WASHINGTON – US Senator Charles Schumer called the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities urging funding for the proposed Sing Sing museum at the Ossining state prison.
Schumer spoke with Chairman William Adams conveying his support for the Historic Hudson River Towns’ application for federal funding, telling the chairman such a museum would boost tourism and be an economic boon to the region.
The local group is seeking $75,000 in federal funds to refine its conceptual design report, start capital fund raising and marketing efforts, and cover certain administrative costs.
Hudson River Towns’ estimates the museum could attract some 200,000 tourists per year to what has been called the “Alcatraz of the East.”
The museum would create close to 260 full-time jobs as well as over 100 temporary construction jobs. It would also generate $24 million in overall spending and increase visitation at other historic and tourism sties in Westchester.
Construction is projected to begin in 2017 and open two years later.
