Boozman examines possible sites for new Fort Smith-area port
Posted on Saturday, July 19, 2008
FORT SMITH — U. S. Rep. John Boozman took to the air Friday to get a big-picture look at the pros and cons of sites for a new Arkansas River port in the Fort Smith area.
Boozman rode in a helicopter with city, federal and military officials to talk about a long-planned regional river port, and where it should go. Possible sites are in Van Buren and at Fort Chaffee near Fort Smith.
“We’ve talked about this a long time,” Boozman said in an interview beforehand. “We need to make a decision. We need to move forward.”
Officials in Sebastian and Crawford counties agreed Friday to organize new talks about creating a larger, intermodal facility they say could increase barge traffic on the Arkansas River. It would serve either as a replacement for the Port of Fort Smith and the Port of Van Buren or in addition to them.
Boozman, who represents the 3 rd Congressional District, said he thinks he can help at the federal level through his role as the top Republican on the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation Committee.
But first, he said, local officials have to recommend a site, so the cities of Van Buren and Fort Smith have to come together to figure out how best to do it. He said his office won’t pick a site for them.
Ray Gosack, acting city administrator, said the two cities ’ chambers of commerce agreed to convene a meeting within the next month of those with a stake in the process. The cities are on opposite sides of the river, and officials have been discussing the possibility of a regional port for 15 years, each pushing for its own site without getting anywhere, he said.
“If we continue those parochial views, they’ll still be planning it 15 years from now,” he said.
The time is right now because high fuel prices have companies turning to river transportation as an alternative to ship goods because it is generally a cheaper option, he said.
“We have people’s attention with high energy costs,” Gosack said. “There is some sense of urgency to keep this moving.”
The general idea is that the proposed port would be funded with a conglomeration of sources, including federal, state, local and maybe private money. There will be no cost estimate until a feasibility study is done later, he said.
One reason for the air tour Friday was to determine what some of the drawbacks might be to a proposed site at Fort Chaffee. Military officials have expressed concerns that a port there could hamper training exercises.
Maj. Gen. William Wofford of the Arkansas National Guard told reporters before the tour that if the port is located there, it will need to be shared with the military.
“At Fort Chaffee, we’ve got a world-class training center,” Wofford said. “Most of the community doesn’t realize exactly what an asset we’ve got here.”
Fort Chaffee serves as a regional training site for Guard members from Arkansas and other states as well as active members of the military. The U. S. Navy trains warfare units in the river on a regular basis, Wofford said.
He didn’t rule it out as a possible port site, however. He said there’s a possibility the port could be a joint-use operation, with the military suspending training when the port is in use and vice versa.
“There’s still some research that’s got to be done,” Wofford said. “We need to get our heads together. We’re looking at what’s best for everyone.”
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