FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Monday, Aug. 8, 2016

Contact: Erica Shekell, Byrum & Fisk Communications, (517) 333-1606, eshekell@byrumfisk.com

Calhoun County Land Bank Authority awarded $125,000 for blight removal in Albion

Land Bank allocates nearly $305,000 in grants to
five Albion neighborhoods to combat local blight

 ALBION, Mich. — The Calhoun County Land Bank Authority has been awarded a $125,000 grant to eliminate blight and improve local neighborhoods in Albion. The Land Bank received the funds through a competitive Blight Elimination Program grant awarded by the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority.

“Eliminating blight to improve neighborhoods, promoting public safety and protecting home values are among our top priorities at the Calhoun County Land Bank,” said Christine Schauer, Calhoun County Treasurer and Chairperson of the Calhoun County Land Bank. “We’re proud to bring state dollars into Calhoun County to demolish blighted structures and improve Albion neighborhoods.”

The Calhoun County Land Bank Authority originally was awarded $125,000 in the spring to knock down 12 abandoned properties near downtown Albion. This additional $125,000 will be used to demolish 10 highly-visible dilapidated structures that are depressing property values along the City’s corridors leading into downtown, as well as a cluster of blighted houses along Jefferson and Albion Streets in the northwest part of the City.

“We appreciate the Land Bank’s targeted efforts to remove these eyesores in Albion and revitalize our neighborhoods,” said Sheryl Mitchell, Albion City Manager. “We look forward to demolishing these blighted structures in the coming months, which will be the first step toward putting these properties back into productive use.”

In October 2015, the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority received a $1 million grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to continue efforts to demolish vacant and abandoned structures and promote public safety.

To be eligible for this round of funding, demolition projects had to be blighted residential structures or blighted buildings in business districts, downtowns or commercial corridors.

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The Calhoun County Land Bank Authority is a separate legal authority that collaborates closely with the Calhoun County Treasurer and local municipalities to eliminate blight, improve downtowns and promote local economic development.