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Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority Mulling Land Purchases

Posted on: Friday, 17 February 2006, 21:00 CST

By John Dobberstein

With much of its original footprint developed, the Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority said Thursday that it's interested in buying at least three different tracts of land to expand the Port of Catoosa's operations.

Port officials said they've inquired about 500 acres of waterfront property just south of the Port of Catoosa that could be used to expand the port. The land is privately owned and could be developed into navigable waters, said Robert Portiss, the port's director.

Portiss declined to name the owner.

We have had preliminary discussions with the landowners about whether they would be interested in selling, and under what terms, Portiss said. It's just in the preliminary stages, nothing concrete yet. It will keep moving forward somehow.

The port authority is also still pursuing the 2,600-acre, undeveloped Black Fox site near Inola, which is owned by American Electric Power subsidiary, Public Service Co. of Oklahoma.

AEP proposed a nuclear power plant at that site, along the Verdigris River, in 1973, but the plan was canceled nine years later. The site is about 15 or 20 miles from the Port of Catoosa by water.

Portiss said the port authority has discussed turning the Black Fox property into another port, possibly in partnership with the Port of Muskogee. But AEP is studying the feasibility of building a coal-powered energy plant there, Portiss said.

That particular site is something that's been of interest to us for a long time. We'd like to have it, if we can buy it at a reasonable price, Portiss said. We've been talking to them for three or four years but just haven't been able to get to the table yet for negotiating purposes. Until they've made up their mind, we don't look for them to get serious about it.

PSO spokesman Stan Whiteford said there have been discussions about selling the property, but there are no formal plans to sell the land or build on it. The property has valuable waterfront access that is hard to come by, he said.

Off and on, there have been some discussions and thoughts back and forth whether to keep or sell it, but at this point they've held onto it, Whiteford said. We continue to look at the option of future development there, whether it's for a PSO power plant - coal-fired or otherwise - or some other purpose. It's an asset that still might play a role in our future.

Additionally, the port authority is talking with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about a 1.5-acre parcel of land just south of the Port of Catoosa. Portiss said the parcel is indeed small, but owning it would be beneficial for the port's barge-fleeting operations.

He said negotiations for that property have been positive, but details are still being worked out.

The land purchases could become crucial if the Port of Catoosa is to grow significantly from its present size.

Of the 2,000 acres originally set aside for the Port of Catoosa's industrial park, only 1,500 could be used because of the presence of wetlands that aren't suited for development, said Richard Voth, the port's director of business development. He said half of the 1,500 acres has been rented out.

The port has about 500 acres of suitable land remaining, and 200 acres of marginal land left to develop, he said.

Portiss went even further than that, comparing the Port of Catoosa to a glass that is about three-quarters full. There's enough land for the near future, he said, but the port authority must decide whether or not to expand down the road.

Obviously it's time to start looking at other possibilities, Portiss said. The port can say to itself, 'We've done what we've been set up to do, developing the port, and we take a great deal of pride in what we've done. Here are the keys and let's go home.'

The other option, Portiss added, is to say, 'No, let's take the expertise that we have, and apply it to some additional properties, let's keep this industrial project that attracts industry and produces jobs going.' Both of those are viable alternatives.

John Dobberstein reports from The Journal Record's Tulsa bureau.

Source: Journal Record - Oklahoma City

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