Frostburg, La Vale, Cumberland Area Developments Discussion Thread

[IntheCMD]

Talking about developments, there is some discussion about a historic buiding that is going to cost $9.5 million dollars to renovate in the Canal Place part of Cumberland. For those unfamiliar, Canal Place was designed as a festival grounds, rewatering, and entertainment area to be centered around the C & O terminus in the city. Currently, a large piece of the old Footer's Dye Works building remains. (Think Camden Station - on a 1/4 scale) The building has sit unused forever and they want to turn it into a multi-use facility of some sort.

Some local info here [URL=http://www.cumberlandchat.com/smf/index.php/topic,16513.0.html]Director puts total repair cost of Footer building at $9.5 million!!!![/url]

Canal Place has pretty much been a drain on the taxes locally - a festival grounds that gets used minimally, a rewatered section of the canal that was supposed to offer canalboat rides (which now cant be completed because there is a railroad track that can't be moved less than a quarter mile down the canal), a hodge podge of oddly shaped buildings with enough room for about 10 tenants which I think there are 3, and a crumbling 100 year old building.

We really overplay the "build it and they will come" card.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by IntheCMD

Talking about developments, there is some discussion about a historic buiding that is going to cost $9.5 million dollars to renovate in the Canal Place part of Cumberland. For those unfamiliar, Canal Place was designed as a festival grounds, rewatering, and entertainment area to be centered around the C & O terminus in the city. Currently, a large piece of the old Footer's Dye Works building remains. (Think Camden Station - on a 1/4 scale) The building has sit unused forever and they want to turn it into a multi-use facility of some sort.

Some local info here Director puts total repair cost of Footer building at $9.5 million!!!!

Canal Place has pretty much been a drain on the taxes locally - a festival grounds that gets used minimally, a rewatered section of the canal that was supposed to offer canalboat rides (which now cant be completed because there is a railroad track that can't be moved less than a quarter mile down the canal), a hodge podge of oddly shaped buildings with enough room for about 10 tenants which I think there are 3, and a crumbling 100 year old building.

We really overplay the "build it and they will come" card.

The Footer Dye building was in use as storage and warehousing until (or nearly until) Canal Place acquired it and signed its rights away for over a decade to a developer that had no contractual obligation to keep the building in good shape, or use it. It was a sweetheart, good old boy deal, between the Canal Place Authority head and his ole' buddy from Altoona. The building rotted away under this shady contract.

The idea to "rewater" the canal is a fraud. The area were Canal Place now stands was part of the basin, not the mule path. The basin was where boats were built, goods were loaded, the families of those that worked the Canal lived. The idea to construct a mule path style attraction in that area is historically inaccurate, and NEVER had a chance to come to fruition because of the railroad bridge. Canal Place Authority kept up the facade of trying to make that happen in order to keep their funding. So long as they had "goals" to be reached, they keep getting the fat. They were never intended to be a permanent body, they were to exist only long enough to complete their work of historical/heritage preservation. Something they have failed miserably at considering they had millions of dollars at their disposal and didn't use it to restore the only actual historical building in their possession that existed when the Canal basin was located there........the Footer.

Now with a 9.5 million dollar price tag, who knows what will happen? My guess is the building will come down after more money is spend to mothball it..........now that years of neglect have caused so much damage. But hey, in the mean time, Canal Place Authority had found a new "mission" to keep them in existence since the re-water plan was finally met its inevitable fate.

[sunpacific]

Hello, thought I'd bump this thread to the top to try and get it going again. We moved to LaVale in July and really love it - everything handy (Lowe's, CVS, restaurants, MDs, etc.) but just a mile or two up in the hills, it's nice and rural (mooing cows, even!). So quiet and peaceful and all the people we've encountered have been so nice. I hope there is no more development here. It's developed just fine, thank you very much. No highrises! What do you like about living in in LaVale?

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by sunpacific

Hello, thought I'd bump this thread to the top to try and get it going again. We moved to LaVale in July and really love it - everything handy (Lowe's, CVS, restaurants, MDs, etc.) but just a mile or two up in the hills, it's nice and rural (mooing cows, even!). So quiet and peaceful and all the people we've encountered have been so nice. I hope there is no more development here. It's developed just fine, thank you very much. No highrises! What do you like about living in in LaVale?

Welcome to the county. I am glad you like living in LaVale and are enjoying your new home.

I will say there is a middle ground between "highrises" and "County who has lost over 20k residents since 1950." We need more folks like you. I think in order to get them we do need some additional development, like more modern housing. But, I agree, no highrises!