HOUSTON, Jan. 26, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Port Commission of The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) will consider authorizing $4.5 million for the final design component of a professional services contract with Klotz Associates for the Bayport Container Terminal gate expansion and amending an agreement with TxDOT/Harris County for a $1.08 million project to widen Main St. in Galena Park on Tuesday, Jan. 27, beginning at 9 a.m. in the board room of the PHA Executive Building, 111 East Loop North (Exit 29 off Loop 610) in Houston. Chairman Jim Edmonds will preside over the meeting with Commissioner Steve Phelps, Commissioner Jim Fonteno, Commissioner Kase Lawal, Commissioner Jimmy Burke, Commissioner Janiece Longoria and Commissioner Elyse Lanier.
SECURITY MATTERS
(Agenda G4) Commissioners are being asked to authorize awarding a contract to Texas Technical Services, Inc. (TTSI) for the purchase and installation of TWIC Readers and associated equipment and software for the Turning Basin and Barbours Cut terminals for $165,637. TTSI is an approved small business firm in PHA's Small Business Program, has worked with the port authority and is familiar with the equipment required for this project. The TWIC helps prevent individuals who pose a threat from gaining unescorted access to restricted areas of the nation's maritime transportation system.
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
(Agenda G5) Commissioners are being asked to authorize awarding a professional services contract to Brown and Caldwell for waste management consulting services for a term of one year for $100,000. The Port Commission authorized the advertisement and receipt of proposals for environmental consulting services to provide technical expertise and assistance with waste management issues. The services are intended to assist the EAD in addressing regulatory compliance, meeting Environmental Management System (EMS) goals, and planning and implementing waste management projects and programs as part of PHA's strong commitment to environmental stewardship.
GALENA PARK MATTERS
(Agenda G7) Commissioners are being asked to authorize amending an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Harris County for widening Main Street in Galena Park for $1.08 million. The TxDOT project is funded under the METRO Mobility/Rehabilitation Program, which permits federal funding of 80 percent of the cost of a project, up to a maximum federal cost of $2.88 million. In order to participate in such funding for the project, PHA must be responsible for all costs in excess of the federal participation. TxDOT completed a subsequent review of costs after it obtained bids for this work and advised PHA staff in November that the low bid TxDOT obtained exceeded the estimated construction costs. Accordingly, PHA's share of the total costs also increased and TxDOT is now requesting reimbursement from PHA for the excess construction costs of $1,037,771.
BAYPORT MATTERS
(Agenda G8) Commissioners are being asked to authorize awarding the final design component of the professional services contract with Klotz Associates, Inc. for Bayport Marine Terminal Gate Expansion, Stage 3, for $4.5 million. The project will include inbound and outbound lanes, buildings, canopies and associated infrastructure for Bayport's ultimate buildout. PHA staff has negotiated with Klotz Associates, Inc., to complete the design and prepare construction documents for the final gate configuration. Klotz's scope of work will also include a geotechnical investigation, surveying, architecture, engineering design and construction phase services. Items added to the project since its inception include expanding the drainage investigation, modeling to ensure gate electrical system is fully compatible with the existing Bayport electrical system as well as future expansion of the electrical system, 3D modeling of underground utilities to avoid utility conflicts, the extension of southern berm and the telecommunications and security system.
PERMIT MATTERS
(Agenda I1) The port commission is being asked to authorize issuing a port authority marine construction permit to ExxonMobil Corporation to deepen its berths 5 and 6 in Baytown, Texas, in the William Scott Survey, A-66, in Harris County. The berths will be dredged to a depth of -47 feet. The work is being conducted in conjunction with ExxonMobil Corporation's normal maintenance dredging schedule.
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 7,700 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage. 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. PHA is the first port authority in the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification for Port Police and the perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals. 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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