$500K grant approved for Bullard Park
File photo by Tom Rivers: People watch the fireworks at Bullard Park in Albion on July 5, 2015.
(Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include more details on the state grant, including spray park as part of project.)
ALBION – The Village of Albion will be getting a $499,605 state grant to make a series of improvements at Bullard Park, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.
The governor today announced more than $700 million in economic and community development funding for projects around the state.
Orleans County only was approved for two grants.
Besides the money for Bullard, the state approved $30,000 for the Village of Medina for an engineering report for its sewer plant. Engineers will identify sources of inflow and infiltration as well as sewer separation opportunities.
Albion tried for state funding for Bullard three times before, but was denied. The scope of the grant has been tweaked with each application.
A new spray park will be part of the project, the first spray park in Orleans County.
The state also approved funds for an amphitheater at Bullard, which should draw people to Albion for concerts, said Ron Albertson, chairman of the Rock the Park music festival and also a member of the Rebuild Bullard committee.
“We could bring big-name acts and some revenue into this little town,” he said.
Bullard is a 26-acre public park located a block south of the Erie Canal. Bullard Park contains three picnic shelters, two baseball diamonds, a large children’s playground, a basketball court, a hard surface skateboarding area, a sledding hill, and restroom facilities, according to a description of Bullard in the state grants announcement.
“By renewing Bullard Park, the entire population of Albion will once again have a center piece for community functions and a public setting to enjoy the summer months,” according to the grant announcement.
The village this past summer added new playground equipment for about $100,000, with state funds from Sen. Robert Ortt covering half the cost. The village also installed new equipment at the Pee Wee Park, which is a section of Bullard for small children. That playground equipment was done in memory of Kathy LaLonde, a key leader of the Rebuild Bullard movement.
The Albion Lions Club also has been a big proponent of the Bullard upgrades, donating money and helping to run the annual music festival – Rock the Park.
To see a list of projects funded state-wide, click here.
