I. Introduction Jim Klein, Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects, opened the meeting
· Approximately 30 people attended the meeting.
· A summary of the criteria discussed at the September 11th CAG Meeting for determining conservation/.preservation and project priorities was handed out. Additional copies of the Goals and Objectives and the Resource Inventory Report (Preliminary Draft) were also handed out.

II. CAG Photographic Tours
· Two additional CAG "Photo Tours" were presented

Narrows, La Vale, Eckhart, Frostburg - presented by Homer Hoover
1. Narrows Historical Society Sign
2. Narrows Scenic View
3. Western Maryland Railroad Bridge, Narrows
4. Historical Sign - First Rails, Narrows
5. Historical House at Park Avenue, Narrows
6. 128 Mi. to Wheeling/3 Mi. to Cumberland, Narrows West
7. 19th Cent. House near Bunnies Tavern, Narrows West
8. Historical Sign at Grant Street
9. Stone House (Furlows) at Grant Street
10. Stone House (circa 1830-50), Ricker Residence, La Vale
11. La Vale Toll House, La Vale West
12. 125 Mi. to Wheeling marker, La Vale West
13. Stone Arch Bridge at Braddock Run, Clarysville
14. Old Depot on Depot Road, Frostburg
15. Thrasher Carriage Museum, Frostburg
16. Historical Marker, Martin Plantation
17. Three Early Stone Houses, Eckhart Mines
18. Elks 470 Building, Frostburg
19. Gunter Hotel, Frostburg

From East of Cumberland, MD to Flintstone, MD, Photos by Richard Langton
1. Beall Log House
2. Pleasant Grove Church
3. Six Mile House (Plummer's Inn)
4. Rocky Gap
5. Toll Gate Farm, Old Cumberland Road
6. Col. Elyah Robosson Log House (purchased 1779)
7. Eli Ash Store, operated during the Civil War
8. Dr. Thomas Perry Robosson Brick House (1871)
9. now Flintstone Firehouse
10. John Davis Store
11. Flintstone Hotel - Tavern and Stage Stop (1807) - being restored
12. "Salt Box" type house, owned by Patsy Robosson (d. 1848)
13. John Roberts "Old Log House"
14. Old Blacksmith Property

Elizabeth Watson presented an overview of the types of preservation and conservation actions that should be considered as part of the corridor partnership plan. The presentation described the range of approaches to preservation actions, from voluntary to governmental; the range of scales, from individual sites to whole landscapes; and a range of ownership conditions from public to private.
§ Local governments have the power to: tax and spend; condemn property; regulate; mediate disputes; share information; and be an entrepreneur.
§ Government spending for conservation includes: purchase of property or interests in property; capital improvements; building and maintaining facilities in the public domain; site cleanups; staff who can provide technical assistance; and grants and loans.
§ They can deliberately promote citizen action and private investment through tax incentives, grants, capital improvements, special designations, technical assistance, public outreach and education, awards programs, agreeing not to regulate as a reward for specific actions (e.g., protected farmland does not come under some kinds of nuisance laws), and making sure the market has good information.
§ Citizens' groups can further support conservation action by: good information; monitoring and reporting; technical assistance; voluntary design guidelines; award programs; public education and outreach; cleanup and fix-up programs; celebrations and festivals; land trusts; and revolving funds.
§ We spent some time on types of taxes and tax breaks currently available at the local, state, and federal levels; the definition of property and property interests (easements, etc.) and ways to transfer them (e.g., donation, outright purchase, bargain sale, installment sale); sources of funding at the local, state, and federal levels; and "Smart Growth" and types of planning and regulation.
§ Advanced land development regulation includes density bonuses, clustering and conservation development, growth guidance or point systems, transfer of development rights ("TDR"), and review of projects for their design (in or out of historic districts) and environmental impacts.
§ Special designations, which allow more intensive regulation and incentives, include historic sites and districts, agricultural districts (including forest land), scenic rivers, trails, scenic byways, heritage areas, and priority funding areas.

Jim Klein followed by highlighting the preservation objectives that have been established for the plan:
§ Focus preservation efforts on stabilizing fragile and vulnerable resources and develop a list of priority preservation projects
§ Encourage and provide incentives for the redevelopment and enhancement of urban neighborhoods, aging commercial strips where the intrinsic qualities are no longer easily recognized
§ Provide information on historic preservation and community design to property owners (guidelines, available programs, tax incentives, etc.) and provide further incentives for private preservation efforts

This was followed by a discussion of some examples of the types of preservation actions that are needed on the National Road: Heyday of the National Road -
§ The road itself (mile markers, bridges, old alignments etc.)
§ Related Vulnerable resources (old inns and hotels, taverns, mile houses, etc.) Era of Agriculture and Trade § Farms and agriculture
§ "Main Streets" National Road Rivival § Inns and hotels, garages, roadside details, etc.)
§ Urban neighborhoods and commercial centers

After the break, discussion followed resulting in the following suggestions and ideas for focusing preservation actions:
§ It was generally agreed that some kind of incentives are needed that can be applied specifically to National Road related resources
§ The definition of the National Road must acknowledge both the original, federally funded section of the National Road (beginning in Cumberland) and the original pikes that connected Baltimore with Cumberland and beyond.
§ The importance of considering the whole National Road Corridor was stressed. The entire route must be thought of together, or nothing will happen with the plan.

Several suggestions were discussed as ways to gain recognition for the National Road and Pikes that would enable National Road specific incentives:
§ Listing the National Road on the National Register of Historic Places
§ Capitalizing on the sections of the road designated as Priority Funding Areas and Rural Legacy Areas
§ Working with businesses and neighboring properties to establish Business Improvement Districts or a similar structure allowing businesses tax themselves to create a preservation and enhancement fund specific to the National Road

Follow-up assignment from photographic tours: Jim Klein asked the group if they would be willing to annotate maps showing the locations of their photographic tours. It was agreed that this would be a good idea. A question was raised about private property and how the tours would acknowledge privacy issues. Jim suggested that the maps could be annotated and individual owners could review the tour and decided if they wanted to be noted on the map. The maps are a second step in creating the tours. CAG members should consult with owners about the tours.

Next Meeting The next meeting will take place on October 30, from 7-9pm at the Cumberland Holiday Inn. An agenda is included with this mailing.