By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The Town of Berlin announced it has received $297,449 in Community Development Block Grant funds to demolish the existing multipurpose building on 130 Flower Street, the town’s planned community center site.

Sara Gorfinkel, executive assistant to Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall, announced the news at a Town Council meeting this week.

The governing group authorized the successful submission of the CDBG grant application in April to the state. The money is part of additional funding available to Berlin for the specific use of removing spot blight.

Earlier this spring, Gorfinkel had noted that in 2024, Berlin applied for a $500,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s CDBG program to tear down the buildings on the future community center’s property and conduct site work. The project was not awarded the full ask. However, the town did receive $100,000 to begin a feasibility study and pay for preliminary expenses.

Through that process, it was discovered that the town could apply for special, additional funding, up to $300,000, specifically for the removal of spot blight. Berlin was notified it had received the funding on Monday, June 9.

The finances will be used only for the demolition of the multipurpose building on the Flower Street property, which Gorfinkel said is in disrepair, thus allowing the town to qualify for the grant.

“The multipurpose building will be demolished shortly,” the executive assistant said upon the award announcement.

In April, Gorfinkel noted that any project funded with the CDBG must meet specific national requirements. Objectives such as benefiting persons of low and moderate income, preventing slum or blight, and eliminating an immediate threat to health, safety, and welfare are required to be considered eligible.

The defective building met these standards and was thus awarded nearly $300,000 for its elimination from 130 Flower Street.

“[The multipurpose structure] has been abandoned, tested positive for lead paint and asbestos, and suffered severe roof damage during the 2024-2025 winter storms,” Gorfinkel said at the April meeting. “The building, once used for community events but long abandoned, is now a source of blight near Henry Park, which includes a playground and a basketball court frequented by families and children.”

Removing the structure, which consists of hazardous materials, asbestos, and lead paint, will put the town closer to creating the community center.

The future facility is made possible via a partnership between the Town of Berlin, Berlin Community Improvement Association (BCIA), SHOREUP! Inc., and the Worcester County Commissioners, who worked to combine four parcels of property on Flower Street, formerly the site of the Flower Street School. The center will likely provide meeting space, recreational activities, services, and amenities.