After coal-fired power plant closes, Chilean city hopes to learn from Coshocton's success

COSHOCTON − Coshocton County is quickly becoming a model for how municipalities who have lost a coal-fired power plant cannot only survive, but thrive, afterward.

Representatives from Tocopilla, Chile, recently visited Coshocton to meet with local officials and take a tour of the area, including the burgeoning Conesville Industrial Park . Tiffany Swigert, executive director of the Coshocton Port Authority, said Coshocton had become an un-official sister city to Tocopilla as a coal-fired power plant there is currently being decommissioned. Representatives also visited Lawrence, Kansas, while in the U.S., which has been declared an official sister city to Tocopilla.

The American Electric Power Plant in Conesville closed in May 2020 after 62 years of service, outlasting the usual life expectancy for such a facility by more than 20 years. The closure of the plant had a big economic impact on Conesville, Franklin Township and River View Local Schools. A drop of $2.2 million in tax revenue from the plant closing led to staff reductions and eventual reconfiguration of the school district .

While in Coshocton, the group met with Bob Buxton about the history of Coshocton, Lynn Jacobs from Ohio Mean Jobs of Coshocton County, Donna Hrezo of Ohio SE, Mindy Brems of the Coshocton Visitors Bureau, Pat Ford and Anthony Basil of the Frontier Group of Companies, which are developing the former AEP plant land into an industrial park, along with other locals.

Swigert said Coshocton officials will stay in contact with the Tocopilla representatives and provide what advice and consultation.

"It's amazing to me. From Tocopilla, Chile, to Coshocton is over 4,300 miles away, but we share a lot of commonalities in how our communities were impacted with closures of plants and how we're feeling right now in regards to the planning and what's next in our communities," Swigert said. "This was just a great first step in opening those walls of communication."

Developing the site of the former plant site

Additionally, the port authority is working with the Frontier Group of Companies on applying for a competitive loan program from the Ohio Department of Development to assist with extending waterlines and wastewater lines from the City of Coshocton to the Conesville Industrial Park and the creation of access roads to the site from Ohio 16.

Swigert said they are finalizing the request now and a dollar amount hasn't been attached to it yet. The loan request is through the All Ohio Future Fund, announced last December, with $750 million available for infrastructure projects related to economic development projects. Loans would be zero interest with no payments due for five years and certain percentages of forgiveness are available based on end use.

Ford said the Frontier Group is confident the site could bring more than $30 billion in local investment from businesses locating there. Frontier Group owns about 2,500 acres with 163 acres being where the power plant once stood and is currently being developed. About another 1,000 acres is worthy of future development, Ford said. Standard Power owns approximately 45 acres now.

Swigert said at least one prospect, which she can't name at this time, could be secured once the infrastructure projects are completed.

"It's a really big ask, but if we're able to get this, it will be absolutely transformational for the site," Swigert said.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: After coal-fired power plant closes, Chilean city hopes to learn from Coshocton's success