EASTON, Md. — A public street separating the two buildings that make up Building African American Minds, or BAAM, will soon belong to the nonprofit instead of the town.
The Easton Town Council voted unanimously Monday in favor of an ordinance discontinuing Moton Street as a public road. The move clears the way for the town to transfer ownership to BAAM, a community organization that provides academic and social opportunities to underserved youth and adults.
Moton Street runs between BAAM's two buildings — an academic center, where school and workforce development programming take place, and an athletic center on the other side.
Town officials said they hadn't been able to offer the street to BAAM in the past because nearby apartments on the road needed access to it. That's changing, officials said, now that those apartments are being demolished and BAAM is acquiring the property.
Rick Van Emburgh, Easton's town engineer, said he supports handing over street ownership to BAAM.
"It’s really a win-win for both the town and for BAAM,” Van Emburgh said. “It's hard for us to maintain that street. It doesn't have a cul de sac or anything at the end of it. So it's hard for our trucks to get in and out of that small portion of street. It's only about 125ft long, which is pretty short and this allows them [BAAM] to take over ownership of it, maintenance of it.”
With the additional land, BAAM leadership says they're planning to build a career and technology center, a garden, and a "safety town" that will teach kids how to safely navigate the road.
BAAM Executive Director Dina Daily said she's looking forward to growing the organization's campus.
"Any kid who comes to us, whether it's a kindergarten, a first grader or a 12 grader, they're engaged in activities that are helping them for the future. And that's what we want for all our children. We want them to be well-rounded individuals, learning about opportunities and possibilities," Daily said.
Daily said the expansion is ultimately about giving children in the community somewhere safe to grow.
"We're here to provide an opportunity for kids to learn in a safe environment and keep them off the streets, you know, and give them the tools for them to be successful as adults. And so we're keeping them busy," Daily said.
Cameron McCoy, BAAM's health and wellness coordinator, was once a mentor at the organization himself when he was young. He said that mission feels especially important now.
"I think especially in the times that we are in, in the world, it's it's imperative that our children have an opportunity to express themselves in a safe environment, especially in an environment that's pushing them to grow and gives them opportunities to learn about themselves and how they want to contribute to society and the community as they get older," McCoy said.
Daily said the old apartments behind the organization are scheduled to come down next week, and BAAM hopes to have building permits for the expansion in place by the end of the year.
