Maryland wins award for North Beach revitalization

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

During many speeches given in North Beach over the past few years, references to its rough past are made before the town's progress toward revitalization is recognized.

Recently, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) was awarded the Sterling Achievement Award by the Council of State Community and Economic Development Agencies for Maryland's comprehensive efforts to revitalize the Town of North Beach, a DHCD press release stated.

"It's a national honor, it's something you don't get very often," said town treasurer Joann Hunt.

The award acknowledges 20 years of revitalization in the town and considered it well-developed and a good reinvestment that will "keep going and sustain itself," she said.

The town has received $2.5 million from various state agencies and the award recognizes the collective efforts toward the town's improvements, said Hunt, who pursues funding sources as part of her job as treasurer.

"We could not have done it without her. It's something to be proud of — it reflects a lot of hard work by a lot of people," said Mayor Mike Bojokles. The award shows an organized effort by many state agencies and on many different levels, he said.

When the state made gambling illegal in the early 1970s it took the economic base away from the town and many businesses closed causing abandoned buildings and urban blight, Bojokles said. For years the town had a rough reputation and the town has worked to revitalize the community into a year-around family friendly atmosphere, he said.

According to the press release, since 2000 DHCD invested $2.5 million in North Beach, allowing the town to leverage millions more in funding, which transformed the town's "downtown landscape and its former reputation, turning the town into an attractive, year-around community that is economically vibrant and provides a high quality of life for its residents."

"Our efforts in the town of North Beach serve as a great example of Maryland's commitment to long-term community revitalization based on smart, green and growing principles," said Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) in the press release.

Other Maryland agencies that partnered with DHCD include the Department of Business and Economic Development, the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation. Along with other state agencies, the nine-year investment in North Beach exceeds more than $20 million.

The state funding and leveraged funds assisted North Beach with affordable rental housing, the senior center, Bayside Boys & Girls Club, streetscape, a new boardwalk, sewer upgrades and utility improvements among others.

"The revitalization of North Beach is a testament to the great work that can be done through partnerships between state agencies and local governments," said Raymond Skinner, secretary for DHCD in a press release.

charvat@somdnews.com