2018

VINTON, La., October 23, 2018 — Port of Vinton officials announced this week that dredging operations near the mouth of the Vinton Navigation Channel has been completed.

Magnolia Dredging of Mandeville, La., was the contractor on the $1.098 million maintenance dredging project that removed more than 21,400 cubic yards of spoils over a 24-week period. The southernmost portion of the channel where it enters into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway was returned to an elevation of minus-10.5 feet, and the spoils were relocated onto nearby private open-water areas to create new marshlands in an environmentally beneficial use manner.

“It has been more than seven years since any maintenance dredge work has been performed on the channel, and in that time, a naturally occurring ‘humping’ of sediment near the mouth of the channel has gradually represented a growing navigation issue on the waterway for shallow water maritime vessels and barges,” said Jerry Merchant, president of the Port of Vinton board of commissioners.

“During the deepening of approximately 2,000 linear feet of the channel, the port also took the opportunity to modify the two corners of land bordering the channel where it enters into the GIWW,” he added.  “This is especially important for tugboat operators to make their navigation into the channel from the GIWW an easier task.”

The initial phase of the project focused on preparing the land area that was selected to receive the dredge spoils,” Merchant explained. “We are especially appreciative for the cooperation of the Stream Land Company for partnering with the port in making their property available to receive the dredge spoils.”

Merchant said that the Port of Vinton and its tenants offer a variety of specialized services that accommodate the expansion of our Southwest Louisiana regional economic development.

“High on that list is the 11-year presence of Dunham/Price on 75 acres of port property adjacent to the channel where it has the nation’s largest manufacturing site for steel-reinforced 40-foot concrete pilings as well as other pre-cast concrete materials,” he explained. “We are also home to a division of Performance Blasting & Coating that offers industrial painting and sandblasting services.”

Merchant was very complimentary of the port’s board of commissioners that led the way in applying for Calcasieu Parish funding support through a cooperative endeavor agreement with Gravity Drainage District No. 2.

“Our expansion project would not have been possible without a parish $200,000 Economic Development Riverboat Gaming Fund grant and a parish $500,000 Road and Drainage Trust Fund grant awarded specifically through the drainage district for the dredging project,” he said. “Virtually all of the runoff in the area’s water shed is directed toward the channel as it ends up draining into the GIWW.”

Located just minutes off Interstate 10 south of Vinton, the Port of Vinton has approximately 600 acres of industrial-zoned property for lease.

WEST CALCASIEU
Vinton Port Awards Dredging Contract
John Guidroz
A Mandeville-based company will dredge the mouth of the Vinton Navigation Channel to a depth of 10.5 feet, opening the door for recruiting new tenants at the Port of Vinton, port officials said.
Earlier this month, the port’s board awarded the work contract to Magnolia Dredge and Dock LLC. The $832,672 bid was the lowest of three received.
Lynn Hohensee, port director, said there is a demand for facilities that support barge transportation in Southwest Louisiana.
The mouth of the channel will be dredged north from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway by 1,945 linear feet, Hohensee said. The shallowest existing depth at the channel is 6.5 feet.
Lee Lancon, an engineer with the West Calcasieu Port, said more than 20,000 cubic yards of spoils will be dredged. Private landowners will use the spoils to enhance marshland conditions, he said.
The work also calls for widening the approach from the GIWW into the channel and back into the waterway.
The project will be funded by $500,000 from the Gravity Drainage District 2 of Ward 7, along with a $200,000 economic development grant provided by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury.
VINTON, La, Feb. 14, 2018 – The Port of Vinton Board of Commissioners voted this week to award the contract for the dredging of the mouth of the Vinton Navigation Channel to Magnolia Dredge & Dock, LLC of Mandeville, La. 

The successful base bid of $832,672 was the lowest among three bids received by the port during its competitive public bid process.

“The Port of Vinton Board of Commissioners was impressed with the quality of the contractors that were interested in the port’s project,” said Jerry Merchant, board president for the Port of Vinton. “The port’s engineering team spent a considerable amount of time reviewing all of the data and information included in the packets prior to making its recommendation to the board.”

Lynn Hohensee, POV director, noted that the Port of Vinton Port will work closely with local, state and federal officials to make sure that all dredging operations are in line with regulatory permits for the project and that an aggressive time schedule is followed for the dredging work.

“The improvements to the channel will benefit current tenant operations and enhance the port’s ability to recruit new tenants,” he said. “Demand for shallow-water access to facilities that support barge transportation in Southwest Louisiana has grown over the last several years, and all regional economic indicators point to a continuing growth in that demand.

“For that reason,” our port board of commissioners led the way in securing the necessary funding support for the dredging,” he continued.  “When completed, the dredging project will deepen the channel from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway northward approximately 1,945 linear feet.”

