Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 115, No. 28	July 9 , 2008

Additional planning, design services for Riverport set

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

With Authority Chairman Joe Wright absent, members of the Meade County Riverport Authority unanimously adopted a proposal for a new re-design.

The proposal costs are not to exceed $25,000. The proposed timeline is not to exceed 90 days.

During the June meeting, an extensive discussion was held between Authority members and representatives of Garver Engineers regarding the port’s designs.

Riverport consultant Mike Flint broached the idea, adding he thought the Authority wasn’t near final design stages.

At the July 1 meeting, Flint said these changes would allow the port to be effective and update the proposed layout.

The good news is the Authority’s current $95,000 grant through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Enterprise Grant program can be used to pay for this, Flint said.

“This is an allowable scope under this grant program,” Flint said. “We’re using the grant to pay for geotechnical work and also for engineering. With the funds we are more than able to pay both.”

Flint cautioned board members the work needed to be started this summer.

“We have to spend that money, as I have gotten my last extension from them,” he said.

“We have to have incurred the costs or have it contracted by the end of the summer,” Flint said.

Before the changes occur, Garver will approach the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure all of the items the Riverport intends to do can be accomplished from the lower terrace.

“We want to be able to maximize the property and evaluate the conveyor options,” Flint said.

Garver will propose a minimum of two concept dock plans with barge pullers and a conveyor support system, along with a price comparison.

“They will also re-evaluate the previous environmental studies to make sure there will be no impact as it relates to the other options,” Flint said. “In this process they are also going to try to figure out how to phase it in. In the initial design (for the Riverport) it was an all or none option.”

Garver also proposes other design services in their agreement, including:

• Development of a concept dock plan which would allow for reverse conveyor movement. In other words, commodities can be taken from barges to land, but there is no way it could be handled in reverse.

• Develop a typical conveyor/walkway cross section; a typical conveyor concrete/steel support structure; a typical conveyor pit section; a typical conveyor bin section and a typical scale section.

“One of the major things in this proposal is the conveyor,” Flint said. “We need to make sure we’re maximizing it both ways, from a structure and maintenance standpoint.”

Flint explained conveyors come in pre-assembled kits. Those purchasing them are obligated to provide maintenance on a regular schedule.

• Review the location of the industrial access road.

Flint said this entails ensuring all alternatives from the access road to the port’s lower tier could be accommodated.

• Work with the Authority to develop a plan for bringing utilities to the site.

Flint said this depends on feedback provided by the Army Corps of Engineers. He said some utilities might need to be directed to the upper tier to supply services there.

If these changes are made, drilling and related costs for related materials, currently assigned to GeoTech, might be reduced, Flint said.

“We might be able to cut the original fee down to one-third or one-half of that cost,” he said.

“Once we are able to finetune the conveyor and structural concerns we can eliminate the numbers needed for core samples and drilling,” Flint said.

He added himself, Garver and Geotech have an excellent working relationship, thus speeding up the project.

“They also have had discussions with Consolidated Grain and Barge and are very familiar with them,” Flint said. “They have done a lot of work on this and it is a good proposal.”

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