
Furthering their efforts to help preserve the Land of the Beardies Museum, the Glen Innes Historical Society have received a grant to help upgrade mobility access.
As part of the continuing efforts to improved the access to the Museum, this year the Historical Society will be using a $21,274 State Grant to launch stage two of their project to improving mobility access.
Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, said the funding would complete an effort to improve and make safer entry points into the museum.
"So many people have ancestral links to Glen Innes and the Land of the Beardies History House Museum and Research Centre offers them the gateway to explore their family heritage," Mr Marshall said.
The Historical Society has embarked on a staged approach to improving access points throughout the museum, last year they had the driveway entry resurfaced funded through a $7,426 Crown Lands grant.
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Stage two of the project will ensure all visitors, no matter their level of mobility, can engage with exhibitions and connect with their past. The project is expected to be completed by the end of April.
Mr Marshall said this grant will fund stage two of that access program, refurbishing and repainting the building's exterior rear entrance and installing a portico over the door.
"I expect once these works are finished we will see the museum's current visitation of 4,100 people a year sky rocket, with hundreds of new people choosing to stop and spend in Glen," Mr Marshall said.
Glen Innes Historical Society President Malcolm Wehr said it will be a great relief to have the accessibility project finally complete.
"The History House requires an enormous amount of finance to maintain buildings in a condition that will attract tourists and leave an impression," Mr Wehr said.
"These upgrades greatly improve both access into the museum and visitor experience, especially for those with low-mobility and in larger touring groups.
"Completion of the project will allow us to turn our focus to the next stage of the extensive building refurbishment, which may be the free standing Eric and Rachel Potter Memorial Building, that we currently uses as a meeting room.
"That building was constructed nearly a century ago, as a World War 1 memorial, and is in much need of repainting, reroofing and new windows.