Albion College will coordinate a $2.8 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) targeting site improvements throughout the city of Albion, including renovation at Opportunity High School and much-needed upgrades to community facilities, parks, and recreation areas.

The project (Building Towards a Healthier and More Accessible Community in the City of Albion Through Site Improvements) is a partnership between the college, Marshall Public Schools, the Battle Creek Family YMCA, the City of Albion, and the Albion Community Foundation (ACF). The projects are scheduled to be completed by September 2031.

“As the mayor of Albion, I am grateful for the partnerships that we have cultivated to support the infrastructure in city spaces,” Mayor Victoria Garcia Snyder said. “These funds will allow the city to make upgrades and improvements in our local parks so that our children can play, learn, and exercise on new and safe fields and courts. This appropriation has been in the works for the past three years, and I appreciate the collaborative work of our community partners to make this a reality.”

In partnership with Marshall Public Schools and the Battle Creek Family YMCA, some of the funds will be used for renovations in a wing of Opportunity High School in Albion. These renovations will convert former classroom spaces into spaces that can be utilized by the YMCA for programming. The renovation will support the establishment of a local YMCA branch in Albion, which will provide access to health, wellness, and behavioral health programming for community members.

In partnership with the City of Albion and ACF, some of the HUD funds will underwrite site improvements to local parks and public spaces to increase community access to recreational spaces and increase accessibility in the Albion community.

“This grant is evidence of the collaborative work of many,” said Albion College President Wayne Webster. “We are grateful to be partners in this effort and cannot wait for the many ways these funds will transform shared spaces throughout our city.”

Funds will be used to bring Ketchum Field up to code, improving all physical facilities, restoring lighting, and improving the landscape. Ketchum Field is one of Albion’s only spaces where baseball, T-ball, and softball can be played on the same field with a press box, dugouts, lights, and bleachers.

Shane Williamson, ACF’s executive director, credited two long-time Albion supporters for identifying the much-needed projects.

“Tony and Christie de Nicola were the driving force behind the selection of these community projects and the need that these dollars will fill,” Williamson said. “I am proud to support the entire Albion Community in making Albion a better place for all of its residents, and especially our students at Albion College.”

The de Nicola’s are former Albion residents whose $2 million gift was the largest in ACF’s history.

At Victory Park, improvements will be intended to restore full functionality for community use. Victory Park Pavilion is a dual-use open-air arena used for ice skating in the winter and outdoor (covered) basketball in the summer. A key element of the restoration will be providing fully functional bathrooms in Albion’s largest park. Some of the HUD funding will be used to remove, repave the park’s tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts.

In all, eleven parks in Albion will receive upgraded signage and way-finding supports. These signs would clearly identify the park, and amenities, provide for the deaf and blind to use them, as well as draw in the spirit of our sister city in France and additional languages spoken in our region.

Additionally, the HUD funds will be used to make the local STEM and Robotics hub universally accessible on all three floors by funding a portion of the elevator in this historic, downtown building. This will allow accessibility to a full range of activities including CAD and Engineering classes that are offered free of charge and at low rates for families in Albion. This will also support the multiple robotics teams, Girls Who Code, and STEM curriculum design projects.