palo alto junior museum ticketspalo alto junior museum tickets

@StephenM, we know Stanford professors and children of Stanford professor so I'm pretty sure that the land is not taxed, only the houses and improvements. Staff had assumed members would make up about 34% of daily attendance and general attendance make up the remaining 66%. Pair students with adults who can communicate a passion for their subject-matter, serve as positive adult role models, and get kids excited about learning. Grandiose idea that fails. Palo Alto, CA 94301, Home - Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo - Logo, Americans Motivations for and Barriers to Engaging with Science. These hands-on activities are . The captive eagle that dives off the arm flapping its wings? this is bating, interpreted as distress. This was once a wonderful and unpretentious museum for kids. Planned admission fees for new Junior Museum and Zoo draw opposition Your post also doesn't tell the story of the gas transfer tax, another complicated mess. However, I dont want to subsidize ALL of it. Thank you Jeremy Erman for the background about the Junior Museum pricing model as presented to staff. Tickets may only be purchased for those living in the same household at the same address. I don't understand. And then, it got even worse when they made two hour blocks of time. How much did the old system of voluntary donations raise? Obviously when there was no ticket revenue, the General Fund subsidy was even more central (!). Instead, the split has been roughly even. Kids and adults alike can enjoy these wonderful productions. The Palo Alto Childrens Library is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 1pm to 5pm. Sad the low bar CC will stoop to ruin long standing traditions. So let's see, the museum gets relocated / closed for many years, no longer free to attend, prices getting raised, and the museum is worse in almost every way to the predecessor. "Kristen O'Kane, director of the Community Services Department, presented to the council a set of options for potential fees and corresponding cost-recovery levels. Who among us asked for this? The Junior Museum & Zoo is the perfect place to take kids of all ages and ability levels! Josephine Randall (Yes the SF Rec and Park Randall Junior Museum). My goodness, Palo Alto! And while they are at it, make the museum/zoo free to all visitors. When wild animals are displayed in artificial circumstances, sans breeding to rescue endangered species, is this the preferred message to convey to our kids? 54% cost recovery through ticket sales is a very respectable number for an arts organization; most live theaters, for example, consider themselves lucky if they break 30%. Citizen speaking the truth. Someone else is weeping too down from the Heavens. This model spans almost a mile and features the planets in our solar system at a 1 to 10 billion scale. The website offers options to book the Junior museum for Weddings now which may explain the scale geared for adults. Under this new system you may arrive any time after the entry time on your reservation and you are welcome to stay as long as youd like (although we do close the zoo at 4:30pm and the museum promptly at 5pm). Mountain View Voice Getting around the Junior Museum & Zoo has never been easier thanks to our brand new facility. Become a Member A child spins a lever to move parts of the ball machine, A child and their parent roll a ball in the Curious by Nature exhibit. Field trips are only available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and require advanced reservation. We have some of our birds behind the scenes in response to recent outbreaks of bird flu. Developers did make millions of dollars on the "upgrade" though, so I guess it's a net win. OF COURSE there will be differences of opinion, but if there's one thing that has never changed it is our dedication to what is good for our children. This was always a bad idea. I'm voting in favor of the Gas Transfer tax and happy it funds the JMZ. Feeding times: 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for each person over 12 months of age. If you want to see wildlife, go to the forest in Tahoe, peel a banana, and wait for the wildlife to come to you. In its first two months of operations, the city limited operations to weekends only and capped the number of visitors for morning and afternoon sessions, which resulted in fewer ticket sales, class enrollments and facility rentals, the report states. The JMZ is exactly why the city doesn't deserve approval of the Gas Transfer Tax. There will be a fireworks show at the conclusion of the MLS game at Stanford Stadium around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. Landfill trash cans are left out for Greenwaste recently, these overfilled bins remained for 4 to 5 days on the street. This light pollution casts shadows across the streets, overwhelming the gentle lighting from the previous facility, and the lofty street lights that protect nighttime activity. South Palo Alto needs this community center to be fully operationaland will need it more after many hundreds of new units of housing are built. And not to mention increasing its access to external power supplies by the same 3x to 4X amount? 