[06/19/01] A Port Gibson company was the successful bidder in the sale of timber from public land managed by the Warren County Port Commission near the Yazoo River.

In other activity at the commission’s meeting Monday, board members instructed an engineering firm to survey a road at the county’s industrial park at Flowers. The commission plans to use a pending Community Development Block Grant for that project.

In the timber sale prepared by Tommy Walker, Warren County forester with the Mississippi Forestry Commission, the port board approved a bid from Charles Donald Pulpwood Inc. of Port Gibson for $28,009 for the estimated 293.1 board feet of hardwood saw timber and an estimated 170 cords of hardwood pulpwood.

The land is about 295 acres near the E.W. Haining Industrial Center and the Yazoo River.

The bids from Good Hope Inc. of Natchez, Johnny McCool of Vicksburg and David Lee Jones of Port Gibson were lower than Charles Donald’s.

ABMB, the engineering firm for Warren County, was told to prepare plans and specifications for overlay of a road in the Ceres Research and Industrial Interplex. The commissioners expect to use a $650,000 grant for the work with a $100,000 local match.

Also, commissioners approved an offer of a one-year lease extension of bankside mooring area to Big River Shipbuilding which is located on the Vicksburg harbor. The company had leased 1,500 feet of harbor channel bank across from its operation for mooring for $2.97 per foot with the lease expiring this year with the provision it could extend the lease for two, one-year terms. Big River had asked to exercise its option on the first extension.

The board offered to lease the property for $3.12 per foot, or $4,686 per year.