Albion group wants to seek $600K grant for lodge at Bullard

Editor’s Note: The original article stated the Albion Recreation Committee was pushing for the grant and lodge, but it is the Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events Inc., a not-for-profit organization, that would be seeking the grant. This group includes many Recreation Committee members.

ALBION – The Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events Inc., a not-for-profit organization, wants to seek a $600,000 state grant for a new lodge at Bullard Park.

An application is due to the state in July, said Kim Remley, who has been part of the “Rebuild Bullard” effort for more than a decade.

Rebuild Bullard helped the village secure grant funding for a splash pad, new playground equipment, a new bathroom and pavilion, an amphitheater and other upgrades.

Bullard last year also put in new basketball courts, in another citizen-led effort.

Now park advocates would like to see a lodge in the park that would be available year-round and could be rented out by community members. The lodge would have space for up to 90 people, Remley told the Village Board on Thursday.

Village Board members thanked the group for pushing through several successful improvements at Bullard. But the board would like to see a survey done to see if there is strong interest in a lodge from the community, and how much would people be willing to pay to rent it out.

Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said there should be a master plan for Bullard, rather than tackling projects in a staggered approach.

The lodge was in the original plan to rebuild Bullard more than a decade ago, Remley responded. The committee would like to see it on the west end of the park, behind the old bathrooms.

Riley said there could be a significant cost to run water and sewer to the lodge. She is more concerned about aging pipes in residential areas of the village.

She would also like to see the Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events Inc. propose improvements to some of the smaller neighborhood parks in the village.

Trustee Tim McMurray also expressed concern that the lodge would be an extra burden on the short-staffed village Department of Public Works, especially with ongoing cleaning and maintenance of a lodge.

Susan Oschmann, a member of the non-profit working on the parks, said a rental charge could go towards hiring a cleaner so the task doesn’t fall on the DPW.

But how much would people be willing to pay to rent out the facility? That is what Riley would like to see be determined. She also said a lodge could take away from other sites in the community that are rented out for events, such as the QWL building.

John Grillo, the village’s recreation director, said lodges are assets for other communities. He noted the Town of Sweden and Town of Chili have lodges that are widely used.

“Don’t we want Albion to grow?” Grillo asked the board. “Don’t we want Albion to be better?

Riley said she doesn’t oppose the project. She just wants the short-term and long-term costs to be clearly identified.

“This could be a great thing for our community if it’s done well,” Grillo said.