December 1st, 2020 by WCBC Radio

With the hope that groundbreaking can take place sometime next summer, city officials are urging the owners of properties on the downtown mall to take advantage of available utility upgrades when renovations get underway.  The Downtown Development Commission was recently given an update on the $9.6 million Baltimore Street Renovation Project. One of the main reasons behind the project is a need to replace aging below-ground utilities – water service, in particular — including a fire suppression system and upgraded fiber optic cable. Matt Miller, executive director of the Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, said that property owners will have new service available to them during the construction process. However, owners must be responsible for attaching their service to the source taps. Estimated cost is about $3,000 per building but Miller says a grant will be made available that would potentially cover about a third of the cost. He is encouraging property owners to take advantage of the grant for the new infrastructure prior to construction…