Port at Gulfport

Signage welcomed guests to the Port's Ground-Making event on July 9.

The Mississippi State Port Authority (MSPA) at Gulfport officially kicked off construction on the first phase of its restoration plan with a “Ground-Making” ceremony on Thursday, July 9, 2009.

More than 150 people watched as Governor Haley Barbour dropped the ceremonial first load of dirt on the Port’s West Pier. Among the guests on hand to encourage the Governor were Don Allee, executive director and CEO of the MSPA; the MSPA’s five member Board of Commissioners – John Rester, Frances Turnage, Lenwood “Lenny” S. Sawyer, Jr., Jim Simpson and Frank Wilem; Gulfport Mayor George Schloegel; Harrison County Board of Supervisors President Marlin Ladner, and Donald Evans, president of the International Longshoremen Association, AFL-CIO, Local 1303.

“This Port of Gulfport project is a vital component of Mississippi's comprehensive plan to recover from the worst natural disaster in American history. From the early days after Hurricane Katrina we knew housing restoration, economic recovery, and infrastructure repair would be critical to our goal of coastal renaissance, and the port project touches all three," Governor Barbour said.

During the Port’s Ground-Making ceremony, the Governor also announced that a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) has been issued to the Port of Gulfport. Following a thorough technical review, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the CLOMR, which provides the Port with the authorization to initiate design to raise its base ground elevation to 25 feet above sea level.

“Raising the Port’s elevation will help protect the Port and the Coast from future storms,” said Allee. Our plan is also to maximize the potential of the port to meet the market needs of the future – in a way that will create more jobs and add more revenue to the state’s economy.”

Governor Haley Barbour operated the excavator and poured the ceremonial first bucket of dirt on to the Port's West Pier.

Pictured left to right are: MSPA Commissioners Frank Wilem and John Rester; Governor Haley Barbour; Gulfport Mayor George Schloegel; MSPA Commissioners Frances Turnage, Jim Simpson and Lenny Sawyer; MSPA Executive Director and CEO Don Allee; and Donald Evans, president of the International Longshoremen Association, AFL-CIO, Local 1303.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently released to the MSPA the first request of funds from the $570 million allocated for the Port of Gulfport’s restoration.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, Governor Haley Barbour submitted a comprehensive, initial and long-term recovery plan to Congress. Designed to rebuild Mississippi communities, this plan consists of three priorities: housing recovery, rebuilding infrastructure and economic recovery. Through Congress, Mississippi received $5.4 billion in federal Community Development and Block Grant (CDBG) funding to assist in the state’s recovery. In 2008, then-HUD secretary Alphonso Jackson approved Governor Barbour’s proposal to allocate $570 million in CDBG funds to the Port’s restoration. The plan includes rebuilding the Port utilizing several funding sources - insurance and FEMA reimbursements, the $570 million allocation, and ultimately, private investments.

The Port’s plan includes restoration, protection and growth. The first part of the plan includes rebuilding the port facilities that were destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Next is raising the port, in order to ensure that cargo isn’t tossed throughout the community the way it was during Katrina; the Port should be more hurricane-resistant. Ideally, the Port will be restored in a manner that will enable port operations to grow in the future, to provide jobs and to take advantage of shipping trends, like the widening of the Panama Canal. This vision will impact all of Mississippi, with jobs being created throughout the state.

The Port and the Mississippi Development Authority believe the jobs created from the Port’s restoration will, in the long-term, help relieve housing issues on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. While some housing advocates disagree with the allocation of funds, it is anticipated that over the next 10 years of the Port’s restoration, 16,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created and the local economy would see an influx of $1.6 billion in direct revenue*. These jobs and this revenue would have a positive impact on the housing market along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

In May 2009, Governor Barbour and others, including local housing advocate Reilly Morse, testified before a Senate committee on the topic, “The Role of the Community Development Block Grant Program in Disaster Recovery.” Their remarks are available here: Governor Barbour’s Senate testimony; Morse’s Senate testimony.

*Job and economic job benefits from a similar project.

Track the Port’s restoration progress online at www.portofthefuture.com; simply scroll down the home page to view live video from our construction web camera. Many thanks to Hancock Bank for allowing the MSPA to install this web camera on top of the Hancock Bank Plaza building.