54% cost recovery through ticket sales is a very respectable number for an arts organization; most live theaters, for example, consider themselves lucky if they break 30%. Even at $10, its going to exclude sponteneous visiting, which, again, made it great for young kids. We provide hands-on and interactive programming to children from preschool through 5th Grade. Courtyard:Outdoor play, anyone? Now, trees along the planting strip are watered late at night by a tanker truckneighborhood trees are not offered this service and are visibly diseased. July 4th Celebration, BBQ & Fireworks 2023: California's Great - Patch As a local taxpayer w/ grown up kids, I get nothing out of this museum, but believe it benefits the community. Not everything needs to be edified at public expense. A trip to the Oakland or SF zoo is a day trip once or twice a year. When will we hit the performance target of 40,000 hours? However, CC recently passed a non-binding resolution that it will be spent only on housing, police and fire, and grade separation. Exploring the treasures at the Childrens Library is always a fun time! By Laura Stec | 0 comments | 963 views, Men: Olympic Gold Winner Michael Phelps says, Go to Therapy. Your contribution matters. Indeed, when the house is sold to a Stanford person, the county assessor makes up a guess at "fair market value" of the property, an amount that is generally much higher than the purchase price despite the fact that ownership of these houses has serious down sides - appreciation capped at something related to CPI, and a requirement to sell the property back to Stanford after 50 years. Web Link Ridiculous. All visitors must purchase their tickets and make their reservations online prior to their visit. Learn MoreFortunately, as of November 22, daily flamingo feedings have resumed. Try the best online travel planner to plan your travel itinerary! This has merit, as does education and fun for children in this region. This light pollution casts shadows across the streets, overwhelming the gentle lighting from the previous facility, and the lofty street lights that protect nighttime activity. We know it can be a challenge to keep little ones engaged especially with all those wiggles! 52 The old Junior Museum and Zoo was never broken in the first place -- and certainly not enough to justify spending millions of dollars for something that is only marginally more interesting to kids -- but prices out our children and visiting kids. Web Link I don't understand. The committee plans to discuss financial forecasts and possible changes in ticket prices for the. I too know many Stanford faculty, a number of whom live in these houses not on Stanford land, and I am certain that they pay taxes based on a higher price. Per status quo CC and highest earning city staff boot kids and families to the curb, crying poor, poor city coffers. like to make a contribution to local community services and get honorable mention. A trip to the Oakland or SF zoo is a day trip once or twice a year. All rights reserved. The Almanac Where will they get the money? Other scenarios contemplate ticket prices of $16, $17 and $18. San Francisco Zoo is $16 for kids, The Oakland Zoo is $15 for kids - and do you really think our little museum and zoo is even close to those two? Home & Real Estate Effective August 1, we will have three entry times: 10am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm. While grieving the horrible animal housing of the original museum, locals appreciated the engaging childrens science education. Looking at the linked City memo to the Finance Committee, it is clear that the purpose of the proposed fee increases is NOT to close the gap between the projected cost recovery and the actual cost recovery for the new Junior Museum and Zoo, but to change the cost recovery to 100% so the City does not have to pay any of the facility's operating costs. The Art Center offers fun activities for children and meaningful experiences for parents. Support a variety of learning styles, multiple intelligences and special needs. Sure, you can have a policy that low-income people can get reduced rates, but applying is humiliating, time-consuming, and tone deaf to the realities of our area with all the house poor who are too rich to qualify but too poor to actually afford fees like this. All prices are displayed per age group or reduced rate group. The City Council has been pretty vocal about its top priorities for the large-businesses tax (Measure K). Even the most modest proposal from staff would result in a 50% increase, with tickets for general entry going up from $10 to $15. Experience the New Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Website Obviously when there was no ticket revenue, the General Fund subsidy was even more central (!). 