Published: April 02, 2008 11:55 am      

Bulk of ARC grants buying land for McHenry Business Park

CUMBERLAND - Grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission totaling $546,000 will fund projects from technology parks to nanotechnology to infrastructure.

"We have (a business) incubator," said Jim Hinebaugh, director of Garrett County Economic Development. "What we would like to do, as a business graduates from the incubator, is move them out to the (proposed) McHenry Business Park. They would build the building or we would build it and lease it to them. It's a strategy to improve the skill base and the technology business base."

The park would be on the location of the former Whiteface Farm on Bumblebee Road between the Garrett County Airport and Garrett College.

Hinebaugh said that there would be about 150 buildable acres in the property, and as technology businesses need less space than manufacturing operations like those at the industrial parks, he expects the space in this park to last a number of years.

He said that the $300,000 from ARC will help in the final purchase of the property and that the contract for development has already been awarded.

At Frostburg State University, $96,000 will go toward a new nanotechnology lab, where students will be able to construct and study things on a molecular level.

"Nanotechnology is becoming a very, very big technology area in our discipline area," said Joe Hoffman, dean of liberal arts and sciences. "When you look at the modern technologies being developed, it's extraordinary. With this laboratory, we're going to be able to look at molecular structures on a nano level."

Kasif Teker, physics and engineering professor, said that the money would allow FSU to purchase specific supplies, with hopes students will study bio molocules, bio sensors and chemical sensors.

Hoffman said that this lab would allow the integration of both biology and engineering, and it would allow students entering higher education or the work force to have had real experience with nanotechnology.

In the university's hometown, $150,000 will be going to the city of Frostburg to aid with eliminating combined sewer overflows. Richard Harris, community development director, said that this has become a problem that the state has told the city to correct.

Harris explained that some properties are not on individual sewers, and the combined sewers have release points that overflow into nearby streams.

"By separating this out, all of it will go to the treatment plant in Cumberland," Harris said. "The cost is $300,000, and we've had an engineering update and received a Community Development Block Grant of $35,000. We've been waiting for this and it's very good news."

Harris said the remaining balance will be paid through customer surcharges.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.