Many coastal residents recognize the value the Mississippi State Port at Gulfport brings not only to the Gulf Coast but also to the entire state. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the Port of Gulfport was the third busiest container port on the Gulf of Mexico. Today, while other ports across the U.S. are nearing peak capacity, the Port of Gulfport has an unique opportunity to rebuild. Shifting international trade patterns and the expansion of the Panama Canal are creating prospects for increasing trade through the Port. Two coastal residents are determined to help support the Port during its restoration. Donald Evans and John Harral of Gulfport have co-founded the volunteer group, Port Alliance for Jobs and Community Development. Harral recently said, “The Port Alliance recognizes the critical role the Port of Gulfport plays in our economy. We want to inform and educate the citizens of the Gulf Coast about the issues important to the Port’s rebuilding.”

Evans added that one key area, which the Port Alliance will emphasize, is job creation, “This restoration project is expected to result in an increase in the number of good-paying jobs available at the Port.”

Membership in the Port Alliance is free and the group is currently spearheading its first membership drive. During the first few weeks of the drive, more than 300 people have joined the organization.

For information about the Port Alliance for Jobs and Community Development or to request a membership application, email portalliancejobs@yahoo.com. Membership information is also available through the Gulf Coast Business Council’s website at www.msgcbc.org.

The Mississippi State Port Authority Board of Commissioners accepted the selection committees’ finalist recommendations for the first round of Request for Proposals and Request for Qualifications available for the Port of Gulfport’s Restoration Program. The finalists have been notified and contract negotiations are underway for the following RFPs/RFQs:

RFP #09-001 Aerial Survey and Mapping
RFQ #09-002 General Engineering Services
RFQ #09-003 Utility and Underground Surveying
RFQ #09-005 Geotechnical Site Investigation and Engineering
RFQ #09-006 Construction Management Services
RFQ #09-007 Construction Material Testing Services

Information about future procurement opportunities with the Port of Gulfport Restoration Program will be posted on the websites www.portofthefuture.com and www.shipmspa.com as it becomes available.

The Port of Gulfport’s restoration is often discussed in the media. Pertinent media stories are posted on the Port’s restoration website at www.portofthefuture.com. To read what media outlets have to say about the Port, simply click on any link under the “In the News” section of this website.

