A Scramble to Get Cement Out of the Port

This is the aftermath of just one busted bag.

 (Photo taken last month.)

Trucks started piling up on Dade Street yesterday, and traffic was a constant flow until late in the evening. The cause? A scramble to get all the two-ton cement bags out of the Port of Fernandina.

The bags are coming up on their due date. They’ve been stored outdoors under lightly secured, wind-whipped tarps since their inauspicious delivery last month, and the number of ruptured bags piled off to one side is growing. There were about 20 under tarps last night.

Rain is in the forecast for Saturday. Failure to get all the bags out of the port today, with more ruptured bags possibly hiding in the remaining stacks, would make cleanup much more difficult and could create runoff into nearby waterways and marshes. A visual inspection from a viewpoint outside the port indicated that about 30-40% of bags remained at 9:15 p.m., and truck traffic had subsided.

The few port officials who could be reached had no comment. One port commissioner who could be reached, Danny Fullwood, was unaware of the situation and said he would investigate. Jeff Hymas, an official at Savage Services headquarters vowed that his firm (the new port operator) is committed to running a clean operation and transparency with the community.