HOUSTON, Dec. 18, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Commission of The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) approved a Port Road expansion project and other matters at its December 18 monthly meeting. Chairman Jim Edmonds presided over the meeting with Commissioner Steve Phelps, Commissioner Jim Fonteno, Commissioner Jimmy Burke, Commissioner Janiece Longoria and Commissioner Elyse Lanier.
BAYPORT MATTERS
(Agenda item G3) Commissioners approved a $1.298 million professional services contract for Sparks-Barlow-Barnett Inc. to provide design and construction work associated with the expansion of Port Road.
(Agenda item G15) Commissioners approved an $84,912 contract amendment with Zachry Construction Corporation for work at the Bayport Terminal container yard. The contract will provide for additional circuit breakers at the lighting distribution panel, additional bollards to protect electrical substations and reefer panels, power loops in manholes for crane feeds, barbed wire on top of substation fencing and other modifications.
(Agenda item G6) The commission approved the purchase of a $163,472 street sweeper from Kinlock Equipment & Supply through the Houston Galveston Area Council's Cooperative Purchasing Program.
(Agenda item G14) Commissioners approved a $64,000 contract with AT&T for a temporary telecommunications link between Bayport Container Terminal, Barbours Cut Terminal and the executive offices. The link is expected to be used for up to 12 months.
(Agenda item G20) Commissioners approved a contract amendment of $1.26 million for BAE Systems Integration Inc. related to Bayport Terminal security and telecommunication system integration. This amendment to the original $3.48 million contract was requested because of increased material and installation costs for cameras, access controls, alarm and management controls and visitor management systems compatible with existing PHA systems.
LEGISLATIVE MATTERS
(Agenda items G8, G9, G10, G11, G12, G13) Commissioners approved a staff request to award five one-year contracts for state government legislative consulting services in the amounts of $75,600 each and a one-year contract for $205,000 for federal government legislative consulting services.
Over the past 11 years PHA has received more than $500 million for the Houston Ship Channel deepening and widening project, ship channel operation and management, port security grants, and inter-modal transportation projects, and paid nearly $5 million for legislative consulting services. Many other federal and state measures have also supported economic development at Houston's port.
ACCESS CONTROL MATTERS
(Agenda item K2) Commissioners approved a staff request to advertise and receive competitive sealed proposals (CSPs) for improvements to the secured truck entrance and gate facility at Cargo Bay Road. Interested and qualified vendors will now be invited to submit proposals to expand the road entrance to four lanes, and build a truck turnaround lane that will allow trucks to queue prior to exiting the Turning Basin Terminal.
(Agenda item K3) The commission authorized advertisement and receipt of CSPs for an access control systems at the North Turning Basin restricted area truck entrance/exit gate, Gate 8 at Turning Basin and the entrance to East Industrial Park Terminal. The project is expected to cost between $2.9 million and $3.2 million.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MATTERS
(Agenda item M2, M3, M4, M5, M9) Commissioners approved contract renewals with Greater Houston Port Bureau Inc., Houston International Seafarers Center, Greater Houston Partnership Economic Development Council and Greater Houston Partnership World Trade Division for a total of $422,500. These partnerships will help forward business and economic development projects for the port authority, provide marketing and promotional opportunities and -- in the case of the seafarers' center -- provide humanitarian services to seafarers who call on the Port of Houston. Commissioners also approved a one-year, $100,000 agreement with Greater Houston Partnership in cooperation with GHP's new "Opportunity Houston" business development program. The agreement goes into effect on January 1, 2007.
MEDIA MATTERS
(Agenda item M8) Commissioners approved media advertising campaign contracts, in excess of $25,000 each, with 17 Houston area broadcast and print media outlets for the 2007 media campaign year. Those outlets account for about $1,089,500 of the $1.76 million allocated for the total media campaign. The media campaign is designed to provide local, regional, national and international distribution of PHA public awareness and economic development messages across a broad and diverse market.
This news release is not a substitute for the official PHA agenda. To view the complete agenda, please visit: http://portofhouston.com/publicrelations/meetings.html
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 7,000 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and 10th 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
To access the port's web site photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery.
The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=720