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County approves two‑year lease for Building 19 to Vertical Converting (Sierra Hygiene)
Summary
The Allegany County commissioners approved a two‑year lease of 27,105 square feet at Building 19 to Vertical Converting, doing business as Sierra Hygiene, at $2.50 per square foot. The previously proposed tenant, GeoCycle, withdrew after disclosing materials with lithium batteries presented a fire risk.
The Allegany County Board of Commissioners approved a two‑year lease for Building 19 behind the county offices to Vertical Converting, doing business as Sierra Hygiene, the board was told Thursday.
Jeff Barclay presented the lease proposal, saying the county will offer the tenant 27,105 square feet at $2.50 per square foot for two years to support local manufacturing capacity. “We were approached by, again, Vertical Converting Sierra Hygiene, which has presence in Frostburg,” Barclay said, describing the company’s need for temporary conversion and storage space tied to operations at a Webstaurant distribution site in Cumberland.
Barclay said a previously approved lease with GeoCycle fell through after county staff discovered GeoCycle planned to handle material that included electronics with lithium batteries, creating an unacceptable fire risk for Building 19. GeoCycle withdrew; county staff then negotiated with Vertical Converting to use the space for converting large rolls of paper into folded napkins for local production needs.
Commissioners voted to approve the lease by voice vote. The board did not amend the lease terms during the discussion.
Why it matters: the lease enables a local business to expand production capacity without seeking new construction, and the county said it favors supporting local jobs and private‑sector recovery of industrial space. County officials described this as a practical reuse of underutilized county property while avoiding risks associated with mixed electronic waste handling.
Details and next steps Barclay said the company previously converted a bay for Webstaurant in Frostburg and will use the county space to accommodate inbound raw material from port shipments and finished product storage. The county reported the space is 27,105 square feet; the lease rate is $2.50 per square foot for two years. Commissioners approved the motion with no recorded objections.
No further action was scheduled at the meeting; the county will execute the lease through the county administrator’s office.
