The Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center (BLEC) has received a $321,226 grant from the Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS) funded through the Historic Preservation Fund for a roof replacement project for the former Lakeview School.  The BLEC will used funds to complete the roofing program in order to the preserve one of the few remaining sites of a segregated school, the former Lakeview School, which was built with state equalization funds. The Lakeview School existed from 1949 to 1968 serving African American students primarily in Lexington County. Today, the building is used as a community center providing a multitude of programs and services to include afterschool, camp, health education programs, workforce development training, continuing education, senior citizen services, food bank, and youth and teens athletic programs. For more information on this project please contact Dr. Cindye Richburg Cotton, Executive Director, BLEC at 803-744-7943 or lakeview@brookland.cc. The BLEC is located at 1218 Batchelor Street West Columbia, S.C. 29169. For questions regarding the National Park Service grant program, or to comment on this or any other proposed Historic Preservation Fund grant project, please contact the State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants Division, National Park Service, at 202-354-2020 or stlpg@nps.gov