1451 Middlefield Road Check out the following options to discover things to do in Palo Alto! Mobile site. The report does not propose any ticket price increases at this time, though it notes that staff is monitoring the museum's resource needs and that any recommendations about adjustments will be presented to the Council as a part of the city's annual budget process for fiscal year 2024. How else will they ever learn? We have exciting news! If you want a great community, serve your community. This is a debacle! See: Michele Dauber's comment above. Leadership is needed to bring people together--to bring in the public and to guide staff toward greater openness to that engagement. You can even meet animals up-close in Wildlife Circle, where zoo staff host flamingo feedings and other events throughout the day. A friend who has a membership can barely go because the member spots are reserved all the time. Yup. Instead, the split has been roughly even. The JMZ remains one of many things that continue to depend in part on the Gas Transfer. Charging admission is problematic on so many levels. No idea why it couldn't have remained as it was with just a little refurbishing. The city wants tinker and just muck it up more. The Palo Alto Art Center was established in 1971 and is located just off of Highway 101 on Embarcadero Rd. I also watched that council meeting and couldn't believe staff's analysis on entrance fees and proposed revenue that would be raised, or how gullible the city council members. Family Programs The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Family Programs include "parent and me" preschool classes and afterschool programs for school-aged kids. Blogs Tickets are $10 per person over 12 months of age, and memberships are also available. Breathtaking, and FREE! You can also find a pool and tennis courts further into the park. Through hands-on science exhibits, a diverse community of live animals, and immersive zoo experiences your child's natural scientist will be nurtured! Contrast this orientation with neighboring Walter Hays Elementarys field trips into the natural environment and programs respecting indigenous peoples. By The Peninsula Foodist | 0 comments | 2,065 views, Summer Fun Around the Bay Area News MJH wrote: "I suspect that many employees in city hall are under the misconception that if you live in Palo Alto you must have plenty of discretionary income." What happened to a community benefit for all. Came out of a more progressive FDR time, during another Depression era where the benefit of free far out weighed fee based educational programs. City Council members balk at raising Junior Museum and Zoo ticket Implementing an increase the capacity of the capacity its in-city electric power distribution system by 3x to 4x present to prevent massive brown- and black-outs as demand increases rapidly in the future as we "go green"? 1451 Middlefield Road Why make it complicated ? It seems like more drop ins donating less on average would still raise comparable amounts. While staff had expected to sell 2,000 memberships, the actual number as of June 30 was 2,917. @Nayeli, If they are going to charge more, the PA Zoo will need to add more interesting and exotic animals from around the world. Its not working as is. Admission is free and youre sure to enjoy the welcoming atmosphere. Fewer people are serving on city commissions and committees. Give time to your community. Promotions Keep it no cost to enter and donations gladly accepted! The construction manager speculated that that 24 hour illumination was needed to test the LEDs. Its surrounded by community areas such as the Rinconada and Children's Libraries, the Junior Museum & Zoo, and the Lucie Stern Community Center. Tickets & prices Manage this page Admission prices & discounts for tickets to Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo in Palo Alto Source The following overview lists the admission prices and various discounts and discount codes for a visit to Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo in Palo Alto. Nothing like pulling straw from the bottom half pretending to make hay. And how about Stanford buying up all those homes and taking them off the tax rolls while objecting to housing THEIR community on Stanford campus and having to pay their fair share of sending the kids to PA schools. Now a day at the zoo for a few kids and a caretaker/parent is too expensive for more than one or 2 visits a year rather than a regular trip visit where the kids can pop in to see the animals and use the bathroom after playing at the nearby expensively redone playground. While staff had expected to sell 2,000 memberships, the actual number. Sad the low bar CC will stoop to ruin long standing traditions. Okay, so the current article says the fees covered 54% of the Museum's cost, which is only 5% off from the earlier article's projection of 59% if the attendance fee is $10 per person, and 11% off from the current article's 65% cost recovery goal. To be fair, the public, for its part, is not actively engaging with the city at the level it once did. Why was a nice and functional facility destroyed to be replaced by this extravagant Taj Mahal? " Plans need to be vetted by an informed public. This was always a bad idea. Short, frequent, exposure to age appropriate play and leaning. Just want to know for comparison. Terms of Use Whether rich, poor or in between, Palo Alto's community programs were very inexpensive or free--and nourished all community members equally. Engage multiple senses and encourage kinesthetic learning. Thank you Jeremy Erman for the background about the Junior Museum pricing model as presented to staff. This makes no sense. Visiting libraries during a trip can be a great way to explore the local culture and