The state Department of Conservation shut down the wood-burning Hubbard Power and Light Co. power plant in Bay Shore in 1995, and the land has finally been sold to a new business.

The move turns a Suffolk County tax liability into a new producer. That's because since Hubbard shut down, the county has been paying taxes on the property.

Now the new owner is required to clean up any contamination and create jobs.

"It's going to cease to be a blight on the community," says Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. "Taxpayers are no longer on the hook for paying the cost to maintain this property."

Vincent Trepani, the new owner, purchased the property for $343,000. He says he's not sure what kind of business he will open there.

The cleanup is already underway, and Trepani says it will take a few months.

"Most of these properties have a lot of soil contamination," says Adrienne Esposito, of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "All of that needs to be excavated, removed and taken to a safe facility."