Published: March 26, 2008 09:35 am         

Frostburg Improvements

$205,000 grant 'a big piece of puzzle' in Frostburg

FROSTBURG - With $205,000 soon to be in their pockets, officials of the Main Street Program and FrostburgFirst are looking forward to handing out cash to downtown building owners who will improve, renovate, repair and otherwise spiff up a bunch of second or even third floors.

"This grant has huge significance. It's a big piece of the puzzle for what we need to do to support a thriving business community," said Andrea DePalatis, president of FrostburgFirst, a partnership of business, civic and community leaders. DePalatis is also a downtown businesswoman, as owner of Spectrum Design Services.

The award is known as a Community Legacy Grant and comes from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. About $7 million worth of such grants were awarded recently at a ceremony in Dundalk.

Jerilyn Jackson, Main Street manager, will administer the program. Jackson said she will begin asking for applications sometime in May.

"I am very, very excited about this grant," Jackson said. "This is brand new for us. We've never done something like this before."

Building owners whose applications are approved by the state agency are most likely to improve upper levels for use as apartments or office space, according to DePalatis.

Grant money may be used to pay for as much as half of an approved project.

DePalatis said that the Community Legacy Grant works together with other efforts such as the application to establish an official arts and entertainment district in Frostburg, with all the associated tax incentives for building improvements.

Barry Winters plans to apply for a grant to renovate the second floor of 19 East Main St. That's the former Mary Carol Shop, which was damaged by fire in 2005.

Winters purchased the building and on Saturday had a grand re-opening of his General Art Store, which he moved there.

"The downstairs had mostly water damage," Winters said. "I've renovated that. I'd use the grant money to repair the upstairs that was gutted by the fire and then I'd rent them."

Both DePalatis and Jackson said that upper-story development puts real live people downtown on a 24-hour basis.

"Because there will be people living downtown they will have needs," Jackson said. That translates into more people shopping and eating downtown, according to the Main Street manager.

A similar upper-story redevelopment plan that began a few years ago in downtown Cumberland has been successful.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.



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