If you're in the market for 18 buildings on 70 wooded, rolling acres surrounded by parkland, the state has a deal for you.
The Board of Public Works has declared Henryton Center in Marriottsville at the southeast corner of Carroll County surplus and has put it on the market. Advertisements should appear soon in area newspapers and the Maryland Register.
"What we are saying is, 'Make us an offer,' " said Dave Humphrey, spokesman for the state Department of General Services. "There are many ways the property could be used. You don't find too many 70-acre pieces."
The state real estate office "may have a figure in mind" for the property, but no one is saying, Mr. Humphrey said.
"It is not in the state's best interest to publicize what the property is worth," he added.
The state hopes an offer is made from the private sector, a business or developer for the land and 228,000 square feet of space in the buildings. If not, "We will see where we go from there," Mr. Humphrey said.
Because Henryton is surrounded by Patapsco State Park, the state could annex it as parkland.
"That would only be after no takers," Mr. Humphrey said.
Annexation would mean tearing down the 18 rambling buildings, which contain asbestos -- an expense the state does not want.
The Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the park, "has already had the opportunity, but hasn't expressed any interest in Henryton," Mr. Humphrey said.
In fact, every state agency has turned thumbs down on the center.
Gov. William Donald Schaefer and nine department heads toured Henryton in January 1993 and decided little could be done with the facility. Most considered the buildings too big or too expensive to renovate and the site too isolated.
Henryton's power plant also is beyond repair and would not meet safety codes. Nearly all the structures would have to undergo asbestos removal, even if they were razed.
"Asbestos abatement could play into any offer we would consider," Mr. Humphrey said.
Henryton, originally constructed as a tuberculosis hospital 70 years ago, was last used as a facility for the developmentally disabled. The buildings, some of which date to 1923, have been empty since 1985. The state spends about $100,000 annually to secure the center.
"Things happen to buildings which are not in use," Mr. Humphrey said.
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene asked the state to consider selling the property more than two years ago.
Mr. Humphrey said there is room for optimism in the search for a buyer. The offer is subject to approval from the Board of Public Works.
"The sale of this property will not only eliminate thousands of dollars in security and maintenance phases, but has the potential of returning it to the tax roles through private-sector ownership," Governor Schaefer said in a news release dated yesterday.