PM PDT ∞

VISTA ---- Surveying the hundreds of photos, garments and antiques in the Vista Historical Museum last week, boardmember Janice Klafehn 61, took a slow, deep breath.

For the next few weeks, the museum's doors will be locked while volunteers sort through the collection and pack the delicate items carefully into boxes.

In early November, the Vista Historical Society must clear out of its headquarters near Wildwood Park to make way for a new fire station. For a few months, at least, the museum's inventory will be in storage, while the city searches for its next home.

Museum staffers and said last week that they're flexible about the move and confident a suitable location is out there.

Packing, on the other hand, could be a headache, Klafehn joked, as she nodded toward a cluttered back room, where photographs and clothing boxes were stacked high to the ceiling.

"The more I think about it, the higher my blood pressure goes," she said. "I have no clue how long it's going to take."

For the short term, the city will lease a temporary space for the society to hold its meetings and to store the museum's inventory, although nothing is definite, said Robin Putnam, the city's Community Projects Director.

Eventually, both the city and historical society would like to reopen the museum in a historic Rancho Minerva home, located near a middle school at Foothill Drive and San Clemente Avenue, officials said.

For that to happen, however, the city will need to reach an agreement with the property owner ---- the Vista Unifed School District.

"We're still hoping to work out a property exchange," Putnam said.

Putnam said the district has been notified of the city's interest, and she hoped the trustees would have a proposal in front of them soon.

"We have great aspirations, but it's their property," she said.

Rancho Minerva was once home to Greek immigrants Nicholas and Bessie Huntalas, who were among the earliest families in the area.

"It would be a beautiful location," said Paul Eckert, vice president of the Historical Society. "Kids could come over for classes and things of that nature. All kinds of things could happen."

Jack Larimer, director of the museum since 2002, said the transition period would be a good time to overhaul the museum's Web site.

"We will still be a presence," he said.

Contact staff writer Craig TenBroeck at (760) 901-4062 or ctenbroeck@nctimes.com.

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