expire each year and any member may be
reappointed. One member must be a resi-
dent of Howard County. The Authority
selects its own officers and staff.
Chapter 729, Acts of 1975, revised the
composition of the Advisory Council to con-
sist of eleven members, with five members
appointed by the Maryland Agricultural
Commission, and five appointed by produce
merchants who are tenants in the Maryland
Wholesale Produce Market. The Executive
Director of the Authority serves as the non-
voting, ex officio Chairman of the Advisory
Council. This same Act changed the name
of the Authority from the Greater Baltimore
Consolidated Wholesale Food Market Au-
thority to the Maryland Wholesale Food
Center Authority.
The goal of the Authority is to construct
a modern, efficient food distribution center
capable of satisfying most of the wholesale
food requirements of the Baltimore and
Washington metropolitan areas. This en-
deavor was based on the recommendations
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture after
a two year investigation of the antiquated.
inefficient and unsanitary markets in Balti-
more Maryland was the third area in the
world to undertake such a development.
This concept is now being followed by most
of the world's large metropolitan areas.
The Authority is developing a 398-acre
site at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and
Maryland Route 175 in Howard County
near Jessup for the establishment of a Mary-
land Wholesale Food Center. The Center
will provide better quality food products to
the consumers of Maryland more efficiently
and at less cost. As of June 30, 1976,
approximately 990,000 square feet of food
warehousing space had been constructed
within the Maryland Wholesale Food Center
at an estimated cost of $24 million Further-
more, the Authority has signed commit-
ments for construction of an additional
860,000 square feet of food warehousing
space. Of 326 salable acres, approximately
150 acres had been sold or leased as of
June 30, 1976. It is estimated that approxi-
mately $100 million will be invested in food |
distribution facilities by the completion of
the project.
The State's total investment of $9 million
will be completely repaid over a period of
years. The original Act provided an initial
loan of $4 million in State general obliga-
tion bonds for land acquisition and develop-
ment. An additional $5 million loan for
Produce Market construction was provided
by Chapter 409, Acts of 1969.
The original Act permitted the Authority
to issue $6 million in negotiable revenue
bonds. As of June 30, 1976, $2 million had
been privately sold, with $1 million being
purchased by the Equitable Trust Company
in order to finance a portion of the Mary-
land Wholesale Produce Market. The reve-
nue bonds sold are structured in such a
manner as not to be a direct encumbrance
on Authority revenues.
During 1976 the Authority will construct
roadways and utilities to serve the Phase III
area of the project which is the only remain-
ing undeveloped portion. In January 1976,
the long-awaited Maryland Wholesale Pro-
duce Market began operation. This facility,
containing 204,500 square feet, is fully
leased and has 26 produce merchant tenants
who were formerly in the Baltimore metro-
politan area. This achievement, combined
with the previous separate land sales to
Giant Food, Inc., Distribution Centers, Inc ,
Smelkinson Brothers Corporation, American
Food Services, Albright Wholesale, and
Equitable Trust assures that the Maryland
Wholesale Food Center will be both opera-
tionally and financially successful (Code
1957, 1971 Repl. Vol., 1975 Supp., Art.
41, sees. 410, 412, 413, 416).
Maryland Wholesale Food Center
Authority — General Administration
Salaried Staff: 1975, 3*; 1976, 3*;
1977, 4**.
Maryland Wholesale Product Market
Salaried Staff: 1975, 0; 1976, 10***;
1977, 11*.
*Two positions are part-time
**Three positions are part-time
***0ne position is part-time |