history. The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo provides high-quality science education for kids through afterschool programs, summer camps, classroom lessons, field trips, and more. Heres our list of the 5 best things to do with kids in the city of Palo Alto. Large areas lack any light shading. If they are going to charge more, the PA Zoo will need to add more interesting and exotic animals from around the world. Something our "planners" absurdly ignored when eagerly forecasting all the local visitors, tourists and school buses from outside Palo Akto who'd flock to the zoo. Home / Programs Programs The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo provides high-quality science education for kids through afterschool programs, summer camps, classroom lessons, field trips, and more. According to a new city analysis, the museum's operations are costing the city more than $1.2 million annually. Will tourists from out of town actually put the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo on their 'must see' list? The things people are complaining about were inevitable when PA hired the former head of SFs zoo after the tiger mauling. The JMZ is exactly why the city doesn't deserve approval of the Gas Transfer Tax. Whereas, many people make considerable sacrifices so their children can attend Palo Alto schools, and many people who do not have children have a much more restricted income than seems to be assumed by city hall employees. Meerkat, schmeerkat. What role did the Friends of Junior Museum and Zoo, the City Council, and Staff play in this? The JMZ remains one of many things that continue to depend in part on the Gas Transfer. Also, as reflected in decisions made in the past, by too many council members." Jul 4, 2023 . Effective August 1, we will have three entry times: 10am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm. The capped appreciation requirement is the same as what UC Irvine imposes on its for purchase on-campus housing. How many of you pay ridiculous ticket prices to go see rappers and other performers nowadays?? Again, this is NOT the deal under which the new facility was built and financed. Not everything needs to be edified at public expense. And the Museum did that with only 45% of the current projected attendance. At the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, our mission is toengage a childs curiosity for science and nature. How about all the folks who got exemptions on the business tax? This is a great loss to the current, and future residents of the city. These things can skew one's perception of reality. I am thinking of the privileged applicants who appear to get "most favored nation" treatment when seeking building permits and variances. When will Palo start getting interest in REALLY IMPORTANT things? Uploaded: Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 9:38 am 7 Time to read: about 4 minutes Above the small tunnel that leads to the cichlid fish exhibit at Palo Alto's newly renovated Junior Museum and Zoo,. Lobbyists given way more transparency and choices of how to spend than voters, and they can waltz into private negotiations, threatening to campaign against the City's interests. Staff had assumed members would make up about 34% of daily attendance and general attendance make up the remaining 66%. The City also admits that attendance--and thus fees--have been down because of COVID restrictions and surges, and that the lack of available reservations is mainly because of limited space and time because of COVID protocols. The city ended up selling 1.5 times the number of memberships it projected, and is nowcomplaining? Solar System Model:Opening on May 14th 2022, the Voyage Solar System model is a free outdoor exhibit from the Junior Museum & Zoo. However, CC recently passed a non-binding resolution that it will be spent only on housing, police and fire, and grade separation. From outdoor concerts and movie nights to animal encounters and local festivals, theres something for everyone to enjoy. And, just for the record, homeowners on the Stanford campus also pay property taxes based on the assessments of their homes exactly as would be done for homes in Palo Alto. According to a new city analysis, the museum's operations are costing the city more than $1.2 million annually. Gennady Sheyner covers the City Hall beat in Palo Alto as well as regional politics, with a special focus on housing and transportation. Outside, youll find a water table, gravel dig, and lots of space to run around. Online name: A correction of a common misconception: Homes that Stanford buys and then resells to faculty do not leave the property tax rolls. Mobile site. Why not use the resources from their proposed business tax to offset the projected expenses of the Junior Museum and Zoo? Charging admission is problematic on so many levels. We have some of our birds behind the scenes in response to recent outbreaks of bird flu. Ecofriedly landscaping was installed around the perimeter. It is time for the PACC to put on their thinking caps (if they happen to have one handy). Developers did make millions of dollars on the "upgrade" though, so I guess it's a net win. To book a self-guided field trip at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, email