$36,000 grant will spruce up museum

Staff Reports

A $36,000 grant will spruce up the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville.

Douglas County Historical Society President Grace Bower said the money will go to paint the outside of the building and for carpeting.

"We really need both of those bad," she said. "Anybody who comes to the museum can see that."

The grant was one of 27 totaling $3 million awarded by the Nevada Commission for Cultural Affairs for restoration and preservation projects around the state.

Bower said Jim Vinton of Mountain Shadows Landscape is donating time and labor to trim the trees and bushes so painting can begin.

Work on the museum will begin sometime in the next four months depending on when the state sells the bonds. Bower said she received the confirmation letter from the state on Thursday.

The Carson Valley Museum in Gardnerville is the former Douglas County High School, built in 1915. It opened as the Valley's second museum in 1995.

Support for the museums come from memberships in the historical society, donations, entrance fees and an annual grant by the Douglas County commissioners.

The grants program began in 1993 using $20 million in bonds funded by the Legislature. When that program expired, lawmakers authorized another $30 million in bonds in 2005 to be disbursed over a 10-year period.

Historic Preservation Officer On James said among the grants are funds for Storey, Douglas and Churchill counties.

This is the 13th year the commission has made the awards and James said the effect is especially visible in rural communities. He said some $24 million in state money has been awarded to more than 70 cultural projects. But he said local and other funds have more than doubled the total investment in those historic resources.

n Geoff Dornan of The R-C Capitol Bureau contributed to this article.