Riverside council extends museum expansion architect through 2028 and accepts $6 million grant for Anza Narrows park

The Riverside City Council on Sept. 1 approved more money and more time for the architect on the Museum of Riverside expansion and accepted a $6 million state grant for a park along the Santa Ana River, according to the meeting minutes.

Both items were on the consent calendar. The minutes record a motion by Councilmember Hemenway, with a second from Councilmember Mill, to approve the calendar and list each item as approved, but they do not state the vote tally.

Museum expansion

The council approved a seventh amendment to the city's agreement with Perkins Eastman Architects, adding $237,680 and extending it to March 31, 2028. That brings the contract to $2,788,617.

A further $37,320 contingency was approved for unforeseen consultant work.

A staff report says the general contractor is forecasting completion of the Museum of Riverside Expansion and Rehabilitation Project in fall 2027, with September 2027 given as the projected date.

Most of the added money, $196,880, is for construction administration. The rest covers waterproofing observation and structural engineering.

According to the report, earlier amendments dealt with utility redesign, hazardous materials, hidden structural conditions and underground conflicts, and those risks "have largely been addressed."

The money comes from the Measure Z Capital Fund.

Anza Narrows park

The council adopted Resolution No. 24418 accepting $6 million from the California State Coastal Conservancy for Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park. The city does not have to match it, a staff report says.

The 40-acre park sits on a bluff above the Santa Ana River and is used for disc golf. It has no playground or restroom, the report says.

A master plan adopted in April calls for a playground, a recirculating water play area, restrooms, an outdoor classroom, a small bandshell, a community meadow and swings overlooking the river. The report estimates the whole plan at about $12 million.

The grant will pay for design of the whole park and part of the construction, including a restroom building and playground, according to the report.

Site work to stop unauthorized vehicles from crossing the park into the river will also be a priority, the report says. It describes vehicle intrusion as a cause of environmental damage and added wildfire risk.

The parks department will look for more grants to cover the remainder.

Museum collection changes

The council approved removing several items from the museum's permanent collection.

Three bird specimens, two Brewer's blackbirds and a Costa's hummingbird, were damaged by dermestid beetles and are beyond conservation, a museum staff report says.

Thirty objects exhibited at Heritage House, most of them laundry tools shown on the back porch, including a washing machine, a washboard and 24 clothespins, plus a pie safe, will move to the museum's prop collection. The report says they will stay at Heritage House, where docents use them in tours.