Port authority details investments, warns of reduced state grant funding

Cindy Buckaway, executive director of the port authority, told the council that the authority has made several recent capital investments and continues to pursue grant funding for storage and road work. Buckaway said the port purchased an 18-acre parcel at Riverview Commerce Park and completed a $3,000,000 landing in April 2021 that used a state fund and a county match; she added the authority bought a material handler that "cost 1,300,000," financed in part with a state grant and a county match.

Buckaway said the port handled more than 250,000 inspected units at the site in 2025 and described ongoing needs: additional storage capacity, a new entrance road (contracted at just under $2,000,000) and a planned grant application cycle where a state budget reduction has tightened available funds. Council members asked for details about customers and export activity; Buckaway said the port has begun to attract new customers but that limited storage and other infrastructure constrain growth until financing is secured.