Gov. Bryant Announces Treasury’s Award of HCPHC RESTORE Projects
July 10, 2017
Hancock County, MS – The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission was awarded $10 million in RESTORE Act funds as part of Gov. Phil Bryant’s Multiyear Implementation Plan (MIP) for the state, which includes nine proposed projects totaling more than $54.1 million.
“This is good news as we continue to propose and implement projects to support the economic recovery of Hancock County and the entire Gulf region resulting from the oil spill,” said Bill Cork, HCPHC CEO.
The projects were proposed to the governor by the GoCoast 2020 Commission and announced in December 2015. The RESTORE Act requires the state, through MDEQ, to prepare the MIP for Direct Component Funding, which is administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
HCPHC received $8 million to complete the Port Bienville Trans-Loading Terminal Facility and $2 million for a new hangar at Stennis International Airport.
The funding will be used to construct approximately 1,600 linear feet of rail spur, 1,200 linear feet of bulkhead and 9,300 square yards of dock area at Port Bienville. The project will improve the terminal for use in trans-loading of materials and will support container-on-barge operations.
“Today, major industry has leased every piece of dock space in Port Bienville Industrial Park,” Cork said. “By using RESTORE funding to complete the build out of Port Bienville’s Transloading Terminal Facilities, we can immediately facilitate growth and expansion for existing industry and enable Hancock County to attract new industrial development for decades to come. “
The new 24,640-square-foot Stennis hangar will be constructed to accommodate maintenance, repair and overhaul operations or unmanned systems operations.
“Stennis International Airport regularly receives inquiries from the aeronautical industry seeking hangar space and is unable to meet those needs. This hangar will be a mirror of the existing hangar facilities, which are leased at 100 percent capacity,” Cork said.
The hangar is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in annual economic impact for Hancock County and will generate as much as $100,000 per year in rents to sustain its operation and maintenance, according to Cork.
The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission was established in 1963 to lead the county’s economic development activities. Stennis International Airport and Port Bienville Industrial Park are home to more than 30 companies with 1,000 employees. For more information visit www.portairspace.com.