A local museum dedicated to the city's history is asking for the community's help to keep the tradition alive.

The City Reliquary in Williamsburg is trying to raise $60,000 by year's end. It says it needs $20,000 of that by the end of March just to stay open.

"We're struggling to keep this place open,” said museum Vice President Bill Scanga. “You know, it's a place that's run on passion and love and we're running out of money and we need to pay our rent."

Among the items on display in the museum are old seltzer bottles, subway tokens, a piece of trolley rail, and a collection of statue of liberty postcards.

"What we have here is a collection of artifacts that may have been missed by other museums,” said City Reliquary President Dave Herman.

City Councilwoman Diana Reyna helped arranged two grants for the non-profit museum totaling $33,000 from the city's Department for Youth and Community Development, but the money's been held up by delays in the application process.

"We have been working with DYCD to try and follow up on getting the money that was promised to us,” Herman said. “That process is very arduous."

"Despite the fact that the grants have been delayed, that has never stopped the service that the City Reliquary has been able to provide to the community,” said the councilwoman. “It is frustrating that the bureaucracy of city government, that good organizations such as the City Reliquary continue to hold debt.??"

The DYCD says that the fiscal year 2009 funds for City Reliquary are available, but that it is waiting for more documents in order to process the funds for the current fiscal year. With time running out, the Reliquary is turning to the community it serves.

"We need help,” Scanga said. “We are going to push as hard as we can. No one wants to see this place close."

For more information on the museum and how to help, go to CityReliquary.org.