Leaders in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, have said they’re eager to work with the state to takeover a piece of land that once housed a large mental hospital.
The site of the old Crownsville Hospital Center, a psychiatric hospital that was shuttered by the state back in 2004, is what County Executive Steuart Pittman calls 鈥渢he green heart of Anne Arundel County.鈥�
Located right in the center of the county, Pittman said 鈥渋t has a history of really sort of failures by the health system, mental health in particular, to treat people with respect and dignity and help them heal.鈥�
His long term vision would make amends for that while keeping it as green space, too.
鈥淲e want to create passive recreation opportunities for the community,鈥� said Pittman. 鈥淚t鈥檚 adjacent to an area, Bacon Ridge Natural Area, that we have acquired and preserved and we have some mountain bike trails there.鈥�
Right now some nonprofit mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities also lease space from the state at that same location, and Pittman says he expects those types of programs to continue having a home there.
鈥淲e want to nurture the nonprofit organizations that are there, allow other nonprofits to be there particularly for health and wellness efforts,鈥� said Pittman. 鈥淭hen people are at a setting and can get out into nature and get outside and I believe that鈥檚 an important part of that kind of work.鈥�
It鈥檚 not clear how long it鈥檒l take to negotiate the transfer of the land, nor is it clear how much it鈥檒l cost. The estimate in the says the cost could range anywhere from $0 to as much as $34+ million, depending on how much demolition work the state has to do.
鈥淲e know there are going to be costs of some remediation,鈥� said Pittman. 鈥淲e鈥檙e certainly going to be talking to the General Assembly about participating in that.鈥�
He said in the past, state lawmakers have shown a willingness to help out with the costs for that land.
鈥淚t鈥檚 beautiful and I鈥檝e described it as the 鈥榞reen heart at the center of our county鈥� and people understand its history and people want to do something that is really special there,鈥� said Pittman. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a top priority for me.鈥�
But this only allows the county to begin planning to take the steps necessary to achieve that vision.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the start of probably a long race to get this to the point that we want it to be,鈥� said Pittman.
