HOUSTON, Aug. 22, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) commission approved several recommendations involving contract awards, bids and proposals, professional services and general administrative and operational matters during its public meeting on Monday, August 22, 2005 at the PHA Executive Office Building. Chairman Jim Edmonds presided over the meeting with Vice Chairman Kase Lawal, Commissioner Steve Phelps, Commissioner Jim Fonteno, Commissioner Jimmy Burke, Commissioner Cheryl Thompson-Draper, and Commissioner Janiece Longoria.
BAYPORT MATTERS
(Agenda item G7) The commission authorized the PHA to execute an estimated $108,275 change order to Dashiell Corporation for the electrical substation at Bayport Phase 1A. Dashiell will install a circuit breaker sooner and at a lower cost while also reducing the risk of a construction power outage to the container terminal operation in the future. Dashiell also will eliminate asphalt road surfacing that is no longer needed because of the anticipated relocation of Port Road.
(Agenda items G8 and G9) The commission also authorized the PHA to execute to change orders to Zachry Construction Corporation. The estimated $40,000 change order for wharf construction and dredging will improve the routing of a low voltage conduit between concrete reinforcement and the crane cable trench. Specifically, the change will modify the deck by forming a 40-inch by six-inch concrete conduit pan under the wharf deck across the width of the wharf.
The other estimated $60,600 change order for the container yard will add 5,440 feet of two-inch to five-inch concrete encased duct banks at 14 locations in the yard and relocate the duct banks termination at Bayport's amenities building.
(Agenda item K5) The commission evaluated and ranked competitive sealed proposals (CSPs) for a potential contract to build Port Road at an estimated cost range of $13 million to $15.8 million. McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. received the commission's top ranking followed by Zachry Construction Corporation.
(Agenda item L1) The commission also evaluated and ranked qualifications for a potential contract for verification testing services at Bayport. Professional Service Industries, Inc. received the commission's top ranking followed by Tolunay-Wong Engineers, Inc.
ENVIRONMENTAL/FUEL SUPPLY MATTERS
(Agenda item G11) The commission amended the PHA's two-year contract with Petroleum Traders Corporation for the purchase of diesel fuel and unleaded gasoline. The estimated contract total, which ranges from $1.2 million to $1.8 million, will be increased by $300,000 to provide diesel fuel to efficiently operate seven new cranes at Barbours Cut.
Manufactured by Konecranes VLC Corporation, the seven cranes were originally expected to be operated using a diesel emulsion fuel. The engine manufacturer, Cummins Inc., has modified the engines to further reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to meet the requirements for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Tier II engine certification. Such modifications now render the use of the diesel emulsion less effective and potentially harmful to the engines. Therefore, given their low emission levels, the engines are designed to use diesel in order to perform as expected.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT MATTERS
(Agenda item K10) The commission authorized the PHA to advertise and receive CSPs for a potential contract to replace the fender system at Jacintoport Terminal. The PHA will seek CSPs from qualified vendors that are interested in and capable of removing the existing timber fender system and installing a new steel pile supported fender system similar to the structure at the PHA's Wharf No. 1. The estimated cost is expected to range between $1.6 million and $2 million.
(Agenda item K12) The commission also authorized the PHA to advertise and receive CSPs for a potential contract to improve the roadway and drainage at Industrial Park East at the PHA's Turning Basin. The PHA will seek CSPs from qualified vendors that are interested in and capable of providing new 10-inch concrete pavement on a cement stabilized crushed stone base. The project's specifications also include drainage improvements in the area. The estimated cost is expected to range between $2.95 million and $3.3 million.
(Agenda item K15) The commission authorized the PHA to advertise and receive CSPs for the potential purchase of miscellaneous electrical cables for wharf cranes and rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes at Barbours Cut Terminal. The PHA will seek CSPs from qualified vendors that are interested in and capable of providing spare and replacement miscellaneous electrical cables on an as-needed basis for the ten wharf cranes and 40 RTG cranes located at the terminal. The estimated cost is expected to total $210,000.
(Agenda item K16) The commission also authorized the PHA to declare surplus, advertise, and receive sealed bids for the sale of five houses and structures in LaPorte, Texas near the truck entry station to the PHA's Barbours Cut Terminal. The successful bidder(s) will be required to obtain all permits required by the City of LaPorte and other agencies to disconnect all utilities and remove each structure.
To date, the PHA has purchased five improved properties on North Brownell, North Holmes, and North Nugent streets in LaPorte through the Value Assurance Program. The program was initiated in 2003 to facilitate the sale of private properties located adjacent to the PHA truck entrance station and satisfy the requirements of the special conditional use permit that was granted to the PHA for construction of the facility.
SECURITY MATTERS
(Agenda item M3) The commission authorized the PHA to enter into an inter-local agreement with the City of Houston for sharing video data and other related security information, according to the requirements of a federal grant received from the Urban Area Security Initiative. The commission has previously authorized the PHA to enter into similar agreements with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Texas Department of Transportation.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MATTERS
(Agenda item M1) The commission authorized the PHA to adopt the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and its Incident Command System (ICS). Established in 2003 by a homeland security presidential directive, the NIMS and ICS provide a comprehensive approach to domestic incident management to ensure that all levels of government throughout the U.S. have the capability to work together, prepare for, respond to and recover from domestic incidents of any cause, size or complexity. The PHA and all Texas governmental entities are required to adopt NIMS and the ICS by October 1, 2005 and implement their requirements by October 1, 2006 to be eligible for grants and reimbursement funds for costs incurred for emergency and disaster training, preparation, and response.
TRANSPORTATION MATTERS
(Agenda item M5) The commission authorized the PHA to renew its membership in the Alliance for I-69 Texas for one year at a cost of $30,000. The PHA's membership will support the Alliance's dissemination of educational materials, development and implementation of federal and state government strategies, active participation in the Mid-Continent Highway Coalition, and presentations during various public hearings and meetings to establish the groundwork for inclusion of the Alliance's priorities within TEA-LU, a package of federal transportation reauthorization legislation that is expected to be scheduled for final congressional action soon.
HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL MATTERS
(Agenda item M10) The commission authorized the PHA to execute a memorandum of understanding with the National Oceanic Service to provide funding for the maintenance and oversight of the Physical Oceanographic Real Time System, or PORTS, the computerized navigational data system that collects and disseminates oceanographic data to maters, pilots, and other navigators of the Houston Ship Channel. The PHA will provide $230,000 for PORTS for the fiscal year that begins January 1, 2006.
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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