Port Authority Board has first meeting since 2019

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By Ray King

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020 resulted in a lot of cancellations, including quarterly meetings of the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Port Authority Board.

The board last met Dec. 17, 2019, according to an agenda for a meeting of the board Wednesday.

At that meeting, Chad Lester, the terminal manager for WATCO, the company contracted to manage port operations predicted a downturn in the number of products that move through the port this year, compared to 2020.

After the meeting, Lester explained why to Deltaplex News.

Looking at specific numbers, the port handled 134,097.13 tons of products in 2020, with just over 79 tons coming in or out by barge and nearly 52 tons coming in by rail.

Lester went on to say that there is a chance that the decline in products the port handles will be less than expected.

Allison J.H. Thompson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County, told Deltaplex News about the importance of the port.

The Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County has a services contract with the Port Authority to market and promote the port, including available properties in the port, record keeping, and other day-to-day activities.