Over the years, Morro Bay locals have lamented the tax base revenue decline, some of which has been generated by the sunsetting of the power plant. Read the story of an Oregon town’s revival due to a new data center being built there (datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/05/27/facebook-may-get-new-neighbors-in-prineville/). With a casual search, there are many other stories about this and similar opportunities.
The city of Morro Bay does not own the power plant, but it may have some influence with the current owners regarding income generation derived from sale/lease/licensing. With some creativity and effort on the part of the current Morro Bay City Council, maybe the power plant facility and grounds could be put to good use by modern industry. Teaming up with startups such as Facebook or Zynga might be less preferable than seeking a partnership with an established operation like Microsoft, Oracle, or Google, but in Morro Bay’s case, almost anything would be better than nothing.
Will city officials look to creative solutions to its budget morass?
This article appears in Jun 2-9, 2011.