West Calcasieu Port to dredge barge basin

The Southwestern Louisiana port will move forward with dredging its west barge basin after the port authority’s board approved a $1.3 million dredge contract with Coastal Dredging Co.    West Calcasieu Port in Louisiana will move forward with dredging its west barge basin after the port authority’s board approved a $1.3 million dredge contract with Coastal Dredging Co. of Hammond, La.
   The contract was the cheapest among six bids received by the port.
   Dick Kennison, board president, said he and the other commissioners were “impressed with the quality of the contractors that were interested in the port’s project and spent a considerable amount of time reviewing all of the data and information included in the packets.”
   Lynn Hohensee, West Calcasieu Port director, said the port will work closely with local, state and federal officials to make sure that all dredging operations are in line with regulatory permits for the project and that an “aggressive” time schedule is followed for the 20-acre west barge basin dredging.
   “Demand for barge fleeting facilities in Southwest Louisiana has grown over the last several years, and all regional economic indicators point to a continuing growth in that demand,” Hohensee said.
   The dredge spoils will be piped to a pre-approved 39.5-acre spoils receiving area.
   “Our long-term plan for that area is to use dredge spoils to elevate the dedicated spoils reception site to approximately 20 feet above sea level, at which time, it will become a prime business development site,” Hohensee said.