Port Commission Will Vote on its Plan March 8

The Ocean Highway Port Authority (OHPA) commissioners are preparing to vote on a final version of their new master plan March 8, 6 p.m., at the Nassau County Commission chambers in the James S. Page Government Complex, 96136 Nassau Place, Yulee, 32097.

If you want to comment, the deadline is Monday, Feb. 28.

Three important issues are being settled that will potentially have major impacts on neighborhoods near the port and on waterways throughout Nassau County. Here is what we know about the decision-making so far:

 -- The plan for creating a cruise ship port of call business at the port appears to be going down by at least a 3-2 vote of the five-member commission. It has been opposed by the port operator, U.S. Customs, downtown neighborhoods and merchants, and several community non-profits.

-- The plan for creating a bulk dry cement powder business shipped in two-ton polypropylene bags got off to a bad start Jan. 31 when bag ruptures sent – on a calm, dry day – fine cement powder several blocks into nearby residential streets, including the St. Michael’s Church school. The entire “test run” shipload has been stored outdoors, unprotected, ever since. There has been at least one other rupture, on Feb. 22.

We are told there has been much internal contention that caused the most recent OHPA regularly scheduled meeting to be abruptly canceled without an explanation. We are told that the port operator has been arguing strongly in favor of the cement powder business and says the port should set up a pneumatic tube unloading process running into silos to be erected on port property. At least some port commissioners have been arguing in opposition.

Meanwhile, we’ve been advised the cement powder bags should not be stored outdoors because exposure to the elements can start causing bags to weaken after about a month.

-- The plan for creating a bulk fertilizer business has received little public discussion. (This is not the ammonium nitrate fertilizer that blew up in Beirut and Oklahoma City. It is the urea variety, which is less dangerous, but is unheathy for people and the environment and very stinky.) The port operator has said that plan is a long-range goal. At the last meeting, he joked that some of the older people in the room “might not be here” when fertilizer starts arriving. He got a few chuckles, but not a big laugh.

Your comments should be directed via email to each commissioner, the port director and the port operator. Here are the names and email addresses:

Commissioners Danny Fullwood dfullwood@portoffernandina.org, Miriam Hill mhill@portoffernandina.org , Mike Cole mcole@portoffernandina.org, Ray Nelson rnelson@portoffernandina.org and Justin Taylor jtaylor@portoffernandina.org.

Port Director David Kaufman, Dkaufman@Portoffernandina.org and Port Operator Butch Gilbert, butchgilbert@savageservices.com.