The City of Cumberland and Canal Place have announced the interest of a renowned business owner located in Frederick, MD, to open a similar microbrewery/brewpub to his Barley & Hops establishment, in the first floor of the historic Footer Dye Works building in Downtown Cumberland, MD.

Before the establishment can open, however, the Footer Dye Works restoration project must be funded by the property's owner, the State of Maryland.

Central to restoring the building and utilizing the millions of dollars of private developer dollars provided by a well-respected, proven developer, Mr. Michael Joy, is state funding to fund deferred building maintenance, totaling $1.5 million.  This deferred maintenance will provide for window maintenance, roof maintenance, and other maintenance deferred on the project by the property owner, the State of Maryland.

More quality dining and loft style apartments are important to the continued revitalization of Downtown Cumberland.  Reuse of the state-owned historic Footer Building with the maintenance gap filled by state funds, will bring about economic growth in the form of 100 jobs with an incremental state tax revenue of $500,000 annually, according to the economic impact study.  This means that at the full rate, the taxes collected from the property will fully refund the deferred maintenance of the building in three years.

The developer of the property is held in high regard in the community, for having completed several local projects already and he has been approved for redevelopment tax credits for the property.  The anchor first floor tenant is a proven microbrewery owner in Maryland, with a positive track record.

Cumberland is at a crossroads on this project.  The two options are to fund the remaining maintenance by including it as a capital project in Governor Hogan's budget, to encourage millions of dollars of private development and reuse of a historic building to create economic growth, increased tax base and jobs...or leave the building to remain in a blighted, run down condition in the middle of Downtown Cumberland at Canal Place, at a future expected demolition cost of $1.5 million.

The choice is simple.  Fund the project to create jobs.  Fund the project to encourage economic growth in Downtown Cumberland.  Fund the project to bring a historic building back to life and contribute positively to Cumberland's economy.

As an engaged citizen, I encourage you to give your full support to this project.  Help create jobs, economic growth and revitalization in Downtown Cumberland by committing to state funding that will be matched several times over with private investment dollars.