Hohensee noted also that the waterway improvements will also include widening the approach vessels will use as they navigate off the GIWW into the Vinton channel and back out into the GIWW.

WCP Engineer Lee Lancon with Westlake-based Lancon Engineering, Inc. has estimated that more than 20,000 cubic yards of spoil will be dredged to accommodate dredging of the mouth of the navigation channel.  The dredging project will deepen the mouth of the channel from an existing depth as shallow as 6.5 feet to a depth of 10.5 feet. 

The dredged spoils will be used for environmental beneficial use.

“The spoils will be piped to the nearby privately owned property where landowners will use the spoils material to enhance marshland conditions,” Hohensee said.

Significant funding support comes from a $200,000 economic development grant awarded to the port by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury.  Funding support ($500,000) also was received from the Gravity Drainage District No. 2 in Ward 7 (western Calcasieu Parish), since the channel plays an integral role in moving runoff water out of a wide watershed in the western portion of the parish.  

The Vinton Harbor & Terminal District (Port of Vinton) was created in 1956 when the Louisiana Legislature passed the Navigation and Shipping Act 466 for the purpose of stimulating economic growth in western Calcasieu Parish. Since then, the port has expanded and today encompasses more than 800 acres of land geared to support private investment and development along the northern reach of the Vinton Navigation Channel.

Vinton Harbor & Terminal District of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, does hereby advertise for sealed bids and will open same on:

  1. Tuesday, February 6, 2018.
  2. At the Office of the Lancon Engineers, Inc., 905 McKinley Street, Westlake, Louisiana 70669-5005 at the hour of 2:00 p.m. Central Time Zone.
  3. For the Vinton Navigation Canal Maintenance Dredging (FY 2018); Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana; LEI Project No. 14-012.
  4. Bidding documents, including drawings and technical specifications, are on file at the office of Lancon Engineers, Inc., 905 McKinley Street, Westlake, Louisiana 70669, or by calling 337/439-6333. Complete documents may be obtained from the Project Engineer upon deposit of $95.00 for each set of documents. Deposit is fully refundable for the first set of documents to all bona fide prime* bidders upon return of the documents in good condition no later than ten (10) days after receipt of bids. The deposit of all other set of documents will be refunded fifty percent (50%) upon return of documents as stated above.
    *Prime bidders are defined as licensed Highway, Street and Bridge Construction; and/or Heavy
    Construction; and/or Specialty: Dredging Contractors bidding this job as such.
  5. All bids must be accompanied by bid security equal to five percent (5%) of the sum of the base bid and all alternates, and must be in the form of a certified check or cashier’s check drawn on a bank insured by the FDIC, or a Vinton Harbor & Terminal District Bid Bond Form contained in bidding documents, shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is published annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an Arating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide or by an insurance company in good standing licensed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana residents, all in accordance with LSAR.S. 38:2218. No Bid Bond indicating an obligation of less than five percent (5%) by any method is acceptable.
  6. The successful bidder shall be required to furnish a Performance and Payment Bond in an amount equal to 100% of the Contract amount, shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is published annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A- rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating
    Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide or by an insurance company in good standing licensed to write bid bondswhich is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana residents, all in accordance with LSAR.S. 38:2219.
  7. Bids shall be accepted only from contractors who are licensed under LSAR.S. 37:2150-2163 for the classification of “Highway, Street and Bridge Construction; and/or Heavy Construction; and/or Specialty: Dredging Contractors.” No bid may be withdrawn for a period of forty-five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of LSAR.S. 38:2214.
  8. The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause as permitted by LA R.S. 38:2214B. The ability of an Entity to reject any bid is applicable only when administered in accordance with the Public Bid Law. In accordance with LSAR.S. 38:2212B (1), the provisions and requirements of this Section, and those stated in the bidding documents shall not be waived by any entity.
  9. The public shall incur no obligation to the Contractor until the Contract between Vinton Harbor & Terminal District and the Contractor is fully executed.
  10. A Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, and 2:00 p.m. at the office of Lancon Engineers, Inc., 905 McKinley Street, Westlake, Louisiana 70669-5005.
  11. Official action on this bid will be taken within forty-five (45) days by Vinton Harbor & Terminal District, except as may be extended by mutual written consent with the lowest responsible bidder.
  12. Minority owned firms and small businesses are encouraged to participate.
  13. All bids must be plainly marked and should contain the following on the outside of the envelope: BID FOR “Vinton Navigation Canal Maintenance Dredging (FY 2018); Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana; LEI Project No. 14-012”.

 

Jerry Merchant, President
Vinton Harbor & Terminal District

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