Home Send Us Your Thoughts Request a Speaker Facts About Revitalization Procurement FAQs   The Port of Gulfport Restoration Program (PGRP) is pleased to provide you with this quarterly newsletter. Community Meeting – March 29 The Mississippi State Port Authority plans to hold a community meeting on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at the Westside Community Center. The center is located at 4006 8th Street in Gulfport. The program is scheduled from 6:00-7:30 p.m., but the doors will open at 5:30 p.m. This meeting will include an overview about the PGRP, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Block Grant program, the Port’s long-term expansion plans, and the separate environmental permitting processes for these projects. Public Notice – EIS Scoping Meeting – March 31 The U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District, has scheduled a public open house and scoping meeting on March 31, 2011, at the Fleming Education Center Auditorium on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, located at 730 East Beach Boulevard in Long Beach. Click here for a campus map; the auditorium is building #8. The USACE is the lead federal agency responsible for evaluating the environmental impacts of the proposed project. The purpose of this meeting is to receive public input concerning the scope and alternatives to be considered in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Department of the Army Permit Application SAM-2009-1768-DMY for the Port of Gulfport Expansion Project in Harrison County. The USACE’s scoping meeting includes an open house at 5:30 p.m. with opportunities for discussions with project personnel, followed by a formal presentation at 6:30 p.m. and a comment session. Court reporters will be available to transcribe statements from those wishing to provide verbal comments, or attendees may submit written comments at the meeting or via mail through the end of the official comment period (see below). All interested individuals are invited to attend. Translation services for Spanish and Vietnamese speakers will be provided. Comments will be accepted at the meeting until 8:00 p.m. Written comments may also be faxed to 251-694-4191, emailed to the USACE at port.gulfporteis@usace.army.mil, or mailed to: Mr. Damon M. Young, P.G. USACE - Mobile District PO Box 2288 Mobile, Alabama 36628 To comment online, visit the project website at portofgulfporteis.com. The deadline for submitting scoping comments is April 14, 2011. For information about this project, to be included on the mailing list for future updates and meeting announcements, or to receive a copy of the draft EIS when it is issued, contact Damon M. Young, P.G., at the USACE at 251-690-2658 or the address provided above. Ewing Milam at the Mississippi Development Authority can also be contacted for additional information at P.O. Box 849, Jackson, Mississippi, 39205-0849, by telephone at 601-359-2157 or by electronic mail at emilam@mississippi.org. For the latest news and progress updates on the Port’s restoration program, please visit PortoftheFuture.com.