Because of the state legislature’s budget fiasco of this year, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s 2009-2010 budget has been slashed by 43%. The cuts have affected staff, historical sites, and grants programs.
The PHMC has had to furlough 108 employees and eliminate 20 vacant positions. These furloughs affect each of the PHMC’s operations, including the State Museum, State Archives, and historical sites throughout the Commonwealth. Staff in offices that provide professional records management and archival services to other state offices have been reduced. The State Museum and State Library will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays from now on due to staff reductions.
Six of the PHMC’s historical sites will close. In Western PA these include Old Economy Village in Beaver County and the Somerset Historical Center in Somerset County. Five sites will close for the winter, to possibly re-open in the spring. In Western PA this includes the Drake Well Museum in Venango County. PHMC will transfer the operation of six sites to other organizations. In Western PA these include Bushy Run Battlefield in Westmoreland County, the Erie Maritime Museum/Flagship Niagara in Erie, and the Fort Pitt Museum in Pittsburgh.
Several grants programs that benefitted historical societies, museums, and related organizations have been eliminated. Project Grants have been cut out. These include the categories of Archives and Records Management, Historic Preservation, Museum Collections Management and Organizational Development, and Public History Grants. Technical Assistance Grants are eliminated. And the Keystone Historic Preservation Grants Program is cancelled for 2009-2010.
General Operating Support grants for museums and official county historical societies remain intact. The deadline for applying for these grants is January 8, 2010.
For all details about the remaining grants programs, visit the PHMC's web page at http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/phmc_home/1426.
Great Cooks, Great Food, Great Company
11 years ago
Some historical sites encompass a much larger scope in terms of events, emotions and number of people occupying a certain time and space .Seemingly insignificant(in the "eyes"of the state)sites cannot always depend upon the government to support them .We must take it upon ourselves and our societies to support each other in preservation.Let's ban together and do more networking as our society has been diligently working the idea.
ReplyDeleteMichaelMuchnock,past pres.Derry Area Historical Society