Our say: Time to get moving on plans for hospital site

While the sad legacy of Crownsville Hospital Center won’t be erased by whatever happens to its property, it’s imperative for the community to find a constructive use for the land and at least a few of the buildings.

The psychiatric hospital was closed nine years ago. And in spite of proposals and government wheel-spinning, nothing has been accomplished since then. The old buildings sit moldering on more than 500 acres in the heart of the county, mostly unused.

As we reported recently, a nonprofit organization, the Community Services Center at Crownsville Inc., has been working for five years on a blueprint for turning the state property into a hub for local nonprofits. But that plan carries an intimidating 15-year price tag of $97 million, and the CSCC estimates it would have to raise about half of that to get started. About $25 million is needed just to remove asbestos, lead paint and other hazards from the buildings.

Read full article here from the Capital Gazette