Fairhope Accepts $1 Million For K1 Center Project

Construction on the K1 Center at 100 South Church Street in Downtown Fairhope seems imminent, AL.com reports. The Fairhope City Council recently voted to accept a $1-million state grant to renovate the schoolhouse. This supplements a prior $2.5-million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The city is expected to add approximately $625,000 in its fiscal year 2025 budget and is still looking for funding opportunities to renovate the old brick school built in 1925. The project, first discussed approximately seven years ago, could cost up to $7 million and calls for renovating 18,000 ft² of the historic school. “We have all the funding we need for the building,” Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan said. “I made a commitment to the council that I would look for additional funding. This is an appropriation from the state budget, and my hope is that we will be under contract in 2025 and be completed by the end of 2025.” The schoolhouse will continue to serve as an educational venue but for emerging technology firms as part of the Hatch program currently housed inside PNC Bank in Downtown Fairhope.