PHA Commission Considers Bayport, Security, Capital Improvement and Community Partnership Matters

May 24th meeting will begin at special time -- 3 p.m. (CST)


HOUSTON, May 21, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) commission will consider several recommendations involving contract awards, bids and proposals, professional services and general administrative and operational matters during its meeting beginning at a special time - 3 p.m. -- on Monday, May 24, 2004. Chairman Jim Edmonds will preside over the public meeting in the 4th floor board room at 111 East Loop North (exit 29 off Loop 610).

Bayport Matters

(Agenda item G7) The commission will consider a recommendation to award a $62 million contract to Zachry Construction Corporation for wharf construction and dredging at Phase 1A of the Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal. Separately, Zachry is also involved in negotiations with PHA involving an estimated $37 million contract for container yard construction at Bayport. Pending the successful outcome of negotiations, the latter contract award is expected to be considered by the commission at a future meeting.

(Agenda item G8) The commission also will consider a recommendation to award a $30.6 million contract to Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co., Ltd. for the purchase of four dockside electric container cranes for the Bayport terminal. If approved, the cranes would be manufactured, assembled and tested in the People's Republic of China and a separate contract would be required for third-party inspection services.

(Agenda items K17, K18, K19) The commission's agenda also includes three recommendations to evaluate and rank several firms that have submitted their qualifications for consideration of contract awards for concrete testing, soil testing and verification testing at Bayport Phase 1A.

(Agenda item K20) Another recommendation calls for commissioners to consider authorizing the PHA to issue a new request for qualifications (RFQ) for design/build services for the Bayport mitigation project along Memorial Tract on Red Bluff Road. If approved, all previous RFQs and competitive sealed proposals submitted for consideration on this project would be rejected so the process can be repeated from the beginning.

(Agenda item M4) The commission also is expected to consider a recommendation to authorize the PHA to enter into an inter-governmental agreement for the City of Shoreacres to provide security services at Bayport. If approved, the estimated $20,188 annual cost for the city's services is expected to be paid by PHA in equal quarterly installments of $5,047 beginning on July 1, 2004.

Security Matters

The commission will consider three recommendations related to PHA's participation in a federally mandated cargo screening project aimed at preventing nuclear and radiological materials from being imported into the U.S. Specifically, the goal of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service's Radiation Portal Monitoring Project is to screen containers. The recommendations that will be presented to the PHA commission involve:



  --  (Agenda item M1) Execution of a memorandum of agreement with
      the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service;

  --  (Agenda item M2) Approval of a cost reimbursement agreement
      with Battelle Memorial Institute, a third party federal
      contractor;

  --  (Agenda item G13) Authority to negotiate and execute
      change orders totaling an estimated $4 million to
      install radiation portal monitors at PHA terminals.

(Agenda item M5) In another security matter, the commission will consider a recommendation to authorize PHA to enter into an inter-governmental agreement for the City of Morgan's Point to provide security services at PHA's Barbours Cut Container Terminal. If approved, PHA would be expected to pay the $24,000 annual cost for the city's services in monthly installments of $2,000 beginning on June 1, 2004.

Capital Improvement Matters

(Agenda item G6) The commission will consider a recommendation to award an estimated $1.1 million construction contract to Forde Construction Company, Inc. for the construction of the sound wall for Phase 1 of the entry/exit pre-check and inspection facilities at PHA's Barbours Cut terminal. Last month, the commission evaluated the three top competitive sealed proposals for the project and authorized PHA to negotiate a contract with Forde, a firm that was among the first to enroll in PHA's Small Business Development Program and recently graduated. As a prospective prime contractor for the sound wall construction contract, Forde's proposal included 35.8 percent small business participation.

Community Partnerships

(Agenda item M7) The commission will consider a recommendation to enter into a subscription service agreement with the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. If approved, the non-profit organization previously known as the Clear Lake Area Economic Development Foundation would be expected to engage in economic development program activities aimed at promoting the development and enhancement of port facilities and operations. The annual fee of $25,000 per year for a two-year period would be paid by PHA in quarterly installments of $6,250.

(Agenda item M 11) The commission also will consider a recommendation to approve a contract commissioning the ArtworkZ Public Art & Design Program at the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH) to create a tile mosaic mural at the PHA Visitor's Center Pavilion. If approved, the $51,506 project would be expected to celebrate, stimulate and document the port's historical legacy and economic spirit over its 90-year history. MOCAH, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, would be expected to seek partnerships with local youth organizations, local and international artists, the WorkSource summer job training program and other diverse stakeholders to become active participants in the design, development and creation of the project.

The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 6,600 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and sixth largest in the world. The Port Authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com

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