Thanks to two enterprising students, renewable energy, beer brewing, gourmet mushrooms and rooftop gardens may soon be a reality for a languishing coal plant located on Burlington?s waterfront. With the help of local businesses, seniors Erick Crockenberg and Tad Cooke have made plans to redesign the Moran Plant, a dilapidated structure that has been unused since it was decommissioned in 1986.?Our goal is to make the Moran Plant an accessible and relevant fixture of the Burlington community,? Crockenberg said. ?We see this work as a chance to recognize the values and history of Burlington, and Vermont as a whole, while showcasing the resources of our waterfront alongside innovation in renewable energy and sustainable food systems.?First constructed in 1953, the plant was a historic coal fired power plant that has fallen into disrepair over the years, according to the website for Burlington?s Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO). In July 2012, Mayor Miro Weinberger sent an open letter to the city stating that in keeping with his campaign promises, he would ?take decisive action? on the waterfront property that has ?languished for over 25 years?, the letter stated.Fast-forward to Jan. 7 of this year, when the mayor?s office launched the Waterfront and Downtown Public Investment Action Plan (PIAP) to invest millions of dollars in public infrastructure through the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for the downtown and waterfront districts. The redesign of the Moran Plant is included in these projects. Cooke and Crockenberg were able to submit their ideas to CEDO on April 5 in collaboration with Zero Gravity Craft Brewery, the Farmhouse Group and a host of local individuals, businesses and organizations.?The last several months have been a crash course in Moran history with folks who have relevant experience with the site, local businesses, real estate developers, and related Burlington organizations,? Crockenberg said. With its culinary and ecological ties, the plan pitched by Crockenberg and Cooke will include anaerobic digestion, solar powered technology, aquaponic fish and vegetable production, gourmet mushrooms, a restaurant, nano-brwery and access to the future skate park and marina, shown by Moran Ecological PIAP graphics. The building will be accessible to everyone in the community and will support waterfront recreation, community education and local gastronomy.The plan is estimated to cost approximately $18.2 million, according to their group?s estimates. The capital costs are particularly high because of the plant?s location and the environmental remediation that needs to take place because of the buildings disrepair, Crockenberg and Cooke said. ?Both students said various faculty and courses at UVM inspired this plan. ??We worked with Professor John Todd for two semesters, and were inspired by his specific work on an Eco-Industrial Park for Burlington?s Intervale and the broader ecological design thinking covered in his classes,? Cooke said. ?From a practical perspective, we?re both student project managers for an ongoing Biothermal Greenhouse Heat project sponsored by UVM?s Clean Energy Fund, something we?ve worked on since October of 2011.??Other aesthetic features of the redesign include 3D images of gardens, eating areas, large glass windows extended out from brick exterior, and green spaces surrounding the existing building.?Junior Joe Hasselmann said he thinks the concept of the redesign is an interesting one.??This is type of project that can set a standard in the industry,? Hasselmann said. ?[It] has showcased how systems thinking and holistic design can interact with the community, foster business growth and create renewable energy and local food systems.??Potential partners for the redesign are Burlington Community Sailing Center, LocalMotion/Bike Recycle, Burlington Farm 2 School, Burlington Old North End Arts and Business Network, ECHO Science Center, and Burlington School District, Partnership for Change.12