Cecil County reaches option deal for former Basell R&D center

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Cecil County, Md. Executive Tari Moore and school officials have announced an $8.2 million option agreement between Appleton Road Business Trust and the Board of Education of Cecil County to the Cecil County Council to buy the former Basell corporate research center near the Delaware line.

The site has long been targeted as the site of a technical high school for the county. Basell had its roots in the Himont plastics operation that was at one time co-owned by Hercules Incorporated, now Ashland.

This property was the subject of a discussion in 2012 by the former Board of County Commissioners of Cecil County and the Board of Education of Cecil County. Commissioners at the time would not go ahead with the next stage of a possible sale. Maryland county governments have a direct funding relationship with school districts.

The property recently became available for purchase when a Baltimore-area real estate firm snapped up the property and put the site back on the market

The county has since moved to an executive-council form of government, with new members being more supportive of the school.

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The Cecil Times website reported the price will be more expensive than in 2012, since the investor has since bought the property, which had been on the market for years for $5 million in what could prove to be a profitable “flip” transaction.

The agreement provides the exclusive right to purchase the property and provides a 90-day option period or “due diligence period.” The County Council will have until October 25 to provide written notice of its exercise of the option agreement.

Terms of the transaction call for the county to pay the real estate firm to pay the real estate firm $60,000 a month for 24 months or when the option to purchase is exercised.

The property (formerly known as the Basell site) consists of approximately 91 acres, and 141,000 square feet of finished space. With minor changes and phased-in renovation, technical education curriculum can gradually expand as future needs dictate, a release from the county stated.

The site was sold to Blue & Obrecht of Lutherville. The company put pressure on the county when it indicated that if a buyer or lessee could not be found, the site would be demolished, with a warehouse-distribution center taking its place. The site is near Interstate 95.

The original tech school project was expected to cost more than $61 million, but the plans were put on hold due to the economy and anticipated enrollment increases across the county not materializing. The county had expected to see an economic boom from new jobs at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The cost of converting the R&D site is expected to be much less.

The demand for career and technical education in Cecil County has increased. The current School of Technology in North East) is limited to 74,000 square feet and an enrollment of 218. More than 150 students are on a waiting list, the county and school district noted.

“We are excited about the possibilities of this property to not only provide for students who are on current waiting lists, but to gradually expand with new programs that will provide Cecil students the kind of technical skills they need for employment opportunities,” stated Cecil School Superintendent Dr. D’Ette Devine. “In addition, this will be of great benefit to the entire county in multiple ways as we have discussed for almost two years.”

Cecil County Executive Tari Moore said, “Recommending approval of this much needed facility to the County Council is a critical initiative for our community. Not only do we have the opportunity to provide for the career and technology workforce needs of our community now and for the future, but we are also dealing with one of our community’s root causes of drug abuse by ‘bridging the gap’ in education. By providing job skills training for those students who cannot or choose not to continue on to college, the expansion of our School of Technology will enhance post-high school employment opportunities with good paying jobs.”

 

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