GoveRnor O’Malley DESIGNATES Frostburg AS MOUNTAIN CITY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
Newest arts district joins 17 communities across Maryland
BALTIMORE (December 5, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that the City of Frostburg has been selected to join the State’s vibrant Arts and Entertainment (A&E) District program. Administered by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) through the Maryland State Arts Council, the program provides local and county governments with assorted tax benefits designed to boost economic development and create a cultural district filled with artists and arts enterprises. Maryland was one of the first states to develop a statewide A&E program.
“Maryland’s Arts and Entertainment districts have received national recognition for developing vibrant centers of commerce, culture and creativity,” said Governor O’Malley. “With this designation, Allegany County is harnessing the synergy of two creative communities – Cumberland to the east and Frostburg to the west – and is developing a critical cultural mass that offers residents, visitors and students an outstanding place to live, work and visit.”
“The designation of the City of Frostburg–Mountain City Arts & Entertainment District provides visitors and residents with an opportunity to participate and invest in the arts, while contributing to the economic vitality of the region,” said Frostburg Mayor Arthur T. Bond, adding, “It offers the City an opportunity to be part of the State’s marketing efforts for arts and tourism, provides new business ventures with potential property tax credits for investing in new arts-related businesses and gives tax incentives to qualified artists.”
The core of the newly designated Mountain City Arts and Entertainment District is located in downtown Frostburg’s Main Street and incorporates the central business area. It includes the nearby Frostburg University, which features the Cultural Event Series, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Children’s Literature Center, Center for Creative Writing and Stephanie Ann Roper Gallery. Many working artists, commercial enterprises, students and cultural attractions are within the District’s borders.
The redevelopment of the Lyric Theater and the Mary Carol Shop building, as well as the success of the first annual Frostburg Arts Walk, fueled the city’s effort to acquire the designation. A grassroots committee was then formed through the city’s Main Street Program and included area artists, downtown merchants, and other community leaders, in addition to representatives from the Frostburg City Council, Frostburg State University and the Allegany Arts Council.
Under the guidelines of the A&E program, the Secretary of DBED can designate up to six districts per year. As part of the designation’s benefits, artists working in the district can receive state income tax breaks and developers who create artist live-work space are exempt from certain property taxes. Designated districts are exempt from admissions and amusement taxes. The MSAC provides training and technical assistance to all A&E districts.
“We are pleased to award this designation to a community that has worked tirelessly to stimulate cultural and economic activity,” said David W. Edgerley, DBED Secretary. “Western Maryland is one of our greatest assets. We are fortunate to have extensive local expertise including the involvement of the Allegany Arts Council and its director Andrew Vick as well as William Mandicott, a Maryland State Arts Councilor and Vice President at Frostburg University.”
There are 17 other designated Arts and Entertainment Districts in Maryland, including Baltimore City’s Station North and Highlandtown, Annapolis, Berlin, Bethesda, Cambridge, Cumberland, Denton, Elkton, Frederick, Hagerstown, Havre de Grace, Salisbury, Silver Spring, Snow Hill, Gateway District (Prince Georges) and Wheaton.
Application information is available online on the Maryland State Arts Council website at www.msac.org. For more information, contact Elizabeth Carven at (410) 767-8831.
An agency of the DEBED, Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, the Arts Council is dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. In 2007, non-profit arts organizations and arts programs that received operating support from the MSAC contributed more than $1.2 billion to the State’s economy and provided 15,000 jobs to Maryland residents.
