Featured Image: AAM exterior– by Matt Wargo

Sen. Pat Browne Secures Keystone Grant for Improvements

Allentown, PA—Work will begin this summer on critical facility updates to the Allentown Art Museum thanks to a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, secured by Senate Appropriations Chairman Pat Browne (R-16 District).

The Museum received a $400,000 grant from the Keystone Communities Program to address important building upgrades and infrastructure needs, including a new HVAC system to help protect the Museum’s extensive art collection and maintain a comfortable environment for visitors and staff. The program is administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development’s Center for Community Enhancement.

“Senator Browne was instrumental in helping the Museum secure this essential funding,” says Max Weintraub, Allentown Art Museum president and CEO. “His ongoing, significant support of the arts in our community and his commitment to the health and missions of regional cultural institutions like the Allentown Art Museum are inspiring and deeply appreciated.”

The Museum has been in its current location, at 31 North Fifth Street in downtown Allentown, for more than six decades. Over the years the building’s aging operational systems have become less efficient and more challenging to maintain.

“Throughout its proud history, the Allentown Art Museum has been the crown jewel of the Lehigh Valley arts scene, providing our residents with access to a world-class collection and exhibitions,” Senator Pat Browne said. “I am proud to work with the Museum’s leadership to provide necessary funding for critical improvements to their facility so that they can continue to fulfill their mission for generations to come.”

The Keystone grant will allow for:
• Replacement of two air-handling units, which provide conditioned air to the galleries
• Replacement of twenty-plus fan-coil units, which together heat and cool 90% of the administrative workspaces
• Replacement of a component in a rooftop chiller compressor

All three of the HVAC projects are being done by local business Burkholder’s Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. of Emmaus.

The Keystone grant will also allow the Museum to install a new Wi-Fi system in the galleries to enhance educational programming and the visitor experience, and to repair a sidewalk and sinkhole adjacent to the building.

ABOUT THE ALLENTOWN ART MUSEUM
The Allentown Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that participates in the cultural, educational, and economic life of the Lehigh Valley. Defined by a unique combination of tradition and innovation, our collections, educational partnerships, community-based programs, and exhibitions are dedicated to inspiring the broadest possible public engagement, access, and service. For more information, please visit AllentownArtMuseum.org.
Information provided to TVL by:
Chris Potash
Manager of Marketing and Public Relations
Allentown Art Museum

 

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