County Executive to Reveal Belmont's Future

County Executive Ken Ulman said he will be making an announcement about the future of the in Elkridge on Wednesday.

The Belmont estate, built in the 1700s by iron industry magnate Caleb Dorsey, was owned by Howard Community College, which said it could no longer afford to run the operation and declared the estate out of business as of Jan. 1, 2011.

The property consists of a mansion, carriage house and barn on more than 80 acres of rolling fields west of Interstate 95, adjacent to . The college used it for its hospitality program.

Previously, the estate was used as a conference center when it was owned by the Smithsonian and the American Chemical Society.

Howard County has been conducting . It with the seller, Howard Community College, in September 2011.

A county official said during a that a third-party organization would most likely handle the management of the property if the county purchased Belmont.

Officials also told Patch that the county would first need to purchase the property, then send out requests for proposals before making a decision about its use.

Ulman will deliver the news about Belmont's future with Director of Recreation and Parks John Byrd, Secretary for the Maryland Environmental Trust's Board of Trustees Ann Jones and President of the Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway John Slater in a public address at 9:45 a.m. at .

Prior Elkridge Patch coverage of the Belmont property:

What's your hope for Belmont's future? Tell us in the comments.