AUDIO: Lawrenceburg Mayor Talks Fourth Port Snub; Old State Road 48 Improvements

The state's Fourth Port won't be coming to Lawrenceburg, but that opens up the Tanners Creek Power Plant site for other developments.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The Fourth Port won't be coming to Lawrenceburg, but Mayor Kelly Mollaun is looking towards new opportunities at the former Tanners Creek Power Plant site. 

Mayor Mollaun joined Eagle Country 99.3 Friday morning to give his reaction to Governor Holcomb's announcement that the state has withdrawn from purchasing the former Tanners Creek Power Plant site. 

Although the Fourth Port won't land in Lawrenceburg, Mollaun was grateful for the consideration. 

"We really appreciate then Governor Pence and now Governor Holcomb really considering southeastern Indiana and more importantly Lawrenceburg for the Fourth Port," said Mollaun. 

Mollaun added that the City knew all along that due diligence needed to be done and that nothing was ever a done deal. The due diligence included cleanup at the site and determining how many buildable acres were available.  

"At the end of the day, I'm looking at everything as an opportunity and a positive," said Mollaun. "This may be an opportunity for the buildable acres that are over there to be more with private development. And obviously that's another great positive thing for the area. There's not a lot of land to build on, not in Lawrenceburg." 

So, it appears there will be some opportunity for businesses to move to town and for job creation, but on a lesser scale than the Fourth Port would have created. 

"I think we were all a little discouraged," said Mollaun. "At the end of the day, I think things happen for a reason and Lawrenceburg will be better for it." 

HEAR DOUBLE T'S FULL INTERVIEW WITH MAYOR MOLLAUN IN THE AUDIO PLAYER BELOW

Since the land will no longer be under a contract or an option by the state, it will give private development a chance to go in there and deal directly with the owners. Mollaun anticipates private development and some smaller type companies going in at the former Tanners Creek Power Plant site. He added that there is about 100 acres of buildable land and that more could land could become available. 

State Representative Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) also weighed in on the situation: 

““It is unfortunate the site in Lawrenceburg is not viable to use as a port, as the project would have resulted in more jobs and provided a tremendous boost for our local economy. While this announcement is a delay, we’re continuing to search for a location in southeastern Indiana to serve as the state's fourth port. The concept of building a forth port is a sound one, and we must find an area that is viable to execute this major venture."

In other City of Lawrenceburg news, plans remain in place to barricade a portion of Old State Road 48 at a slide spot between Heiner Heights and Riviera Drive. 

The barricade could be put into place the first week of October, according to Mollaun. 

"Now that we own Old 48, it comes time now that we need to repair the slip in the road," said Mollaun. "There's some really bad spots there and its really come down to a safety decision." 

The City hopes to use Community Crossing grants to fund proper repairs at the slip site. The grant program resumed this week after a temporary shut down. 

"We are prepared to submit our grant request," said Mollaun. "So we may be able to get started on the fix sooner than we anticipated." 

Mayor Mollaun also reminded City of Lawrenceburg residents to take the Doughty Road Storm Water Improvements Project Survey, which will help the City secure a grant to make improvements to the storm water pump station on Doughty Road. 

RELATED STORIES:

BREAKING: Tanners Creek Site No Longer An Option For Fourth Port

L'Burg Residents Asked To Take Doughty Road Storm Water Improvements Project Survey

Temporary Barricade Planned At Old State Road 48 Slide Site