Port’s Ground-Making Ceremony Signals Start of Restoration

HUD Releases Funds to Port

Building a Port of the Future

Port Alliance Group Forms

Procurement Process Moves Forward

Port of Gulfport News


Port’s Ground-Making Ceremony Signals Start of Restoration Signage welcomed guests to the Port's Ground-Making event on July 9. The Mississippi State Port Authority (MSPA) at Gulfport officially kicked off construction on the first phase of its restoration plan with a “Ground-Making” ceremony on Thursday, July 9, 2009. More than 150 people watched as Governor Haley Barbour dropped the ceremonial first load of dirt on the Port’s West Pier. Among the guests on hand to encourage the Governor were Don Allee, executive director and CEO of the MSPA; the MSPA’s five member Board of Commissioners – John Rester, Frances Turnage, Lenwood “Lenny” S. Sawyer, Jr., Jim Simpson and Frank Wilem; Gulfport Mayor George Schloegel; Harrison County Board of Supervisors President Marlin Ladner, and Donald Evans, president of the International Longshoremen Association, AFL-CIO, Local 1303. “This Port of Gulfport project is a vital component of Mississippi's comprehensive plan to recover from the worst natural disaster in American history. From the early days after Hurricane Katrina we knew housing restoration, economic recovery, and infrastructure repair would be critical to our goal of coastal renaissance, and the port project touches all three," Governor Barbour said. During the Port’s Ground-Making ceremony, the Governor also announced that a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) has been issued to the Port of Gulfport. Following a thorough technical review, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the CLOMR, which provides the Port with the authorization to initiate design to raise its base ground elevation to 25 feet above sea level. “Raising the Port’s elevation will help protect the Port and the Coast from future storms,” said Allee. Our plan is also to maximize the potential of the port to meet the market needs of the future – in a way that will create more jobs and add more revenue to the state’s economy.” Governor Haley Barbour operated the excavator and poured the ceremonial first bucket of dirt on to the Port's West Pier. Pictured left to right are: MSPA Commissioners Frank Wilem and John Rester; Governor Haley Barbour; Gulfport Mayor George Schloegel; MSPA Commissioners Frances Turnage, Jim Simpson and Lenny Sawyer; MSPA Executive Director and CEO Don Allee; and Donald Evans, president of the International Longshoremen Association, AFL-CIO, Local 1303. HUD Releases Funds to Port The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently released to the MSPA the first request of funds from the $570 million allocated for the Port of Gulfport’s restoration. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, Governor Haley Barbour submitted a comprehensive, initial and long-term recovery plan to Congress. Designed to rebuild Mississippi communities, this plan consists of three priorities: housing recovery, rebuilding infrastructure and economic recovery. Through Congress, Mississippi received $5.4 billion in federal Community Development and Block Grant (CDBG) funding to assist in the state’s recovery. In 2008, then-HUD secretary Alphonso Jackson approved Governor Barbour’s proposal to allocate $570 million in CDBG funds to the Port’s restoration. The plan includes rebuilding the Port utilizing several funding sources - insurance and FEMA reimbursements, the $570 million allocation, and ultimately, private investments. The Port’s plan includes restoration, protection and growth. The first part of the plan includes rebuilding the port facilities that were destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Next is raising the port, in order to ensure that cargo isn’t tossed throughout the community the way it was during Katrina; the Port should be more hurricane-resistant. Ideally, the Port will be restored in a manner that will enable port operations to grow in the future, to provide jobs and to take advantage of shipping trends, like the widening of the Panama Canal. This vision will impact all of Mississippi, with jobs being created throughout the state. The Port and the Mississippi Development Authority believe the jobs created from the Port’s restoration will, in the long-term, help relieve housing issues on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. While some housing advocates disagree with the allocation of funds, it is anticipated that over the next 10 years of the Port’s restoration, 16,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created and the local economy would see an influx of $1.6 billion in direct revenue. These jobs and this revenue would have a positive impact on the housing market along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In May 2009, Governor Barbour and others, including local housing advocate Reilly Morse, testified before a Senate committee on the topic, “The Role of the Community Development Block Grant Program in Disaster Recovery.” Their remarks are available here: Governor Barbour’s Senate testimony; Morse’s Senate testimony. Job and economic job benefits from a similar project. Building a Port of the Future Track the Port’s restoration progress online at www.portofthefuture.com; simply scroll down the home page to view live video from our construction web camera. Many thanks to Hancock Bank for allowing the MSPA to install this web camera on top of the Hancock Bank Plaza building. Port Alliance Group Forms Many coastal residents recognize the value the Mississippi State Port at Gulfport brings not only to the Gulf Coast but also to the entire state. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the Port of Gulfport was the third busiest container port on the Gulf of Mexico. Today, while other ports across the U.S. are nearing peak capacity, the Port of Gulfport has an unique opportunity to rebuild. Shifting international trade patterns and the expansion of the Panama Canal are creating prospects for increasing trade through the Port. Two coastal residents are determined to help support the Port during its restoration. Donald Evans and John Harral of Gulfport have co-founded the volunteer group, Port Alliance for Jobs and Community Development. Harral recently said, “The Port Alliance recognizes the critical role the Port of Gulfport plays in our economy. We want to inform and educate the citizens of the Gulf Coast about the issues important to the Port’s rebuilding.” Evans added that one key area, which the Port Alliance will emphasize, is job creation, “This restoration project is expected to result in an increase in the number of good-paying jobs available at the Port.” Membership in the Port Alliance is free and the group is currently spearheading its first membership drive. During the first few weeks of the drive, more than 300 people have joined the organization. For information about the Port Alliance for Jobs and Community Development or to request a membership application, email portalliancejobs@yahoo.com. Membership information is also available through the Gulf Coast Business Council’s website at www.msgcbc.org. Procurement Process Moves Forward The Mississippi State Port Authority Board of Commissioners accepted the selection committees’ finalist recommendations for the first round of Request for Proposals and Request for Qualifications available for the Port of Gulfport’s Restoration Program. The finalists have been notified and contract negotiations are underway for the following RFPs/RFQs: RFP #09-001 Aerial Survey and Mapping RFQ #09-002 General Engineering Services RFQ #09-003 Utility and Underground Surveying RFQ #09-005 Geotechnical Site Investigation and Engineering RFQ #09-006 Construction Management Services RFQ #09-007 Construction Material Testing Services Information about future procurement opportunities with the Port of Gulfport Restoration Program will be posted on the websites www.portofthefuture.com and www.shipmspa.com as it becomes available. Port of Gulfport News The Port of Gulfport’s restoration is often discussed in the media. Pertinent media stories are posted on the Port’s restoration website at www.portofthefuture.com. To read what media outlets have to say about the Port, simply click on any link under the “In the News” section of this website.	Home Send Us Your Thoughts Request a Speaker Facts About Revitalization FAQs