Port Authority Issues
July 2010
(1) Dredging in 2015 and a new CDF (Confined Disposal Facility)
The Federal Government share of the cost of dredging and disposal to maintain navigation in the Port of Cleveland (outer harbor and Cuyahoga River) will go from 100% to 75% in 2015. The 25% local share is around $5 million dollars per year. The 5 million still is not funded. The Port Authority (according to the PD on 6/24) seems to looking for a “cheaper solution”. This needs to be resolved soon. We are not aware of a “cheaper solution”. This issue keeps getting kicked down the road. Keep in mind that the operating budget of the Port Authority in 2008 was roughly 4+ million.
(2) Moving the Port Authority (PA) facilities
The attempt to move the PA facilities from it current location between the Cuyahoga River and Browns Stadium has largely evaporated. In general, this would be extremely costly and seems to be motivated by the desire to reuse the current location for office and residential use. The proposal to build a new facility at 55th was also being justified by the addition of ocean going container traffic. This has yet to materialize on the Great Lakes in general. The Port of Toledo seems to be best poised to get container traffic if it is viable.
(3) Business Prospects for the Port Authority
Various consultants have been hired to evaluate how much business is likely to be done by the PA This will enable the PA to shape its facility for future requirements. We would add that tonnage handled during the past decade has declined from 500,000+ tons early in the decade to barely 400,000. This reflects the contraction of the manufacturing sector in this region.
(4) Aspects of the Port Redevelopment Study
We would like to mention two aspects of that study. One is the redevelopment of the northeast corner of the port from North Coast harbor west along the edge to roughly the 50 yard line of the Stadium. This was presented as Phase 1 of redeveloping the Port Authority facilities. Work was done by the PA as regards transitioning to office/residential. This is still a possibility. The market in Cleveland is hardly robust but the appeal of this location should be evident. We would note that the Flats East Bank is ready for construction after numerous subsidies (road, sewer, etc) have made it a “greenfield”. We doubt if both these areas could be built out (completed) in 10 years or even 15. We did like the public boardwalk provision of the redevelopment plan. The redevelopment plan also featured a multipurpose trail thru the Port Authority facility. We believe a trail like this is necessary to link Whiskey Island with North Coast Harbor, the Warehouse District, and the Flats East Bank. A bridge over the river near or north of the current Conrail bridge would be needed.
