Croghan maple museum adds access ramp

CROGHAN — American Maple Museum officials completed a three-year-old accessibility and efficiency project, although additional work may be done as more funding becomes available.

The museum erected the ramp to provide handicapped accessibility to the main floor, which includes a gift shop, dining hall, restrooms and displays. The project, handled by Bruce Widrick Construction with volunteer assistance, was funded mostly with Main Street grant money administered through Snow Belt Housing Co. Inc., said Donald M. Moser, president of the museum’s board of directors.

The project, designed by Watertown architectural firm Aubertine and Currier, included removal of asbestos and lead paint, replacement of the museum’s 30-year-old furnace and, within the past year, upgrades to the bathrooms to make them more accessible.

It also was to include construction of an elevator shaft in the historic two-story building, but museum officials ultimately decided to erect a ramp instead, out of cost considerations, Mr. Moser said. An elevator, projected to cost $90,000, still would be useful to allow handicapped access to the second story and basement, he said.

The project has been assisted by several state grants, including $40,000 from the New York Power Authority and funding from the Northern New York Community Foundation, the Pratt Northam Foundation and Iroquois Gas Transmission Systems, among others. Individual donations and other museum funding have covered the rest. Museum officials plan to kick off a new capital campaign, possibly focusing on donations from out-of-state maple producers, when the building opens next spring, Mr. Moser said. Contributions may be sent to American Maple Museum building fund, P.O. Box 81, Croghan, N.Y. 13327.

The new ramp will have its first public use during the annual Christmas in Croghan celebration, which begins at 6 p.m. Friday. The Maple Museum will be serving wax on snow, Mr. Moser said.

The American Maple Museum was founded in Beaver Falls in 1977 to showcase the history and evolution of the maple syrup industry. The museum is open annually from Memorial Day through early September.