Indiana Power to Proceed with Sale of 4,050 Acres in Morgan County

Utility executives will go forward with the Dec. 15 sale -- which could fetch up to $14 million -- despite a request from Gov. Joe Kernan that they halt the auction.

In a letter to utility executives, Kernan had called the land "a beautiful piece of Indiana" that should be preserved for public recreational purposes.

The land includes about 3,000 acres of rolling woods, the largest privately owned forest in central Indiana. About 1,000 acres of flat land along Ind. 67 is in agriculture.

The utility purchased the property in the 1970s, intending to build a power plant and cooling lake, later discarding those plans. Executives decided recently to split the land up into 77 parcels and sell it at auction to raise cash.

IPL President and CEO Ann Murtlow recently spoke with Kernan about the issue and their staffs also discussed the land, according to utility spokeswoman Crystal Livers-Powers.

"IPL continues to believe that the auction will allow that land to be used in the best way," Livers-Powers said.

Kernan was unavailable for comment today and DNR officials were discussing the decision this morning and deciding how to respond, a spokesman said.

A Morgan County resident who opposes the sale said he was not surprised to hear the news that it would go on as planned.

"I'm not happy. I was hoping the land would be kept in one big chunk rather than divvied up," said Greg Steffen, an avid birdwatcher who has conducted breeding bird surveys in the area.

"It won't be available for the masses, but the privileged few," added Steffen, who said he will bid to try to buy a portion of the land to preserve it as is but expects to be outbid by developers.