No takers for Camp Gabriels

Jon Alexander reports this afternoon that the state Office of General Services received no bids for the former Camp Gabriels minimum security prison.

Here's his story:

The state has been looking to sell the 91-acre parcel ever since its 2009 closure due to shrinking inmate populations and declining budget appropriations at the state Department of Correctional Services.

But apparently, no one wants the property. The state had set a minimum $950,000 bid on Camp Gabriels.

Heather Groll is spokeswoman for OGS.

“We’re going to look at the potential options that are available to us from an economic development standpoint,” she said. “Potentially leasing, requesting the help of the Empire State Development Corporation, going to RFP, potentially holding on to the property until there’s a change in the market.”

The bids were scheduled to be opened on Wednesday afternoon.

The town of Brighton has been actively participating in the search for potential buyers.

Brighton Supervisor John Quenell said he isn’t surprised that no bids were received.

“I was not terribly optimistic based on the level of interest that we have seen in the town and the lack of people who showed up for the scheduled tours,” he said.

“There were two open houses in October and nobody came to the first one and only one group came to the second. I sort of felt at that point that there isn’t any serious interest out there.”

For nearly a year, the Brighton Redevelopment Committee has been looking for new uses for not only Camp Gabriels, but also the soon-to-be shuttered Paul Smith’s Visitors Interpretive Center.

The region lost 107 jobs when Camp Gabriels closed.