Hattiesburg American
By Terry L. Jones

Officials with the Mississippi State Port Authority this week dispelled rumors that the Port of Gulfport's $500 million expansion includes creating a transportation hub near Palmer's Crossing.

"I would say it's unfortunate if it was ever implied by anyone that that's where it's going to be," Donald Allee, executive director of the Mississippi State Port Authority, told city officials and members of Hattiesburg City Council during a special presentation.

The port officials were invited to council's meeting by Mayor Johnny DuPree to address Gov. Haley Barbour's recent statements that Palmer's Crossing would play an integral part in the Port of Gulfport's expansion.

Barbour revealed the plans to the Sun Herald's editorial board in February.

Barbour said a $20 million federal grant was going to partly fund improvements along 67.5 miles of Kansas City Southern Railroad track between the Port of Gulfport and north to Hattiesburg.

In an elaborate PowerPoint presentation, Allee said the port's expansion, which could be complete in 2014, would create new opportunities that would allow rail lines in the Pine Belt to handle a large portion of container traffic - much of which is currently sent to the West Coast and then shipped by rail to the rest of the country.

Hattiesburg was a logical setting because some of its rail lines extend into the Northeast region of the country.

"If you look at rail routing operations map... there are some points on there that have been around for 100 years - and in some cases, no one knows what that little dot means," he said. "I can assure you that decision about where a rail hub of that type would be is nowhere close to being answered."

Allee said the decision probably would be made by one of the larger rail terminal developers in the country.

Since Barbour's announcement, city officials have said they felt out of the loop regarding details about Hattiesburg's role in the expansion.

"We do need economic growth and development here. We just need some information," Councilwoman Deborah Denard Delgado said to Allee.

"We're partners in this," Allee said. "I personally think greater Hattiesburg has some real opportunity in the future as an international crossroads for international maritime, water-born commerce.

"Whatever happens, it has to happen with cooperation. That's really why we have to develop a better dialogue with Hattiesburg."

The administration and the council expressed interest in the city's possible involvement with the port expansion.

"Most of us agree that the Port of Gulfport would be great for the community," DuPree said. "We just had 300 people (International Filing Co. employees) lose their jobs. But if you're gonna have somebody try to (make this happen), someone needs to have $2 million or $3 million to come up here and make it happen."