Preservation Maryland Loves Cumberland

After we announced our concern over a project that proposes demolishing owner-occupied historic homes in Cumberland, we received some critical barbs from the proponents of the project – comments in the press and local media that suggested we have never cared about Cumberland and are ‘outsiders’ who are scaring the community.

As a statewide organization, we love the Queen City and have been busy working on issues impacting Cumberland:

In 2015 we advocated for capital funding from the Hogan Administration for the Footer’s Dye Works project. We met with the regional legislative delegation during the 2015 session to support the capital request, issued letters of support and encouragement and spoke with members of the governor’s cabinet to make the case for the importance of this project.

As the leading voice for Maryland’s state historic rehabilitation tax credits, officially known as the Sustainable Communities Tax Credit, we aggressively advocated for the program that provided $1,875,000 in tax credits, which ultimately made the Footer project a financial reality.

Since the creation of our Heritage Fund grant program, we’ve provided thousands of dollars of direct financial support to projects in the City of Cumberland and Allegany County – most recently providing a $5,000 grant to the City’s Historic Preservation Commission to assist with education and training efforts.

As a member of the Partners for Open Space, we advocate for the funding that makes Maryland’s Heritage Areas possible – the program that has provided funding to Canal Place in Cumberland since its creation in the 1990s. Keeping the program well-funded in an increasingly tight state budget is no small task, but thanks to many partners and friends willing to make the case, the program received full funding in the FY17 operating budget.