HOUSTON, Nov. 5, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Port of Houston Authority and the city of Seabrook signed a landmark Memorandum of Settlement Agreement today, defining mutually agreed-upon terms for the continued development of Bayport container terminal facilities, land planning and development in adjoining areas within Seabrook, and the resolution of siltation in Pine Gully. The agreement outlines a series of public steps that the port authority and Seabrook have agreed to take over the next three months to carry out the settlement process to resolve legal matters, and address quality of life enhancements, land usage and environmental initiatives. A PHA/Seabrook Settlement Agreement fact sheet and the full Memorandum of Settlement Agreement can be found on the PHA's Web site at www.portofhouston.com.
Photos for this release are available at http://media.primezone.com/poha/
"The agreement with Seabrook is an important step in resolving and addressing these critical issues," said PHA Commissioner Jimmy A. Burke. "And I'm pleased that we are working together as a community to find solutions that enhance the quality of life while enabling the port authority to continue its mission of economic development and job creation for the region."
"It has been well worth the wait," said Robin Riley, Mayor, city of Seabrook. "Without the cooperation of both parties, we would not be here today. This agreement is unique in that it offers the absolute assurances that the citizens of Seabrook have been looking for all these years. Our plan is to work to educate the community on how beneficial this agreement is for the city and its citizens."
As part of the Memorandum of Settlement Agreement, the port authority and Seabrook have each contracted with the Galveston Bay Foundation to investigate and mitigate sedimentation of Pine Gully in Seabrook. Pine Gully is a tidal creek that starts a half-mile north of Red Bluff Road and flows east into Galveston Bay. The port authority and Seabrook will share the responsibility and cost as well as overseeing engineering design and permitting for the restoration project. The port authority will commit approximately $339,000 to the project for final design and construction service costs for the project.
The port authority will construct a berm prior to construction of the rail line for cargo operations. The parties will work together to create a trail system to become a portion of Seabrook's established network of hike and bike trails. A new commercial road over port authority property will be dedicated through the northwest side of Seabrook.
Rail service to the terminals will be routed within the light industrial area of Seabrook. The port authority and Seabrook will cooperate to design a sound barrier to minimize rail noise in the area of State Highway 146. PHA will commit up to $1.6 million for its construction. The port authority will also construct flood detention and retention ponds on the southeast border of the terminals.
Seabrook's Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council will consider the proposal to rezone port authority property south of the berm and north of the commercial road to the C-3 commercial zoning district.
The port authority agrees to restrictions with respect to lighting, sound mitigation matters related to operations, container storage and sound mitigation measures related to rail operations.
Under the terms of the agreement, PHA will petition the Seabrook City Council for creation of an industrial district to encompass the terminal property.
The port authority and Seabrook will advise the County Civil Court and the Texas Supreme Court that they have settled their disputes and file a joint motion to dismiss the appeal, and dismiss its claims in the lower court matter.
With the dismissal of the Seabrook lawsuits, the port authority will transfer approximately 41 acres of property for public park purposes, providing for preservation in natural condition of a portion of the property within 100 yards south of Pine Gully.
In addition, today the port authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Houston Yacht Club to mutually work together to promote safety, recreation and security on Galveston Bay.
"I'm happy this day has come," said HYC Commodore John Nicholson. "We look forward to continue building on our good relationship with the Port of Houston Authority in the future."
CUTLINES:
No. 39: John Nicholson, Commodore, Houston Yacht Club; City Councilman Paul Dunphey; City Council Gary Renola; and PHA Commissioner Jimmy A. Burke
No. 41: PHA Commissioner Steve Phelps, Dee Wright, mayor pro tem, city of Seabrook; City Councilman Kim Morrell; City Councilman Paul Dunphey; City Councilman Gary Renola; and John Nicholson, Commodore, Houston Yacht Club.
No. 53: PHA Commissioners Jim Fonteno, Jr., Steve Phelps and Elyse Lanier, Dee Wright, mayor pro tem, city of Seabrook, City Councilman Kim Morrell; City Councilman Paul Dunphey; City Councilman Gary Renola; City Councilman Tom Diegelman and PHA Commissioner Jimmy A. Burke. Seated: H. Thomas Kornegay, PHA Executive Director, and Robin Riley, mayor, city of Seabrook.
No. 58: Bradford Larson, Past Commodore, Houston Yacht Club; PHA Commissioner Jimmy A. Burke; and John Nicholson, Commodore, Houston Yacht Club.
No. 66: PHA Commissioners Elyse Lanier, Steve Phelps and Jim Fonteno, Jr.; Bradford Larson, Past Commodore, Houston Yacht Club; and PHA Commissioner Jimmy A. Burke; Seated: H. Thomas Kornegay, PHA Executive Director, and John Nicholson, Commodore, Houston Yacht Club.
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
Members of the public who wish to speak at a Port Commission meeting will be asked to sign in at the 4th floor lobby area. They may speak when the Chair calls on them during the appearances portion of the agenda and their comments will be limited to three minutes. The public comment protocol is available on the PHA Web site, at: http://portofhouston.com/publicrelations/meetings.html
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://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720
Photos are also available via AP PhotoExpress.
