May 13, 2018 - 6:50 AM
MUSKEGON, Mich. - A western Michigan museum is showcasing a new exhibit on the history of a former power plant that shuttered two years ago.
A scale model of the B.C. Cobb power plant is among four other new exhibits at the Muskegon Heritage Museum this summer, The Muskegon Chronicle reported .
The downtown Muskegon museum shares "unique and extraordinary" histories of local businesses.
"The B.C. Cobb plant played an integral role in both Muskegon's and Michigan's economies during its 67 years of service along the shore of Muskegon Lake," said Brandon Hofmeister, president of the Consumers Energy Foundation.
Consumers Energy awarded the museum a grant for the exhibit, which also includes a full-size power pole top with insulators and fuses.
The B.C. Cobb plant was the last of Consumers Energy's coal power plants to be decommissioned in 2016. The plant shuttered due to tightened EPA emissions standards, according to officials.
The former power plant is currently being demolished and redeveloped into a deep-water port terminal for cross-Lake Michigan shipping.
A developer started dismantling the plant's 650-foot-tall (198-meter-tall) smokestack in April.
The museum's exhibits open this week. The museum will be offering six community days from May through October for free admission.
The other exhibits include the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, area celery farms, Kooiman's Store and local commercial fishing.
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Information from: The Muskegon Chronicle, http://www.mlive.com/muskegon
News from © The Associated Press, 2018