Cape Breton Miners Museum gets $132K for repairs, improvements

The Glace Bay Miner's Museum will receive $132,000 in funding for improvements and repairs to its interior and exterior.

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency will contribute $75,000 and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality will give over $7,000for improvements to the museum's store and facilities.The Nova Scotia governmentwill chip in $50,000.

Mary Pat Mombourquette, the museum's director, says the money will improve programming, fund a new media centre, and eventually fix a leaky roof and replace some windows.

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"We're looking at getting modules with iPads, so there'll be sort of an interactive exhibit. It's all great information," she said. "It's all stories told by miners and miners's families."

The museum was seeking $1 million in funding for the repairs. Mombourquette said the building was showing its age after being rebuilt following a major fire in 1981.

Creating and boosting revenue is now a priority, she said.

"There's two rooms off the company store. One to the side I want to turn that into a little cafe where you can have tea and coffee and oat cakes and tea biscuits."

Above the store, Mombourquette saysa storage attic will be renovated for travelling exhibits.

Last summer, the Miners's Village which portraysliving conditions of a typicalminer in 1850 was reopened after being closed in 2011.