HBCU Rehabilitation Project Funded by $750K from National Park Service

Wilberforce College will quickly embark on a big rehabilitation undertaking to revitalize three key buildings inside its tutorial advanced. With a $750,000 grant from the Nationwide Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund, the initiative will improve accessibility and guarantee compliance with ADA requirements within the Stokes, King, and Walker buildings.

After months of meticulous planning and contractor choice, Wilberforce will start work with Miami Valley Works, led by Eric Swan, and CED Architects, represented by Craig Dillon. 

A Venture to Make Campus Extra Accessible

The rehabilitation undertaking will introduce a number of important upgrades to boost accessibility for college students and college. Deliberate enhancements embrace the set up of recent elevators, exterior ramps, upgraded entrance doorways, restroom enhancements, and stairlifts. Moreover, the undertaking will join two at the moment separate buildings and assemble services for the college’s music program.

“We’re enthusiastic about lastly transferring ahead with this undertaking,” mentioned Dr. Kenneth E. Jones, Government Vice President and Chief of Employees at Wilberforce. “It took a while to establish contractors who met federal requisites. Nonetheless, Wilberforce was dedicated to seeing this undertaking by means of to completion, and we’re wanting to get began.”

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who introduced the grant final 12 months, emphasised the important function that Traditionally Black Schools and Universities play in preserving American historical past, stating, “By working with our Nationwide Park Service to honor key websites at HBCUs, we’re preserving the legacy of those establishments. This funding at Wilberforce College offers future generations of Ohioans the chance to study our state’s proud historical past.”

Dr. Vann R. Newkirk, President of Wilberforce, expressed enthusiasm concerning the undertaking’s potential affect on the college group and native surroundings. “This undertaking not solely enhances the Wilberforce group by preserving our historic campus but additionally considerably enhances the worth of the Wilberforce group,” he remarked. “Additional, by enhancing accessibility and modernizing our services, we’re making a extra inclusive and dynamic surroundings for our college students to thrive.”

The rehabilitation undertaking is anticipated to be accomplished in 2025.