MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI ? A proposal to build a ?green? energy industrial park at the Muskegon County wastewater site is being unveiled publicly this week.
The conceptual plan calls for the proposed integrated industrial park to be home to businesses that produce waste that could be recycled into an energy form. In addition, the industrial park?s location on the 11,000-acre wastewater treatment site in Egelston and Moorland townships makes it conducive to businesses that expel large quantities of wastewater.
Based on the proposed plan, potential park resident companies could include a brewery, rendering, feed mill, lumber mill, biofuel refinery, food processor, integrated ?green? energy facility and waste-to-energy bio-digester.
Representatives of Muskegon-based Alternative Energy Solutions of America are scheduled to make a presentation to the county?s Board of Public Works at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Hall of Justice during the monthly board meeting.
Larry Blackmer, Alternative Energy Solutions of America?s director of research and development, said the proposal is set up to reduce the cost for doing business by sharing and reusing waste products and bring jobs to Muskegon County. He also pointed out that it would be using an underutilized piece of property.
?It?s an exciting, unique project,? Blackmer said.
The basic design is for the park?s companies to reuse the waste products from the other occupants and produce byproducts that can be used in a ?green? energy production facility. The energy produced in that facility would be used by the companies to offset their electrical costs.
The proposed plan features an estimate of 445 full-time jobs if the industrial park is constructed and filled. The plan also calls for an estimate of 225 temporary construction jobs for two years.
The cost to develop the current site is estimated at $4.1 million, including work on roads and extension of water and sewer systems. The projected costs for the ?green? energy production facility are $3.3 million for the facility and $4.1 million for equipment.
The funding for the project is being proposed as a public-private partnership.
Among the financing possibilities are Brownfield Tax incentives from local government, assistance through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Renewable Energy Renaissance Zoning from state sources and several federal agencies. The project also would include private investment capital.
Blackmer said the proposed project has been in the works for about a year, beginning with some conversations with the U.S. Department of Commerce. He said Alternative Energy Solutions has had informal conversations with companies as far away as Australia and as nearby as Holland about the industrial park.
?We?ve done a lot of due diligence to see if we can take it to the next level,? Blackmer said.
W. Scott Decker, president of Alternative Energy Solutions of America, is expected to take part in the presentation Thursday.
Muskegon Area First President and CEO Ed Garner said he has talked with the company about its proposal. He said he will be looking for direction from the Public Works Board on how to proceed with the proposed project.
Muskegon County contracts with Muskegon Area First, a private economic development agency, to market its wastewater system.
Eric Gaertner covers government, politics and the outdoors. He can be reached via email at egaertne@mlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricGaertner1.
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