Community Center now has Carver deed

Community Center now has Carver deed
May 31, 2002

Carver School will finally belong to the Carver Community Center Inc. after the deed transfer was approved by the Allegany County Commissioners on Thursday.

The transaction represents a milestone in the organization's efforts to preserve the school for the community. The city of Cumberland and Carver Community Center Inc. plan to renovate the school, which closed in the mid-1950s, as a small business incubator facility.

The deed transfer opens the door for federal monies and it will make the property eligible for historic tax credits to help fund the project. The building has to have city or non-profit ownership prior to the start of any work with federal funds, said Rich Harris, manager of project services for Allegany County.

On May 6 the Economic Development Administration requested a final application for $900,000 in federal funding for the project. That money, combined with an additional $600,000 to be realized from equity in the property and a Section 108 loan the city is seeking from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development, will be used to pay for the renovations.

Cumberland City Administrator Jeff Repp said once the project is completed the historic tax credits will be used for repayment of the Section 108 loan. But the Carver Community Center Inc. needs ownership so the property can be used for equity, he added.

Harris said the deed transfer also relieves the county of responsibility for maintenance of the facility and shows county support for redevelopment in Cumberland. It is preferable for the city to have the risks and benefits of property decisions in the event the redevelopment project is not successful as this is a key property in the Decatur and Frederick streets neighborhood, he said. The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the deed transfer and authorize Commission President Dale Lewis to sign the necessary documentation.

Update: According to an article in the January 27, 2020 issue of the Cumberland Times-News the Carver Community Center was officially organized in 2002. Between 2002-2004 about $1.5 million was spent on design and physical improvement work. A ribbon-cutting for the official opening of the Carver Community Center occurred on November 12, 2004. The center closed sometime around 2011.