Shelbyville one of four communities selected for Duke Energy Site Readiness Program

Duke Energy used national consulting firm McCallum Sweeney Consulting, of South Carolina, to develop the recommendations.

In a press release from Duke Energy, Mark M. Sweeney, senior principal at MSC, said his company was proud to partner with Duke Energy to help communities make their prospective large business sites as attractive as possible.

"Companies that want to build new facilities have a strong preference for sites where risks and uncertainties have been identified and mitigated as much as possible," Sweeney said.

The Site Readiness Program identifies, evaluates and improves industrial sites in the company's service territory to help communities served by the utility compete for new companies and jobs.

Shelbyville mayor Tom DeBaun welcomed the news.

"We gave a presentation to the firm as we would anyone else. For the most part, their recommendations were good, and the goal is to make that property more marketable. We were able to hear the good and bad from someone not familiar with us, and that is critical. What this does is creates a relationship with McCallum Sweeney Consulting and the city, and the exposure we got was nice. It is nice to hear they liked what we are doing and it only validates what we have attempted to do with our quality of life plan and other initiatives. It is a benefit for us to be selected," DeBaun said.

DeBaun said of the 185 acres, 184 are available to be developed and the property is on both sides of State Road 44.

As for what could fill the property, DeBaun said residents could see something very similar to what is found on Highway 44 and I-65 heading into Franklin from Shelbyville.

"Warehouses, light industry, things of that nature. We are actively working at least six inquiries into that property right now. It is an exciting time," DeBaun said.