THOUSAND OAKS : Museum to Have Flood Protection

Conejo Valley park officials plan to set aside $11,000 to flood-proof the basement of a Thousand Oaks museum that was damaged during heavy rains in February.

The work will consist of installing drainage pipes around the Stagecoach Inn Museum at 51 S. Ventu Park Road, said Tom Sorensen, parks and planning administrator with the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

The museum is in the middle of a watershed that collects floodwaters, and during rainstorms, water collects underneath the building, Sorensen said.

The district board will vote on the project at its 7:30 p.m. meeting Thursday.

Earlier this year, a carpet was damaged by the flooding and had to be removed, museum manager Sandy Hildebrandt said.

The water is also causing parts of the concrete floor underneath to buckle, she said, adding, “It’s not as pretty as we would like it to be.”

The museum basement is the home of the museum’s Indian artifact exhibit, Hildebrandt said. Most of the items have been kept off the floor on shelves to protect them from water damage.

The museum is a reconstruction of an inn that was originally built in 1876 and burned down in 1970. In addition to the Indian artifact exhibit, it also houses photographs and relics of the Conejo Valley’s past.