funscience@cityofpaloalto.org. Some criticize staff for failure to engage the community (and there is some truth to that), but Council has not demonstrated strong leadership getting the public engaged. I'm SO tired of his weekly Uplift newsletter. Events - Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo City of Palo Alto (@cityofpaloalto) Instagram photos and videos. It also provides an opportunity to relax, read, and learn something new. Outdoor Reading: The Childrens Library features a fun and inviting Secret Garden-- perfect for littles to read and explore outside. The Palo Alto Zoo is no San Diego Zoo by any means of the word or definition. You can also directly book your discounted online ticket for the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo here, if available. I suspect that many employees in city hall are under the misconception that if you live in Palo Alto you must have plenty of discretionary income. Embarcadero Media How else will they ever learn? Home - Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Its not complicated. The topic of admission prices proved to be thorny last year, as staff proposed charging $18 for admission to a museum that historically allowed visitors to walk in for free. Im really sad for our kids and families that it has been turned into a destination they have to reserve ahead of time to get into, playing into the overscheduling of childhood. We took the tour when it first opened and they wanted to placate the neighbors for the construction disruption and there was hardly enough to see for maybe 30 minutes in the zoo and maybe another 15-30 minutes in the exhibit area. When will Palo start getting interest in REALLY IMPORTANT things? Each time I've tried to go to the zoo, the tickets were all sold out because they limited attendance. Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic. Here are some fun activities you can enjoy at the Palo Alto Art Center: Art Exhibits:The art gallery is open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and features rotating exhibits. How could this have gone more wrong? Staff acknowledge in the new report that while raising ticket prices help with cost recovery, "a drastic increase of 50% within a year may impact visits and deter patrons." raised $25 million for the museum's reconstruction, Lack of cell coverage is stranding Foothills Nature Preserve visitors, Report urges overhaul of Palo Alto's retail laws, City proposes right-turn-only islands, but no traffic signal, for Lincoln and Middlefield, Environmental Protection Agency invests more than $50M to protect San Francisco Bay, For beleaguered property owner, change of zoning is anything but straightforward. On Tuesday, the council Finance Committee will consider various scenarios for raising revenues, all of which call for hiking ticket prices. And we won't even talk about the absurdly expensive Fiber Project and/or how they ignored the residents during the business tax negotiations where the Mayor and CC totally caved to the business community while insulting and/or ignoring residents who objected. It only shows that decisions are being made that are way out of the City's reach. Please do not call 9-1-1 to report the fireworks. Bus 35 to stop- Middlefield & Embarcadero. Wondering what a ticket to Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo costs? I haven't spoken to anyone who has been to visit and putting the prices up will make it even more unlikely to be used. Palo Alto boasts a diverse culinary scene that reflects the cosmopolitan community. They took a cute FREE neighborhood zoo frequented by everyone (babies, toddlers, small children, nannies) and made it cost-prohibitive by over building. Stop wasting it on projects of lesser importance to the future of Palo Alto??? Programs - Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Maybe they would Sports Youth and teen classes are ideal for kids 3 to 18 years old. Maybe the double payment (our existing property taxes + the new blanket entrance fees) collected from residents to use Foothills Park, which also used to be free, can subsidize this? Meanwhile, Cubberley Community Center, located where the vast majority of current housing growth is being planned, continues to decay after years of neglect and unproductive, poorly administered public process. Another fuel may be some of the salaries paid at City Hall, such as the City Manager's, which is higher than the Governor's. Why is the City not proud to fund these organizations it has run for decades and decades? When the Junior Museum and Zoo was smaller and had free admission, people just walked up from the street and visited. Does that mean that the property owner has one basis for "selling" it back to Stanford and there's another for the County to assess value? When the Junior Museum and Zoo was smaller and had free admission, people just walked up from the street and visited. The Palo Alto Zoo is no San Diego Zoo by any means of the word or definition. The theatre is located on Middlefield Rd. One possible way to address this is by raising ticket prices by 10% to 20% in the coming year and creating a roadmap for long-term cost recovery. Let's cultivate a healthy public process through civil, well-informed and mutually respectful participation.