HOUSTON, March 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Port Commission of The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) will consider as much as $460,000 in proposals for scrap tire removal and recycling at PHA facilities and access control for Barbours Cut on Tuesday, March 25, 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.
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
(Agenda K8) The Commission is being asked to authorize advertising and receipt of proposals for scrap tire removal and recycling or disposal at PHA facilities for two years. Scrap tires from passenger cars, trucks and yard cranes are generated from routine maintenance operations at port authority facilities. The Environmental Affairs Department requires a contractor to remove and recycle or dispose of these scrap tires on an as-needed basis for a two-year period. The current contract with CMS Environmental Services is ending ahead of schedule due to the large number of tires that were dredged at the Bayport Cruise Terminal and required disposal. The new contract will not include the disposal of dredged tires. The estimated cost of this contract is $100,000 for a period of two years. These services are necessary for the efficiency, cleanliness and safety of port authority facilities, and the program furthers the PHA's environmental stewardship efforts.
(Agenda K9) The Commission is being asked to authorize advertising and receipt of proposals for an American National Standards Institute-Registrar Accreditation Board (ANSI-RAB) certified ISO 14001 registrar to audit the port authority's environmental management system (EMS) located at the Turning Basin Terminal, Central Maintenance facility, Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Bayport Container Terminal over three years. The EMS is a continual improvement process for identifying, tracking, evaluating and maintaining environmental excellence at these facilities. In 2002, the Turning Basin Terminal-Central Maintenance Facility and the Barbours Cut Container Terminal were ISO 14001 certified and the port authority became the first U.S. port to be ISO 14001 certified. In February 2008, an assessment audit of the Bayport Container Terminal's readiness for ISO 14001 certification was successfully completed. Renewal of ISO 14001 certification is required every three years and the current certification will expire in October 2008.
SECURITY MATTERS
(Agenda K4) Commissioners are being asked to authorize advertising and receipt of competitive sealed proposals for Access Control and CCTV for the Point at Barbours Cut at an estimated $260,000 to $360,000. This project is partially funded by a federal grant. The Port Commission selected TRC Engineers, Inc., to design access control for the entry point to port authority property at the end of Ballester St. in Morgan's Point. The project includes installation of access control card readers, automated gate arms and cameras. The new access control equipment will be connected to the Port Coordination Center. Maintaining safety and security is among PHA's top priorities.
BAYPORT MATTERS
(Agenda G9) Commissioners will consider a recommendation to award a professional services contract to W. D. Schock Company, Inc., to develop and implement the Bayport sound mitigation pilot program for $405,821. The PHA is currently operating two berths in the new Bayport Container facility and the nearby communities have requested that the port authority address sound generation from these operations. PHA made a commitment to the local officials of these communities to implement a pilot program to install sound mitigation measures in as many as 12 homes. To support these efforts, the PHA requires consulting services that include development of policies, property owner outreach, environmental testing, engineering design and specifications, post-modification testing and owner sign-off. This effort is part of the port authority's ongoing commitment to the Bayport community.
GENERAL MATTERS
(Agenda M1) The Commission is being asked to authorize entry into an interlocal agreement for Pelican Island Container Terminal Planning with the Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves. Under the existing Memorandum of Understanding, the parties agreed to attempt to formulate a joint action plan to create a master development plan for a Pelican Island container-handling facility. The interlocal agreement further outlines the process to create a conceptual planning study that may lead to the development of the master plan. The interlocal agreement includes a project charter and provides a mechanism for the selection and use of consulting firms to assist with this effort.
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
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.
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