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BAY MILLS - For the fifth consecutive year Bay Mills Community College has been awarded a rural development grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"This is a rural development success story," said USDA Rural Development Public Affairs Specialist Bruce Huffman, who presented a $126,000 check to BMCC President Mickey Parish. "BMCC is doing great things in their community. Any time a program is outgrowing their building and have to tap into federal funds, you know they're doing something right."
The grant was awarded to the college during a ceremony held on Tuesday, Jan. 31. The monies will be used towards funding the expansion of the Building Trades Center located on the Cultural Lodge property, known as the West Campus. The expansion, almost complete, will house computer classrooms, a lab and additional office space. The building will also be used for the newly created interior design program.
Students from the building trades program, with assistance from Bay Mills Construction, have been busy throughout their school year constructing the new facility, which is expected to be completed by early summer, said Parish.
"We knew we had the funds on the way," said Parish. "We applied for the grant in May and were told of its acceptance in October."
In addition to their work on the new building, the students have also been working on building a tribal home off Spectacle Lake Road.
Currently nine students are involved in the 15-month program, which runs from September to the following December each year. BMCC recently graduated its first pair of students from the program this past December.
The program, which began in 2004, includes a semester of summer coursework, when much of the building will take place. Students will learn about building materials and equipment care, as well as how to use them. Students will also learn Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards in addition to math and computer coursework.
The first cohort of students in the program worked hands-on creating the current workshop, a 48-foot by 64-foot building, where students pre-fabricate many items to be used in construction. Students learn framing, roofing, windows, and building walls.
Graduates of the course will have the option to receive an associates degree or become certified in the field.
