May 6, 2015 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Greene County Commissioners are expected to approve a motion today to provide a $20,000 grant to the Greene County Historical Society to make “critical” repairs to the organization’s museum.

The building, once the county poor farm, is still owned by the county and is leased to the historical society, Commissioner Archie Trader said Wednesday at the commissioners’ agenda meeting. Piers that support the main floor of the building, some of which are in a crawl space under the floors, have begun to deteriorate, Trader said. Money for the grant will come from the county’s general fund.

Eben Williams, museum director, said the situation has reached the point the museum has had to cordon off two rooms on the main floor. The flooring “has started to crack and the stability is not very good,” he said.

The piers are wooden beams that are set on stacked stone. As far as he knows, no work has ever been done to repair or replace the supports, Williams said.

The building also now has several other pressing needs, Williams said. The main chimney has started to sink and exterior brick has begun deteriorating because of moisture.

The society will need between $45,000 and $65,000 to address the piers, exterior brick and chimney, he said. Williams said he wasn’t sure how the society will get the money it needs to cover the full costs, but, he suspects it will probably have to hold additional fundraisers or seek special donations.

The museum on Rolling Meadows Road in Franklin Township is more than 135 years old. The original section was constructed in the mid-1850s as a private home. The county purchased the building in 1861 for a county poor farm and constructed the addition in 1880.

The poor farm closed in the mid-1960s, and the building was leased to the historical society several years later when it opened the museum there in 1971.

The commissioners also are expected to approve today a $20,000 grant to the Corner Cupboard Food Bank. The money will come from the county’s Act 13 impact fee money.

The money will help the food bank cover its general operating costs, said Maribeth Coote, executive director. The food bank serves about 2,000 people a month and operates on a budget of about $250,000 a year.

The commissioners also are expected to approve a $10,000 grant from the Act 13 money to the Municipal Authority of the Borough of Carmichaels.

Lloyd Richard, authority manager, said the authority requested the money to help it cover the costs of repairing damage to the system caused by the harsh winter weather.

Repairs had to be made to the authority’s clarifiers, pumps as well as its water intake at the river, he said.