Montgomery leaders invest in museum accessibility ahead of county, state, nation’s 250th

By Ainsley Cragin

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors looks to award $117,000 to support the installation of an elevator in the Montgomery Museum of Art and History ahead of 2026 celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary.  

Why it matters: The proposed contribution from the county will support the museum’s application for special grant funds from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR). 

Driving the news: The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will vote Monday on a resolution to support Montgomery Museum’s grant application. 

  • In July, Governor Youngkin and the Virginia DHR announced a $20 million special grant program to prepare historic landmarks and history museums for the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence.  
  • Projects that are “shovel-ready” and can demonstrate local buy-in through the commitment of at least one-third cash match will be given priority for Virginia 250 Preservation Fund (VA250) grant awards.  
  • Applications for the grant are due on Oct 14, awards will be announced in late 2024. 
  • Casey Jenkins, executive director of the Montgomery Museum, received an uncontested thumbs-up response from all seven County Supervisors during his presentation at a Sept. 9 Montgomery Board meeting. 

Zoom in: The installation of an ADA-only elevator will allow visitors with limited mobility to access exhibits in the community room on the museum’s lower level.  

  • The museum moved to a 15,000 square foot building, the former Bank of Christiansburg, in 2022. The new space includes a ground floor and a basement level.  
  • Disabled visitors and those with limited mobility cannot currently enter the community room without need to exit and re-enter the building at a side door, traversing at least ten stairs before reaching the basement.  
  • The cost to design and install an ADA-compliant elevator is projected to be about $300,000.  

Montgomery County’s $117,000 decision could cover one-third of the total $350,000 requested in the museum’s grant application, fulfilling both local buy-in and one-third cost matching prerequisites outlined in the applicant requirements for VA250.  

  • According to Sara R. Bohn, Montgomery County Supervisor, the county’s fiscally responsible budgeting process creates a small annual surplus of a few hundred-thousand dollars for the board to spend on community-serving projects.  

Zoom out: VA250 funds should be allocated to ADA accessibility and exhibit installation projects to help draw tourists toward recipients’ regions in Virginia.  

  • The opportunity to apply for the grant is open to Virginia localities, non-profit organizations, and state or federally recognized Indian tribes. 
  • According to Jenkins, 83% of Montgomery Museum’s annual visitors are locals, primarily residents of Blacksburg and Christiansburg.  
  • Montgomery County’s unique position as the only county in Virginia to be founded in 1776 – sharing an anniversary with both the state and the nation – may prompt an specially significant increase in tourism as visitors travel from counties across the state for semiquincentennial celebrations in 2026.  

What we’re watching: If the board approves the resolution at their next meeting on Sep. 23, the county’s commitment to cash-match $117,000 will only go through if the museum is awarded the VA250 grant.  

  • Ahead of the meeting, Bohn and Jenkins anticipate an affirmative vote on the resolution.  
  • According to Mary Biggs, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, the county government and the Montgomery Museum have maintained a strong relationship for more than two decades.
  • “The County is delighted to partner with the Montgomery Museum,” she said, “to help lead the planning for such a significant celebration for our community and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”