Port offers to help Kaiser rebuild

Published 12:00 am Saturday, July 24, 1999

LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / July 24, 1999

LAPLACE – An offer of assistance to rebuild Kaiser after the July 5 explosion was made Wednesday by the South Louisiana Port Commission.

Commission President Cart Davis of St. James Parish said this assistancewould be in the form of economic development and technical assistance to rebuild the plant as expeditiously as possible.

The resolution recognized Kaiser as a “vital corporate citizen” since its 1958 startup, and said the company and its employees “made a significant economic and social contribution to the citizens of St. James and St. Johnthe Baptist parishes and the entire River Region.”It continued: “The Port of South Louisiana, working in cooperation with the political and business leadership of the parishes of St. James and St.John the Baptist and the employees of Kaiser, stands ready and does hereby offer to lend its assistance and cooperation to Kaiser Aluminum in the rebuilding of its facilities to insure the continued benefits which will accrue from the reopening of said facility.”In other activity, Davis appointed an executive search committee to plan on how a replacement for departing port director Gary LaGrange will be found. Named to the committee were Brent Tregre of St. John Parish,Honora Gravois of St. James Parish and Brandt Dufrene of St. CharlesParish.

LaGrange is leaving effective Aug. 15 for the Port of Gulfport and a$35,000-per-year raise to $141,000.

In his director’s report, LaGrange said the port’s revenue on its general cargo dock was nearly $103,000 between November 1998 to May 1999, moving 36,000 tons of cargo.

Also, the port is included in pending Congressional legislation for a possible $1-3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculturetoward improvements at the wastewater treatment ponds behind Globalplex in Reserve.

Related to those ponds, the commissioners heard a status report from their attorney and engineer dealing with lawsuits filed against the port because of foul odors.

And, since May, the port has stopped accepting wastes from BFI’s portable toilets at the facility. Instead, St. John Parish’s sewage treatment planthas been accepting the wastes. Fees paid to the port for that wastetreatment by BFI, through the contract date of July 15, will be forwarded to the parish.

Also, the port commission: Accepted bids for electrical construction services and dock apron and extension. Project manager Bruce Carmichael said Hi-Tech Electric wasthe low bid for the electrical work at $1.175 million; and the dock aproncontract is split between Kostmeyer and Continental Construction companies, for a total contract amount of $4.9 million. Approved a contract revision with River Consulting Engineering for the general cargo dock extension. Carmichael, of River Consulting, said heaccidently shortchanged his contract by $30,000 when writing up the document. It was corrected to $734,000.

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