Library makes room for heritage museum

A glimpse of Chula Vista’s history is always displayed at the Chula Vista Heritage Museum.

But last Wednesday, after nearly 25 years, the 500-square-foot museum turned the page from its old location near Memorial Bowl to a 500-square-foot section at the Chula Vista Civic Library at 365 F St. The Chula Vista Heritage Museum has always been operated by the Chula Vista Public Library.

The Friends of The Library, a nonprofit organization dedicated to support the Chula Vista Public Library, have funded the old hamburger stand turned into a museum throughout the years. The move to the civic library is said to save the friends of Library about $6,000 to $ 15,000 a year in staffing and utilities, said Library Director Betty Waznis.

“It’s not only that it’s the savings, but we’re getting something better for it,” she said.

Waznis said public will benefit from the move as it will be open during the library’s orders of operation –about 53 hours a week- as opposed to the 11 hours a week that it was opened for at the last location.

Waznis said the move has been a year in the making when the library staff began thinking of making interior changes at the civic library branch and it occurred to them that the Heritage Museum would be a good fit in the building. She said it was time for the Heritage Museum to move because it was outdated.

Kicking off the grand opening at the new location, the first exhibit on display is the “The Great Flood of 1916,” which will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the great Otay River flood that flooded all of Chula Vista. Charles Hatfield was hired by the city of San Diego to create rain during a prolonged drought. More than 19 inches of rain fell in San Diego County and at 5:05 p.m. on Jan. 27, the Lower Otay Dam Collapsed, sending a wall of water through the Otay Valley and destroying farms, homes and lives in its path.