From Harford County government:
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman initiated plans Tuesday to consolidate the county’s economic development functions to improve services and promote local economic growth. The consolidation will move all Office of Economic Development operations to one of its existing locations, on the Route 40 corridor near Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Regarding the consolidation, County Executive Glassman said:
“While we are streamlining county government in response to fiscal pressures, we will do more than hope for an economic turnaround. We will lead the way as Maryland’s new center of opportunity. This consolidation will create synergies in service delivery and provide a modern one-stop-shop for business to launch, relocate, and grow in Harford County. The site’s proximity to Aberdeen Proving Ground will promote direct access to companies and cutting-edge technology. Consolidating on the Route 40 corridor will also further the area’s revitalization.”
Mr. Glassman’s administration initiated the consolidation in a request for the Board of Estimates to approve an addendum to the county’s existing lease at Swan Creek Village in Havre de Grace, site of the county’s GROUND FLOOR business incubator and Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor. The Board unanimously approved the request.
Karen Holt, acting director of the Office of Economic Development, said that the plan would improve the visibility of her department and its ability to cultivate business: “It’s a culture change, but it will serve to drive innovation here in Harford County, leverage the partnerships that reinforce our commitment to small business and avoid duplication of effort.”
Details of the planned consolidation appear below:
Office of Economic Development staff now located in the County Administration Building in Bel Air, and the Harford Business Innovation Center (HBIC) located in leased space in Belcamp, will join the county’s GROUND FLOOR and Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor at Swan Creek Village in Havre de Grace.
Consolidating all Office of Economic Development functions on the Route 40 corridor near APG will improve customer access to county services and promote collaboration through shared work space, including meeting areas, individual pods or hubs for phone calls, and a training center.
A business incubator will accommodate up to six start-up companies and will include an integration lab with proposed 3-D capability.
Technology will allow staff to host clients at a modern facility, and augment mobility for staff working offsite with clients and companies.
The consolidated space will bring local, state and federal resources together to support small businesses from concept to commercialization.
In addition to the benefits of increased economic activity, the net effect of the consolidation and related moves are projected to ultimately save money for Harford County government:
Overall space for Office of Economic Development functions will be reduced by approximately 3,500 square feet.
Ending the Belcamp lease will save $165,000 per year.
Newly available space at the county-owned County Administration Building will further reduce the need for leased space. Potential moves include the Department of Human Resources, now leasing space in Bel Air, which would save $72,000 per year.
Leased space at Swan Creek will increase by approximately 8,600 square feet at the same rate as the county’s existing lease for the GROUND FLOOR and Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor. Annual rent for the added space is approximately $197,000 plus taxes, maintenance, insurance and utilities. The county will also pay for a one-time build out of the space, not to exceed $260,000. These costs will be partially offset by $52,800 in new rental income to the county. The income will come from assigned leases with existing tenants in an existing corporate commons area providing complementary services in computer training, web development, federal solutions and contracting services.
Would love to see specifically how this office has “developed” anything. How about cut the funding to programs like this that don’t work, lower our taxes and let us develop the economy by creating jobs. Novel concept I know.
Way to go Barry ! Consolidating and improving county services, finally some one who realizes the waste in the system needs to go.
“Consolidating on the Route 40 corridor will also further the area’s revitalization.”
Revitalization? Are you serious?!? And what has been done in this area besides putting in curbs along a “maintenance” road on rt.40?
So this streamlining will cost an additional $32k per year? Not to mention the one time $260,000. BUT DON’T YOU WORRY! They might save $72k per year somewhere else, which IF they do that, would lead to a $40k savings. So by the end of Barry’s 8 years in office, this will finally be paid off. That is of course IF the county stops renting the space Human Resources is renting. Of course, we’ll probably have to pay a penalty to break the lease which will push the payback of that into the next administration.
You might want to reread those numbers.
Believe the county is on the hook for quite a bit for breaking the lease of at current HR location. By the way, HR used to be located at Administration Building. By the time this relocation has a positive benefit, they will change their minds and do something else.
You might want to look in to who owns Swan Creek Village. You guessed it, Baaarry’s (and Anthony Brown’s) biggest contributor and handler Bob Hockaday. This whole thing is just a bailout for a crony who can’t lease his office space. I hate to say this, but this administration is more corrupt than the last, and that is saying something.
Now this makes sense! Think it even has name, quid-pro-quo! Or as he says it down on the farm-“you scratch my sheep I’ll scratch yours!”
BAH BAH Berry????
From a functional standpoint, this idea has several flaws. It puts all Economic Development emphasis on APG, which fluctuates regularly due to federal initiatives. It removes the Economic Development office from other necessary support services, e.g. planning, administration, public works which will simply require more travel costs and issues with coordination. The numbers make little sense since it will cost more than is currently being spent. Before making all of these changes to accommodate supporters, it might be better to learn the day to day operational needs and make more practical, supportable decisions.
The Ground Floor is a business incubator?!? I guess that is some kind of government joke. Everytime I go to Bill Bateman’s (and I go alot), I look in and just see a big empty space with some couches and chairs. After at least 50 visits, I have yet to see a single soul in the place. What are they incubating? Empty space between their ears?