Morro Bay NEW Futures Committee newfutures.morro-bay.com
newfutures.morro-bay.com

Photo courtesy Red Truhitte, Morro Bay, CA

Frequently Asked Questions  (FAQs) -- The North Embarcadero Waterfront (NEW) Futures Committee

home   committee   contact-us   events   FAQs   the-project    archives


Submit your questions to the new-futures Yahoo! Group

NEW Futures Committee -- Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  1. What is LS Power?
Answer:
LS Power Group is the company that purchased nine power generating plants from Duke Energy on May 4, 2006 including the Morro Bay Power Plant. Please visit their web site for full details. lspower.com

Q:  2. What is the NEW Futures Committee?
Answer: The NEW Futures Committee is an ad hoc committee formed by the City Council of Morro Bay. Please visit our web site for full details of our mission, activities and plans. http://morro-bay.com/newfutures/ (same as http://newfutures.morro-bay.com )

Q:  3. How is the work of the Committee going to benefit Morro Bay?
Answer:
Our thinking is that by collecting and documenting the community’s (citizen and business) ideas regarding the property, we can provide the property owners with a clear view of how the community would like to see any available land utilized. We would be taking an active role in designing our future, improving the financial condition of our City and enhancing our quality of life and the environment.

Q:  4. Why did the City Council establish the Committee?
Answer:
To paraphrase our Mission Statement, the Committee is the method the Council is using to reach out to stakeholders by establishing a two way communications system to receive ideas and expertise for the community to insure our Vision of the Future represents the diversity and requirements of the community.

Q:  5. What is the Committee’s road map for completing the project?
Answer:
The project plan it broken into three phases as follows:
Phase I – Information and Data Gathering – We are divided into four Working Groups (Short Term Finance, Existing Site Research, Community Communication and Regulation). We hope to complete this Phase by year [2006] end.
Phase II – Analysis and Consolidation
Phase III –Vision for the Future which will include recommendation and action steps.

Q:  6. What plan does LS Power have for the future of the plant?
Answer:
Their plan is to build a new and more fuel efficient plant generally on the site where the existing tank farm resides. The company has made application for various approvals and permits required to move forward and is attempting to identify long term buyers for the power generated. This is a lengthy, time consuming and expensive process. LS Power hopes to obtain approvals as quickly as possible.

Q:  7. Are there opportunities for Morro Bay even if LS Power builds a new plant?
Answer:
Yes, there are three likely scenarios for the future of the plant. The Committee will need to evaluate three options and alternatives which are summarized as follows:

  • A.  No Change - Under this scenario the plant continues to operate under contract with PG&E. This is the least likely possibility as the plant would be operating at minimal profitably. However, this would still generate a significant opportunity for the City as the tank farm area which is currently not being used could become available.
  • B.  New Power Plant – LS Power could make the decision to build a new and efficient plant on the site and then demolish the existing plant. While LS Power is moving forward with its application, LS Power has not made a decision on the future of this plant as yet A new plant would likely be built at the location of the existing tank farm. The opportunity here is that the property where the existing plant resides could become available.
  • C.  Plant Closure – The entire property could become available. The cost of clearing the land would have to be factored into the overall value of the property. With the plant out of operation, there would also be a possibility that adjacent property owned by PG&E could become available (all or in part).

Q:  8. How big is the property and what kind of restrictions are there on future use?
Answer:
The property is approximately 107 acres in total some of which is already being used by the City through easements. If a new plant is constructed, it would occupy a substantial portion of the total. The 107 acres also include a substantial amount of environmentally sensitive and protected areas. The Site Working Group (part of the NEW Futures Committee) is preparing detailed information which will be available on our web site in the near future.

Q:  9. What suggestions has the Committee received so far?
Answer:
Not many, we are just starting the idea collection process. The City Council hosted a town hall meeting last October. Suggestions received at that meeting are listed on our web site. A community workshop is scheduled for Saturday, September 30, 2006 where we hope to receive a lot of ideas and suggestions.

Q:  10. Who will pay for improvements to the site?
Answer:
It is too early to tell. We first need to define what we would like to have on the property (and under which scenario). We can then look for ways to accomplish our targets including the money side. Part of our thinking is to include revenue generating opportunities for the City to help address budget issues and community enhancement projects in the future.

1Q:  1. How much money does Morro Bay currently earn from the plant?
Answer:
(Currently being compiled)

Q:  12. What is the timing?
Answer:
Good question. The environmental approval and financing process that LS Power has to go through is complicated. However, this is not new to them and they are moving ahead. As a Committee, we would like to complete the data gathering phase before year end 2006. At that point we will determine appropriate time horizons for Phases II and III. An outline of our project plan will be on the web site as part of our effort to provide information.

Q:  11. How do I keep up to date with Committee activities?
Answer:
Follow our web site. It is new as of July 2006 so it may be a little short in information right now. We have only been active as a committee since March 2006. Information on the site will continue to grow.

Q:  12. How do I contact or provide my ideas to the Committee?
Answer:
Please address questions and ideas to our Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/new-futures/  [and visit our website at]
http://morro-bay.com/newfutures    

Q:  13. Are any community outreach activities planned?
Answer:
Yes. The date is Saturday September 30, 2006 at the Community Center from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. This will be a workshop to gain information and provide input. Save the date and watch our web site for details.


More FAQs

Q: Where can I find more information about Morro Bay, CA?
A: Try the Morro Bay City Government, Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce, morro-bay.com, morrobay.com and see this complete list of related websitesNote to webmasters:  If you add a link to us (http://newfutures.morro-bay.com), please let us know (e-mail mike [at} mikebaird d o t com) and if your site is relevant, we will add you to the resource list above.

Q: Where can I see aerial photos of the power plant?
A: See aerial photos taken by Morro Bay's own Red Truhitte.


Submit your questions to the new-futures Yahoo! Group

Get to this site by using either http://morro-bay.com/newfutures  or http://newfutures.morro-bay.com   hosting and design courtesy of morro-bay.com 
Please report errors to mike [@} mikebaird d o t com  (805) 704-2064

 
Web newfutures.morro-bay.com