Land won’t be bought for waste facility access

Jack McLaughlin
Editor
12/04/09

Legislation that would have allowed the purchase property off Trimble Road to be used to provide access to a waste energy facility on a corner of the Edgewood Area of the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) has been withdrawn. The decision to withdraw Council Bill 09-26, introduced by County Council President Billy Boniface at the request of County Executive David Craig, was announced at a Dec. 1 press conference a few hours before the Council was to hold a public hearing on the measure.

James Richardson, the County’s Economic Development Director, said negotiations are close to completion to have a national company operate a distribution center in the former GAP warehouse next to the property that was the subject of the bill that was withdrawn.  He said the business would employ as many as  500 people but gave no further details.

The GAP, a national clothing retailer, closed the warehouse, its MidAtlantic distribution center, four years ago.  The warehouse and adjacent vacant property is owned by ProLogis Exchange Maryland LLC. ProLogis is an international operator of distribution facilities.

Richardson did not give any details about the company but did say the business was not related to Base Realignment and Closing activities that have spurred the construction of office space on and near APG.

The waste to energy facility, on a 13-acre tract by APG’s Magnolia gate, is owned by the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority on behalf of the County. It is operated by Energy Recovery Operations, Inc. The County is negotiating with the Army to expand the facility. The lease on the property expires March 17, 2016.

Craig said it was never the County’s intention to build a new incinerator on the site, a 134-acre tract of industrially zoned land. Area residents, however, were concerned about the possibility and voiced concerns about having the facility across Trimble Road from a county park and playing fields during community meetings in November.

The proposed legislation would have authorized the County to purchase the property for $4.9 million, funding the acquisition through the Maryland Environmental Service.
Craig said the county prefers a new access road off Rt. 152 or Rt. 24. The latter option, Craig noted, has been opposed by the Army because of security concerns. The Prologis property, said Craig, “was always the third choice.” He said another alternative to consider would be to have the traffic come into the waste on one state highway and go out on another

The County Executive said APG Garrison commander Orlando Ortiz has said he will “permit all options on the table with the understanding that they may not be at some point.”

County Councilman Dion Guthrie distributed a new release he and Councilman Mary Ann Lisanti issued at the press conference thanking the County Executive for withdrawing the bill.

“We support the need to expand the existing waste to energy facility on the Aberdeen Proving Ground. We are committed to work with our local, state and federal partners to negotiate with APG officials to gain the necessary permission for an access road on federal property outside the new Rt. 24 post gate, ” the council members said in the release. They thanked Maryland state delegates Mary-Dulany James and Dan Riley, U.S Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, U.S Representatives C. A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger and Frank Kratovil and County Councilman Joe Woods for joining them in opposing the purchase of Prologis Park.

“We would also like to call on our colleagues on the Harford County Council to join us in a united, one voice effort for a new access road off Rt. 24,” said Guthrie and Lisanti.
Harford County Public Works Director said the county hopes to have the access issue resolved by January or February. The permit process takes about two years, said Cooper, noting it will take another three years to design and build the new waste to energy plant. Current plans call for the $400 million facility to be in operation in 2015 or 2016.

The plant now processes about 360 tons of waste a day. The steam it generates is sold to the U.S. Army for use in the Edgewood Area of APG. Although the project is referred to as an expansion of existing facilities, the new plant would be a free standing building capable of handling 1500 tons a day. The new facility would produce steam and electricity, both sold to the Army. Cooper said the old incinerator building might be retained but it would not be employed in its present use.

Ultimately, said Cooper, Harford County would put 750 tons a day in the waste to energy plant with Baltimore County taking the rest of the capacity.