City seeks developer for former HRDC building Greg Larry 01/26/2014 11:24 PM CUMBERLAND —Officials with the city of Cumberland are seeking a developer for 19 Frederick St., the former home of the Allegany County Human Resources Development Commission. The city has a documentation packet, known as a request for proposal, posted on its website. “We want the best reuse of that building we can get,” said Jeff Rhodes, city administrator. Sealed proposals from interested developers are being accepted by the city until 2 p.m. Feb. 28. The proposals will be opened in the council chambers of City Hall at 2:30 p.m. “It’s a city asset that we’d like to see into its next chapter. The building has historical significance to our city,” said David Kauffman, city councilman. City officials have expressed in the past their desire to see an education center that could offer medical-based instruction. “We have had a strong interest in post-secondary education. We would welcome that,”said Rhodes. However, Rhodes and Kauffman said they will consider all offers. “We haven’t abandoned our desire to advance post-secondary education. But we won’t hold the property hostage,”said Kauffman. “We will look at many factors such as economic impact and job growth,” said Rhodes. The Georgian Revival-style building was constructed between 1902 and 1904. It was built for use as a courthouse and post office, according to Rhodes. “It was built during a time when they took great care in constructing buildings,” said Rhodes. “It’s a large space and has character and versatility,” said Kauffman. The Frederick Street building was also the home of the Cumberland Police Department during the mid-20th century. The HRDC was the last tenant that occupied the building until it had a new building constructed at 125 Virgina Ave. that opened in the fall of 2009. The city hopes to find a developer to revitalize the building and the surrounding downtown area. Kauffman added that he would like to see it occupied in a way that will serve the public good. Officials said they will give all proposals a complete review. “We will look at all the criteria and make an evaluation. We want to find the right fit,” said Rhodes. Interested parties can contact Margie Woodring at 301-722-2000 or Shawn Hershberger at 301-722-4156. Greg Larry can be contacted at glarry@times-news.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 05:37:03 +0000
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