TRAVERSE CITY -- Local utility officials may buy property in Traverse City as a potential site for a wood-burning power plant.
Traverse City Light & Power's board members will discuss buying land in an industrial park off Parsons Road in a closed session at their meeting today. A decision on whether to make an offer likely won't come until the board's meeting on Nov. 24, said Ed Rice, the public utility's executive director.
"We are analyzing one site that's come on the market and we want to have some discussion before we make an offer to the owner," he said. "It's one site on the market and we want to take advantage of that right now."
Trouble is, utility officials said they won't move forward with $70 million plans to build up to three wood-burning biomass power plants until after they wage a public relations campaign on the technology, including a forum to gauge public opinion.
At least one Light & Power board member thinks a land purchase may be "putting the cart before the horse."
"I questioned at the last closed session why we were discussing buying property before we had the discussion about whether biomass is what this community wants," said Jim Carruthers, who's also a city commissioner. "Why would we want to buy property before we know whether the public will revolt over this? I think we should have the buy-in of the community before we move forward."
But fellow Light & Power board member James Hoogesteger said an advantageous price and the location may be too good to pass up, so it's better to nab up the spot now. If a biomass plant is not pursued there, other options exist, he said.
"As far as buying it this early, we could turn around and sell it to somebody else," Hoogesteger said.
Traverse City resident Jeff Gibbs, who lives near the industrial park, has concerns about biomass power and whether such a plant is sustainable and well-suited inside the city. Traverse City is in a valley and smoke from a wood-burning biomass power plant likely would linger, along with particulate matter in the smoke, he said.
Discussions about Light & Power's potential biomass plants must be more transparent, Gibbs said.
"It needs to be a discussion with the community about whether this is a good idea. It seems like when you buy land, you intend to do something with it," he said.
The site includes three parcels that total about seven acres, but Rice would not reveal the asking price nor who owns the lots.
"Being an industrial park, that's really appropriate for it. We would never propose one in a residential area," Rice said.
The city developed the industrial park decades ago and all developable lots were sold to private owners, said R. Ben Bifoss, city manager.
Light & Power already owns one lot in the park, where a substation was built. The property that may be purchased is near the utility's current holding, Rice said.
Additional sites for potential biomass plants are being considered on the west and east sides of town, but outside city limits. It will take up to five years to build the first plant, then as many as three or four more years for each additional facility, he said.
If you go
The Traverse City Light and Power board will meet today at 5:15 p.m. in the second-floor Commission Chambers at the Governmental Center, 400 Boardman Ave., in Traverse City.
Print this story
E-mail this story
