Veto override is welcome news to arts institutions
Every summer morning, security guards at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield open a pair of windows on the second floor to let in the cooler air. After lunch, with the sun coming over the building, they close the windows, doing their best to keep their collection -- which includes a Norman Rockwell painting -- from baking.
Yesterday the leaders of the 103-year-old museum got some welcome news. In a nearly unanimous vote, the Legislature backed spending at least $13 million for a Cultural Facilities Fund that will support repairs, expansion, and construction in arts institutions statewide.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council and Governor Mitt Romney must now appoint panels to set up the mechanism by which applicants can ask for money.
``The minute they give us the guidelines and the process, we'll be there," said Stuart Chase, executive director of the Berkshire Museum.
The climate control system, he estimates, will cost $3 million. The museum will ask for $1 million from the state.
The cultural spending plan was unveiled last year, largely in response to a 2004 survey by the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities, the Boston Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The groups surveyed said they needed about $1.1 billion to repair, expand, or construct buildings in the next five years.
Governor Romney vetoed the $13 million for the fund this summer, but this week the House and Senate decisively overrode his veto.
``This is not the Legislature saying, `Hey, we want better ballet on stage,' " said Dan Hunter, director of MAASH, the arts advocacy group. ``It's saying, `We want these cultural resources improved as the infrastructure for tourism.' "
Hunter said he didn't know how soon the money would be distributed but expected it to be before the end of the current fiscal year, which runs through next June. While the 2004 report found that larger organizations, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, are able to raise money more easily than smaller institutions, all cultural organizations -- including the MFA -- will be eligible for the Cultural Facilities Fund.
But Hunter said he expects the formula for grants will help smaller organizations.
Grants of up to $1 million must be matched evenly by the applicant. But the more money given, the more money the organization must raise on its own. For a $5 million grant, for example -- the largest single amount that can be offered -- the applicant must raise $20 million as a match.
This process sounds fair to Chase, who said the Berkshire Museum is ready to move forward.
``I really have no issue at all as long as it's open and fairly competitive," said Chase. ``We have a system in place, our engineering drawings are ready to go, and we're prepared and ready to apply for the funds."
Geoff Edgers can be reached at gedgers@globe.com. 
