Riverport Authority discusses next step By SANDRA STONE The first meeting of 2006 for the Meade County Riverport Authority brought news from Industrial Authority chair David Pace. A deal which had been in the works for over a year – the purchase of approximately 550 acres at the Arch Chemicals Brandenburg plant – was finally completed. Pace advised he was meeting with development companies to determine which would be contracted to design the industrial. Pace said he expected to have a company in place by Jan. 18 with a plan within 30 days of the date of the contract being let. A gravel road, constructed by Quicksilver Resources, is in place and can be used in the interim to get equipment to the Riverport site. The road is well-built, said Pace, and should get them in to get started. Pace further advised the city of Brandenburg is working on getting utilities to the site. “We see a lot of good things coming in the future,” said Pace. With regard to the development companies, Riverport Authority chair Don Bewley asked if Pace had shared with them the previously designed road for the Riverport. Pace said he had not, indicating he wanted an objective opinion of how best to lay out the property, including the access road to the Riverport, to best utilize the space. Bewley indicated his disappointment that Pace had not shared the proposed road plans with the prospective companies and asked if there were funds available to build the road if they chose to place it elsewhere. “We need to make sure the road works best for everyone,” said Pace, to which Bewley responded he hoped there would be no more delays and that placement of the road would not affect the committed customer (Riverport) or the customer with strong potential (ethanol plant). “I don’t think the road decision tonight or 30 days from now will matter at this point,” said Pace. “Thirty days more will make it better for everyone.” Pace added there was nothing to prevent the road from being constructed, but he did express concerns about the size of the right-of-way in some areas, noting it would eat up land that could otherwise be marketable. Commissioners Edd Pike and Joe Wright were in favor of waiting to see what the development company’s plan looks like, and Wright confirmed that the Riverport Authority would be part of the discussion when the plan is presented. Wright further noted that the “deal” had changed considerably in the past week as the county now owns the property outright. Magistrate Herbie Chism asked how close they were to breaking ground on the riverport facility and was advised the port is designed but there is no money to start construction. “We have money to build the road,” said Bewley, who added the intent is to use the road as leverage for funding to get the site built. Don Martin indicated Agrifuels is still committed to helping with funding for roads and presented to Bewley a letter of intent from Agrifuels contingent upon the Riverport Authority providing financial statements and an approved and published timeline for completion of the riverport. Once the board of directors has the opportunity to examine the financial feasibility of the riverport, said Martin, they will finalize Agrifuels’ letter of intent to the Meade County Riverport Authority. Bewley agreed with the understanding that the sharing of information would be a two-way street. Martin has been serving as a consultant to the Riverport Authority for several years now. He indicated he would continue to provide those services, but as of the Jan. 3 meeting, all work would be pro bono. Bewley thanked Martin for all his efforts on behalf of the Riverport Authority. “I think we’re making progress,” said Judge Executive William Haynes. “I think we need to proceed because we definitely want the riverport to be running.” Wright concurred with Haynes while acknowledging the concerns of the commission members and chairman. “When you’re trying to bring lots of entities together, it’s a frustrating experience,” he said. “What we’re doing now isn’t for this year or next. It’s for the next 100 years.”
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