Monroe County approves financing plan for museum expansion after trustees' presentation

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted June 4 to approve a financing plan for an expansion and renovation of the Monroe County Museum, following a presentation by museum leaders and county staff.

The plan, documented in a letter dated May 29 from Michael Bisonnick, county administrator and chief financial officer, would use roughly $300,000 from the museum's fund balance and draw approximately $6,900,000 from the county's unreserved fund balance as a one-time capital investment, after the museum's trustees declined a recent $9 million state grant. "That money that would come out of the county's unreserved fund balance, a 1 time expenditure, but a 1 time investment into a project such as this," Bisonnick told commissioners.

Museum Board Chairman Brian Egan and Monroe County Museum Director Andrew (Andy) Clark told the board the project grew out of a pre-pandemic strategic plan and would expand exhibit, storage and program space while modernizing access to collections. "This museum expansion plan really hits on a lot of those components," Egan said. Clark described the proposed addition and renderings, saying, "Overall, we're looking at some changes in square footage. Getting close to 14,000 square feet of space."

Why it matters: Commissioners and museum leaders said the addition would create an accessible unified entrance, add archives and…