After receiving about 100 comments about the proposed restoration of the State Port at Gulfport, officials have scheduled two public meetings to discuss lingering questions before taking a final vote on the project.
Hurricane Katrina devastated the port in August 2005. The plan being considered calls for expanding the port from its current 210 acres to nearly 1,000. The expansion also would take the port south of its present location, requiring dredging and a deepening and widening of the channel. And, the property would be elevated 25 feet above sea level to protect from future hurricane storm surge.
Some concerns remain about the project. However, port executive Don Allee, said "the positives overwhelmingly outweighed anything that was remotely labeled negative." The meetings are set for Oct. 14 and Oct. 24.