Nassau County Executive Laura
Curran is pledging to commit more money to museums by offering matching grant
funds for their projects underway.
President of the Nassau
County Cradle of Aviation Museum Andrew Parton tells News 12 he’s thrilled by
to hear the county is dispersing grant money for renovations and
improvements at 14
county museums.
"I call the whole thing a big opportunity,”
says Parton. "It’s a big win for us
and a win for the county since this is their museum.”
In a press conference,
officials said the county is committing to
matching funds raised by each museum operator dollar for dollar.
According to the Cradle of Aviation
president, the museum is hoping to use the
money to build a hangar that will display several restored aircrafts as well as
safeguard other artifacts and documents from Long Island's aviation legacy.
The E2
Aircraft constructed by Grumman on Long Island in Bethpage will be present.
News 12 is told volunteers who built the plane are having a chance to restore
it.
"It’s a
treasure trove of stuff going back 50, 60 years that we want to keep here on
Long Island,” says Parton.
Volunteers at the Museum
of American Armor in Old Bethpage say the county money is coming just in time.
“It means a lot - these
vehicles are 75 years of age if not an older and they are very important to the
museum and in fact the people of Nassau County and all of Long Island as we
make a connection between the World War II generation and our own right now,”
says Kevin Carrol, of Museum of American Armor.
Curators of Long Island's
past say the $2 million that will be shared by the participating museums will
go a long way in keeping local history intact.
"We’re happy to
protect that history and that legacy and build upon it,” says one curator.