News: Pate Goes Back To Council On Thursday
by Sean Boone
Last month City Council voted down a staff recommended lease amendment for the Pate Stevedore Company on port property.
But with a few number adjustments presented on Monday to the Committee of the Whole, Pate might now get another shot at its original goal.
In a vote of 7-2, Council committee members approved a motion to review a new lease for Pate after it agreed to make changes to its initial proposal.
The changes would not affect the five-year renewal requirement that was originally proposed or a 50 percent entity ownership that company would possess as a member of the port, but would change the size of its proposed expansion on the property.
A spokeswoman for Pate told members the company was willing to downgrade its initial expansion goal of 30,000 sq. feet to 25,000 sq. feet. She said the company would be losing 10,000 sq. feet of storage and freezer space, but was willing to make adjustments to get a lease agreement passed.
The expansion is expected to create 46 new jobs all above $12 per hour, according to the company’s initial assessment.
The new figures are to be reviewed by City staff to see if they are financially appropriate for the port and will be given to City Council before its regular meeting on Thursday.
