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Highlands Today

City Loses Interest In Former Power Plant

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By Gary Pinnell | Highlands Today

Published: June 14, 2008

SEBRING — The purchase of the old Tampa Electric Co. power plant property is apparently off.

"At this point," said Assistant City Manager Scott Noethlich, "nothing is happening."

The city was interested in buying the Dinner Lake lot where the stream-driven plant sat until TRC America Inc. tore it down.

More than a decade ago, said Andy Albritton, a mechanic there, the steam plant supplied power to the city. TRC America, which buys and demolishes power plants to sell the parts, finished removing the Dinner Lake plant in April.

"It fits between the solid waste office and the city's fuel depot," Noethlich said. If the city ever wanted to expand either facility, the lot could have been useful.

But Marvin Baker, operations manager of the Orlando company, is asking $240,000.

"I am putting your offer on council's June 3 agenda," Noethlich e-mailed Baker. "I do not believe they will be comfortable with the asking price."

When Baker got that note, he decided not to attend the June 3 meeting, and the council didn't discuss it.

"It's still for sale," Baker said Friday, but he is no longer pursuing the city as a buyer.

There are fashionable homes and apartments around Dinner Lake, which is northeast of downtown Sebring, but the lot is not a desireable location for a residential development. It's filled with concrete rubble from the demolition, and it's behind a Progress Energy substation.

"It's sandwiched between two other properties owned by the city, and it doesn't really appear that it has value to anyone else other than the city," Noethlich said.

The assessed value of the land, according to the Highlands County Property Appraiser's Office, is $167,000.

The item is not on the June 17 agenda.

"There could still be some interest there, but I don't want to speak for the council," Noethlich said. "It's a council decision."

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