00;00;00;02 - 00;00;16;09
Stephanie Wiechmann
The former General Motors factory was closed in 2006, and the property has sat largely vacant since the buildings were demolished. Muncie will purchase 53 acres from the trust that owns the land. Muncie Mayor Dan right now here says solar panels will be added to generate more than 24,000,000 kW of energy.

00;00;16;13 - 00;00;28;29
Dan Ridenour
A brownfield that's been sitting there for more than a dozen years, maybe 15 years. It's important for the neighborhood, to see something new. It's important for the city to see something new.

00;00;29;06 - 00;00;45;22
Stephanie Wiechmann
Ridenour says he's not allowed to divulge the sale price for the property until it's complete. And the city has until the end of the year to do that. The city council has already approved the cost of a solar panel farm, likely about $ 17 million, but the solar energy generated will greatly lower the city's energy cost.

00;00;45;25 - 00;00;52;09
Dan Ridenour
Well, our streetlights are more than a half million dollars a year alone, so.

00;00;52;11 - 00;01;13;22
Stephanie Wiechmann
The RACER Trust, who owns the land, will still remain responsible for its environmental cleanup. Phase one of a required environmental impact study began this week. Ridenour says he hopes to introduce an ordinance to the city council for the purchase in March because of changes to state law. Solar projects created this year will get more money for the next decade when they sell extra energy created back to the grid.

00;01;13;25 - 00;01;27;10
Stephanie Wiechmann
Ridenour says the city hopes to meet that deadline. The city also says the Muncie Sanitary District will create three more solar fields on property it already owns to help with that agency's electric use. In Muncie, Stephanie Wiechmann, IPR news.