May 16th, 2022 by WCBC Radio
Although it may sound like a broken record at this point- city officials believe there has been significant movement pertaining to the plan to renovate the downtown mall. It was 2016 when the Cumberland Mayor and City Council voted to re-open Baltimore Street to vehicular traffic as well as other substantial upgrades in an effort to revitalize the downtown business district. Any number of projected ground breakings have been missed and in the past six years the estimated price tag has jumped to $10 million. Slowing the project significantly in the past year has been the need for state and federal approval of the design and engineering plans. The state has already signed off- and CEDC executive director Matt Miller reports that City Engineer Bobby Smith is now waiting for the federal review to be complete- which should take about two months. If that time table plays out, the project could be put out for bid this summer- with ground breaking in the fall…