Village of Palmyra Secures Grant from Preservation League of NYS

ALBANY, NY (08/24/2012)(readMedia)-- The Preservation League of New York State has awarded a $2,500 Technical Assistance Grant to the Village of Palmyra. The grant will support the completion of a building conditions study for the village's historic Quatrefoil Bandstand.

Built circa 1906, the bandstand is the focal point of community cultural and artistic activities in Palmyra's 207-building National Register Historic District. The bandstand is used year-round for free concerts, movies, art exhibits and, as was typical of 19th and 20th -century American life, speeches by visiting lecturers and dignitaries. Moisture damage has taken a toll on this elegant bandstand, as shown by deterioration of the wood and metal structure, sheathing and decorative elements.

Bero Architecture of Rochester will examine these and other issues, make restoration recommendations, and prepare cost estimates so that the village can provide the enhanced stewardship that the landmark deserves.

The Preservation League of New York State launched the Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program in 2012 to support discrete projects that preserve New York State's cultural and historic resources. Grants of up to $3,000 are available to not-for-profit arts and cultural groups and municipalities managing historic sites, museums, arts facilities and other culturally important institutions that are located in historic buildings and structures open to the public.

"In a very competitive grant round, applicants sought funds for technical studies carried out by preservation and design professionals which included building conditions surveys, engineering and structural analyses, and feasibility and reuse studies," said Tania Werbizky, the League's Regional Director of Technical and Grant Programs in western New York. "The Preservation League is delighted to help advance the preservation efforts of the Village of Palmyra with this grant."

The first of two grant rounds in 2012 awarded $19,495 to seven projects in seven counties. Each grant recipient must provide a $500 match.

The Preservation League of New York State is a private, not-for-profit organization that works to protect and enhance the Empire State's historic buildings, landscapes and neighborhoods. The Technical Assistance Grant Program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

"The TAG program builds on the track record of excellence the League has established with the similarly NYSCA-funded Preserve New York Grant program," said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. "Our TAG program fills a significant funding gap. It is tailored to provide support to worthy projects in New York that are ineligible for grants from other sources, or may not have the scope or scale to compete at regional and national levels."

Organizations and municipalities receiving TAG support in the first funding round of 2012 are: Albany County: Shaker Heritage Society; Cattaraugus County: Gowanda's Historic Hollywood Theater; Delaware County: Hanford Mills Museum; Rockland County: Garnerville Arts Project; Tioga County: Newark Valley Historical Society; Tompkins County: Trumansburg Conservatory of the Fine Arts; Wayne County: Village of Palmyra.

For more information on the League's Technical Assistance Grant program, please call 518-462-5658 or visit the League's website at www.preservenys.org.