By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Town Council on Wednesday agreed to give $32,000 from the sale of the former Massena Museum so the museum board can move forward with financing an addition to the Celine G. Philibert Cultural Center and Museum.

The motion passed 3-0-1, with Town Supervisor Joseph Gray abstaining. Councilman Samuel Carbone was not at the meeting.

The museum board wants to add a 30-foot-by-50-foot space onto the center to store an antique horse-drawn hearse and related funerary artifacts and an antique hand-pump fire wagon.

Paul Rufa from the museum board told town lawmakers that they have another $13,000 from the sale of some artifacts they didn’t need and a donation from a local resident.

They will put the money in an account and use it as a bargaining chip to get either a state matching grant or donations from locals.

Rafa anticipates the cost will be around $108,000.

“We would go to our politicians, power authority, Alcoa, service committees and do a general mailing to possible some of the people in Massena,” he said prior to the board passing a resolution that sets aside the money. “We have some people that might be willing to donate.”

Rafa said they will also seek a contribution from the village.

“I will be asking Mayor Currier if he would be willing to give some money to this because he feels tourism is important and we are located within the bounds of the village,” he told the town board.

After Gray voiced concerns about the amount of town money being used on the museum, museum board member Joe Macaulay suggested they could get rid of the hearse and fire wagon.

“If we’re going to keep the hearse … we need the addition,” he said. “If we’re not going to be able to do this project, then I would say pass it on to Madrid.”

Councilman Thomas Miller objected to that idea. He said when the hearse was on public display, it drew a lot of interest.

“I think that would be a big mistake,” Miller said. “If you would listen to people who saw that, even kids, the 16- and 17-year-old kids wanted to get close to that and see it.”

“The hearse is a very valuable asset to the museum and it is part of Massena’s heritage and culture,” Rufa said.