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Frostburg First wins 2025 Main Street designation; state requires annual letter of agreement
Summary
Frostburg First reported receiving its 2025 Main Street designation and briefed the mayor and city council on a new annual letter-of-agreement requirement between the nonprofit, the city and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
Frostburg First and a state official told the Frostburg City Mayor and City Council that Frostburg has secured its 2025 Main Street designation and must now sign an annual joint letter of agreement with the city and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to maintain that designation.
The designation matters because it connects Frostburg to the national Main Street network and makes the local Main Street program eligible for state and national resources. Deidre Robertson, speaking for Frostburg First, said the letter “outlines the commitments that all of the different organizations make between the local government, the [Main Street] organization and then DHCD as well.”
Christine McPherson, identified as the director of the state program that oversees Main Street Maryland, told the council that the “letter of agreement typically annually, with our communities...provides an overview of the roles and responsibilities of the local government since the designation rests with local government.” She said the agreement also describes requirements for a full-time Main Street manager, training and funding expectations.
Robertson reviewed Frostburg First’s recent activities and outcomes that support the designation, telling the council the organization spent about $25,000 on destination marketing during the past year, has enrolled more than 80 businesses in a local directory platform and helped install 11 public safety cameras downtown. She highlighted recent building projects tied to the program—renovations at 1 East Main and 27 East Main—and ongoing public-art and preservation work, including the Brownsville Memorial project.
Council members asked for a preview of the letter and staff confirmed the city will aim to provide the requested document to the state by the stated deadline (the group discussed a June 28 target). City staff and Frostburg First will proceed with the formal agreement process; no formal council vote was recorded at the work session.
The council and Frostburg First plan to coordinate further on the drafting and execution of the annual agreement and on continuing Main Street activities that support downtown economic vitality.
