October 7th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

The Cumberland Mayor and City Council voted this week to seek ownership of the industrial dam beneath the Blue Bridge. Constructed in 1955, the span connecting Cumberland and Ridgeley, is now viewed as an impediment to the proposed $15 million Canal Place river park project. The action approves a letter be sent to the state of Maryland and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking that ownership be assigned to Cumberland. Ownership of the dam has been an issue of debate for many years however in 2014 the Maryland Attorney General’s Office studied the matter and issued the opinion that the dam belonged to the city. Mayor Ray Morriss said that while taking ownership of the dam is not idea for the city- it is a necessary step to move forward with a project that some view as a tourism and economic game changer for the region…