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4 » THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2000
THE SEA COAST ECHO • HANCOCK
Port Bienville, Stennis International Airport making steady progress
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BY ED LEPOMA Staff Writer
Steadily and without a lot of fanfare, the Hancock County Board of Supervisors and the Port and Harbor Commission continue to lure new tenants and make improvements to Port Bienville Industrial Park and to Stennis International Airport.
The P&H Commission has applied for a $500,000 state loan in hopes of luring a California manufacturer of high performance polymer resin to Port Bienville.
Maxdem, Inc., based in San Dimas would locate on a 20-acre site behind the Calgon Plant on the southeast side of the industrial park.
The Port plans to build and lease to the firm a 10,000 to 15,000 square-foot metal building, but estimates are the firm’s initial investment would be between $7 million and $8 million. Initially 15 to 20 people would be employed to manu-
from several firms from country which indicated in managing a huge i warehouse to be buil Bienville. The 100,000 i square-foot warehouse built on a 30 to 50-acre ed behind the Manufab would be accessible by r roads and the nearby sh
The Port is awaiting ; a $1.2 million grant fror Department of Econ Community Developme long- needed realign! widening of Lower Bay E is the main roadway Bienville.
The Port also has oi million in general oblig£ authorized in the 1999 the state legislature. A ti lion will be used to build industrial park at Stei Center aimed at luring aerospace firms. The otl lion will be used to e
Echo staff photo b
A barge at Port Bienville prepares to transport some of the gooc at one of the facility’s many factories.
facture the resin, which is used in the aerospace industry.
The Port has recently spent $500,000 to build a two-bay Fire Station at Port Bienville just past the giant Wellman plastics/fiber manufacturing plant. It has another $130,000 set aside for a fire truck and for initial staffing.
Over the last year, the Port installed 15,000 feet of new rail spurs, upgraded over 20,000 feet of 85-lb rail to 115-lb rail, and expanded its railcar and truck wash facility over 300 feet to accommodate Wellman, GE and other port tenants. It also modified the pressure wash system to increase pumping capacity. Funding came from a $2.5 million revenue bond issue authorized by supervisors.
Although no decision has been made, the Port has on hand bids
Boeing rocket engine plant. A design contract ly been let for engineer: the sewerage treatment ing port tenants, and water lines have been i accommodate present tenants. At Stennis, bon being used to refurbish 1 water tank serving ten. finish widening and pa\ all the way out to Texas Improvements contii airport’s lighting systei and runways in anti installing a *	$2.5
Instrument Landing Sj which will be mostly fed ed. Already installi Automated Weather ( system and Precision Path Indicators.
SEE POI
*