OHPA votes 3-1 to revise 2014 Master Plan for Port of Fernandina

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
August 13, 2015 6:13 p.m.

Following more than a year of discussion, heated at times, between the Nassau County Ocean Highway and Port Authority (OHPA), the City of Fernandina Beach, and many concerned local citizens, the OHPA voted on August 12, 2015 to amend the 2014 Port Master Plan to reflect a more realistic picture of future port plans and to remove or change language that generated health, safety and environmental concerns in the community.

Three Port Commissioners—Chairman Richard Bruce, Danny Fullwood and Adam Salzburg—voted to approve the revised language that came about as a result of workshop discussions among commissioners and the community. Commissioner Carrol Franklin continued to oppose making changes to the plan that had been developed more than a year ago by a consultant at a cost of close to $100,000 and initially presented to the OHPA in February 2014. Franklin maintained throughout the review process that the public had not availed itself of opportunities to voice objection while the plan was being developed. He also cited concerns that some of the deletions to the plan might not be feasible should an emergency situation arise. The fifth Port Commissioner, Ron Braddock, has been absent from meetings since June 2014 due to illness and therefore did not vote.

Chairman Bruce reported that he has asked the Florida Department of Transportation for an updated traffic study to replace the outdated numbers cited in the plan with respect to road capacity in Fernandina Beach. He reminded Port Commissioners and the audience that a plan is never totally finished, but that time had come in his view “to pull the trigger” and move forward to complete this version of the plan. Bruce provided a new written introduction to the plan, which was also approved by majority vote 3-1.

Commissioner Danny Fullwood stressed that the final product was a good document, expressing his hope that its passage would “get the community settled down.” In response to Franklin’s concern that limiting truck traffic would leave no room for growth, Fullwood said that the revised numbers reflect the reality of traffic that the Port can actually handle. He said that he saw no change that would adversely impact port business and that the word “coal,” which generated so much public pushback, was the only major deletion from the plan.

Phil Scanlan, who chaired a community effort to bring specific objections and suggestions for improving the plan to the OHPA, summarized the major issues as they stood following workshops in an August 13, 2015 email directed to members of the Citizen Team. He wrote that the OHPA:

1. Agreed to Remove Petroleum Oil Refinery plan.
2. Agreed to eliminate any mention of Coal in the plan. (Subsequently WestRock committed to not request use of the FB Port for Coal delivery.)
3. Agreed to Remove Fumigation Facility plans from the plan. (However they did indicate they may use spot fumigation as needed.)
4. Agreed to Reduce Planned Truck traffic increase to the prior peak port year, which was 168 trucks per day. (The current Port Plan calls for about double that truck traffic in the future.)
5. Agreed to Remove LNG or CNG Facility Plans or large storage areas of LNG or CNG – due to the proximity to the community. (However, they indicated they would handle and ship containerized LNG and CNG, without large quantity storage.)
6. There was no agreement to limit cruise ship size. However, they agreed due to security requirement cruise ships could not be mixed with cargo shipments at the F.B. port.  The old Pogey Plant location in Nassau County outside F.B. was left as a future option for cruise ship terminal.  (However, the F.B. Port does not plan to finance that.)
7. There was no agreement to eliminate phosphates (fertilizer), since the OHPA felt they could be handled safely. (The Tampa Port handles a lot of phosphates.  However, there are no specific plans to handle phosphates in F.B.)
8. Agreed to avoid any wetland damage.

9 a.  Agreed the economic analysis in the plan was wrong and none of the 3 phase of investment, which total $56 million, would produce a positive economic benefit.  Therefore none of the 3 phases were affordable.

9 b.  Agreed on a Goal — The Chairman articulated a clear DRAFT Vision, Mission, Purpose, Goal and list of Key Plans. That DRAFT was very supportive of moving forward with a successful port that does not harm the community.

Scanlan concluded, “I would like to thank Representative Adkins for her support in initiating a Citizen Team—OHPA Commission effort to make changes in the Port Strategic Plan to accommodate community concerns.  The Citizen Team and the OHPA Commissioners have spent considerable time analyzing and discussing the current plan and the proposed changes in respectful meetings and individual conversations. I also want to thank OHPA Commission Chair Richard Bruce and OHPA Commissioners Danny Fullwood and Adam Salzburg for their support for several citizen requested changes at their OHPA Workshops.”

Once the master document is updated to reflect the changes, the document will be forwarded to both the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council (FSTED) for their review.

Until the document can be put into final form, readers may see in the document below the changes approved on August 12, 2015 for incorporation into the OHPA and Port of Fernandina Strategic Master Plan, originally crafted in October 2014. To request copies of minutes and documents, consult the OHPA website www.portoffernandina.org.

Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.