Port authority will be reactivated in Colbert

TUSCUMBIA -- Colbert County has no plans to construct a port, but wants to reactivate the county's port authority just in case.

The Colbert County Commission will appoint two commissioners to the port authority at its July 17 meeting, Commission Chairman Rex Burleson said.

He said Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia will appoint one member each.

Burleson said the port authority has been in existence for many years but has recently been-dormant.

Colbert County does not operate a port.

"Why we had one, I don't know," Burleson said of the port authority. "Why we need one is if we ever decide to build a port down near the Barton site, we're going to need a port authority."

The authority would oversee the operation of the port, he said.

Colbert County is eagerly awaiting an announcement involving a railcar manufacturing project, dubbed "Project Tiger," that has tapped Barton Riverfront Industrial Park as the site for a new plant.

Burleson said Project Tiger, however, is not the reason for reactivating the port authority.

"I don't think they will have a port if they come," he said. "They're not requiring one."

"We feel like there may be some industry that moves down in the Barton site that a port might be needed," Burleson said. "So we put this back in place."

Forest Wright, executive director of the Shoals Economic Development Authority, said talk about the Colbert County Port Authority began about six months ago.

When Barton Riverfront Industrial Park was being developed, studies were conducted to determine the feasibility of building a port.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assisted in the study, but in the end, a port was not part of the infrastructure development at the park.

"To build a spec port is very risky and expensive," Wright said. "We didn't feel at the time it was worth the financial risk."

Burleson said the cost of building a port would probably start at $5 million to $6 million.

"It would be a major undertaking," he said. "I don't know if we'll ever build one."

Wright said there are no potential economic development projects that require a port facility at Barton. He said having a port authority in place would make the development of a port that much easier.

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@timesdaily.com.