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October 6, 1964
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<br />At a called meeting of the City Council, held on October 6. 1964, there were present:
<br />
<br />R. Irvine Smith, Jack P. Barnes
<br />L. L. Knight, W. T. Leery, A. P
<br />Attorney
<br />
<br />John L. Dillon, George D.~Eastes, Hurrei1, R. Johnson,
<br />Johnson, Jr., City Manager, and M A. Kerb, Jr , City
<br />
<br />The meeting was opened with prayer by Mr. Smith.
<br />
<br />The following call for the meeting was read:
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<br /> '!Please attend a called meeting of the City Council, in the Council Chamber, at 7:30 P.M. on
<br />Tuesday, October 6, 1964, to consider the engineerzng and feasibility study on the proposed Portsmouth, Marine
<br />Terminal and other matters relating To this terminal.
<br />
<br />The City Mansger presented the following report:
<br />
<br /> 64-256 - "I 5ransmit herewith the Engineering and Economic Feasibility Study made by the firm
<br />Parsons, B~inkerhoff, Quade & Douglas for the proposed Portsmouth Marine Terminal ar Pinners Point. This is the
<br />study requested by the City of Portsmouth and financed by.the State of Virginia through the Virginia Stste Porss
<br />Authority.
<br /> There is presen~ tonight, Mr. John T. Nix, Chairman of the Portsmouth Part and Industrial Commisszon
<br />aud also other members of the Commission.
<br /> TherCommission has msde a study of this report and would l%ke To submit their recommendations
<br />this time."
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<br />Mr. Nix presented the followzng:
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<br /> "In accordance with your requesT, we the members of your Port and Industrial Commission have
<br />carefully studied the Engineering and Economic Feasibility report made by Parsons, Brinkerhoff, Quade and Douglas
<br />and their associates. Langley and McDonsld, for the purpose of presenting our recommendations as To the feasibility
<br />of the City of Portsmouth's psrticipstion in the development of a Marine Terminal in Pinners Point.
<br /> After correl~%i~g t~91resul~s of our _studies, which sro presented in detail in the accompanying
<br />"Simmary of Important Facts and Conclusions", your Commissioners voted unanimously re recommond .~ha5 City Council
<br />proceed, as soon as practical, re set in motion the machinery essential ~o the development o.f a ~a~ine Terminsl in
<br />Pinners Point subjec5 ~o the following:
<br /> (1) That fi~m commitments must be obtained-from a. major ship and dismantling firm and an
<br />acceptable lumber, and wood products terminal, operator.. Said committmenrs shall be~ approved by the Port and
<br />Industrial Commis.sion.
<br /> (2) That the VSPA's Board of Commissioners will enter into sn arrangemen~ for financing whereby
<br />the City land, as described in subject report, be conveyed ~o the VSPA for the purpose of construction a Marine
<br />Terminal fromtthe proceeds of a Bond issue re be indirectly gusranteed by the City of Portsmouth under a lease
<br />agreement generall~ similer to their lease agreement with the Norfolk and Western Railway at their General Cargo
<br />Terminals at Lamberts Point, embodying State participation re the extent of the Stare alienating funds equal re one
<br />half the Amortization Cost.
<br /> ~ (3) .That Proposed Scheme Stsge 1.bm followed.in the development of ssid.Marine Terminal.,"
<br /> (Attachmen~o ,
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<br />..... SUNaMAR¥ OF IMPORTANT FACTS AND CONCLUSIONS
<br />
<br /> Your. commisszoners .have complied with ,your request .and are now prepared re prese~lt thei¢~ findings
<br /> and recommendations. Ilue re the importance of the master ~efore us, coupled ~i-th the involved problems, encountered
<br /> in the de.velopn%ent of a Marine Terminal, we felt the5 .in-.support of our final .recommendations ,this summa~ry of
<br /> important facts be presented. It is hoped that this summary will give you gentlemen an insight into the deliber-
<br /> ations of your co~mzssioners~ and aid .you zn: your final determinations.
<br /> ,Our first and most impor~snr consideration had re be concerned with the realiability of the firms
<br />presenting the engineering and economic feasibility repot%. Our znvestigatiens indicated th~s~ the firm of
<br />Parsons, Brinkerhoff, Cuade and Douglas is recognized as one of the "top" in its field snd enjoys an exdellent
<br />reputation nationally as well as internationally. In this study they have ss their sssociate the highly r~putsble
<br />firm of Langley and McDonald o.f Norfolk, Virginia. Obviously we as laymen in this field depended upon these experts
<br />for our foundation. Had their report presented facts that indicated any appreciaDle threat to the City's credit or
<br />or projected heavy expenses that would nor be commensurate with the gains that skould reaso:nahly accrue- re ~the
<br />ei.tizens of the City~ of Portsmouth, we would have.~ closed the book" with regret- as we have had to. do more than once
<br />in the past, and so state ..... .
<br /> However, the report indicates that there zss strong need for the 5ype of Marine Terminal proposed,
<br />and that subjec5 ~o certain practical safeguards and agreements, in the form of commismenrs from key operators who
<br />could control profi,table cargo, it would,be practical re anticipate sufficien~ laternal be.nefi-r~ ~o flow from this
<br />developmen~ 5o warrant the financial risk that the.Cit~ would, assume zn psrtieipeting.~
<br /> With this as s b.as%s, your commissioners made detail studies 5o determine the most practical and
<br />efficient method for implementing the development of.~the.Marine_Terminal, and proceeded to investigate available
<br />methods for construction., finarkcing~, and operatior~. I~ out.opinion, zn order arrive, at-a.final decision these
<br />studies were necessary.
<br /> In line with~ this, conferences.were held_wi~h VSPA's Director A~Tniral David Clsrk, and thei,r Chief
<br />Engin~e~, ~olonel Don C. Hill; TVDC's Diren.tor Fred Duck~erth and their.Engineer Jack Stroud;~ p~os.pective lumber
<br />and wood products operssors and key principals representing major, scrap~and ship dismantling interest. Your
<br />City Manager, Mr. Aubrey P. Johnson, Jr., attended these conferences as well as Mr. D. L. Knight, industrial
<br />consultant for the Chamber of Commerce. During these conferences the VSPA's Director and Chief Englneer stated
<br />that they concurred generally in the subject report and certainly felt that there was a definite need for the 5ype
<br />of Marine Terminal as proposed. The lumber and scrap intere$5 have indicated that they are ve~,y much interested
<br />and ready for immediate operation. They are anxious 5o start negotiations snd the scrap and dismantling people
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