Published: May 01, 2008 11:58 am      

Economic development to look at downtown, Virginia Avenue

CUMBERLAND - More than 310 new clients, 450 hours of counseling, and assistance in 23 start-up businesses and retentions only begin to tell the story of the Business Resource Center.

Margie Eirich, the city's economic development coordinator, talked about the center and city goals during Tuesday's meeting with the mayor and council.

Located at 113 Baltimore St., the center is a "one-stop shop of services" for existing and start-up businesses with Pamela Rose responsible for the hours of counseling. Another 2,306 noncounseling contacts have been made in the center, which offers training, mentoring and assistance in everything from business plans to management tools.

Another driving force is the city's Economic Development Commission, which has outlined its goals for the coming year.

Eirich said an analysis of the city's Central Business District, which includes Town Centre, is to take place, with the No. 1 priority being parking solutions. She said while the district is doing well, it "has a long way to go."

"We want to make sure we still pay attention to it and that it doesn't fall backward," she said.

The group will look at housing issues, including projects under way or proposed, as well as possibly identifying a developer. The need for upper middle class housing will be determined and an incentive package to encourage people to live in the city rather than neighboring areas will be developed.

Also on the list is the revitalization of Virginia Avenue.

Eirich said this spring, 36 building-owner contacts have been made there and 24 want business assistance and 10 are planning property improvements.

The three-year job projection is 81 full-time employees will relocate or start up on the avenue, which includes 50 to be located in the Allegany County Human Resources Development Commission building that's to be under construction this summer. Another 10 new part-time jobs are expected in that time period.

Economic development personnel intend to address the impact prisons have on the city and green initiatives in future development.

John Taube, director of the Allegany County Library System, gave an overview of the numerous programs that have taken place over the last year there.

For every $1 the library receives in local funding, Taube estimates citizens get $10.30 in return value.

In Allegany County, 60 percent of residents have a library card and 360,000 people came into the libraries last year. Another 240,000 took advantage of online services, including live tutoring from 2 p.m. to midnight, Ask Us Now, which is available 24 hours a day, and MyLibraryDV, an online service that offers more than 600 movies.

Taube said 7,000 people used the library's computers each month and classes were offered at the Washington Street and Frostburg locations.

In addition, 1,000 children and parents were seen at story hours, and Books and Babies, which is for children as young as 3 months, has grown from those.

Buggy About Reading, the theme for the upcoming summer reading club, will work with Queen City Creamery to allow children to determine their favorite ice cream flavor, such as grasshopper rainforest cafe. Gaming Wiik, based on the Nintendo Wii system, will take place again this summer as a way to bring teenagers into the library.

Also during Tuesday's meeting, city officials approved several actions.

* The bid of UNIVAR for chemicals for the wastewater treatment plant and water filtration plant and Schmidt Supply for all pool chemicals for fiscal 2009.

* A $15,390.80 change order with Whitman, Requardt and Associates for the treatment plant's enhanced nutrient removal project.

* Lease agreements with Rhonda Crossland of Corner Grille and William Rice of Red's Billiards for outdoor dining.

*A $9,551 Byrne-Justice assistance grant to train six officers in crime scene processing and investigation.

Contact Maria Smith at msmith@times-news.com.