Demolition of Bowleys Quarters power station paves way for new possibilities
BOWLEYS QUARTERS, Md. -– The demolition of the former C.P. Crane Power Generating Station is complete.
The charges ignited at 8 a.m. sharp Friday at the site along the Seneca Creek in Baltimore County.
"When we take our boats out, we use (the plant) as a landmark to find our way home," Abigail Palmer of Bowleys Quarters said Friday morning. "It's kind of been an icon ever since we moved here."
Dozens of boats anchored in the Seneca Creek for the scheduled demolition. Forsite Development, Inc., a North Carolina-based company that acquired the defunct coal power plant last month, reported no adverse impacts from the implosion.
"It's never going to look the same. And, you see as the smoke is clearing, it already looks weird," Palmer said. "Wow, this is actually really sad. Because, we're never going to see it again."
A fire at the site in July burned so hot water could not put it out, according to Baltimore County fire officials.
Dawn McKinney was among the many nearby residents up early for the implosion.
"People can not get around without that (smokestacks)," McKinney said. "I don't call it progress. You need to have some things left alone. I'm hoping they leave it alone. There's a lot of bald eagles over there."
Baltimore County Councilman David Marks told WJZ the site is zoned at a very low density. There's no public water at the site, so "probably no more than 75" homes could be built, Marks said.
Marks said he would prefer to see the site become a park.