Facilities: Kalama, New Orleans

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The City of Kalama has agreed to a Port of Kalama proposal could spur development of a business park and recreational facility. Renovations, expansions and upgrades costing $2.3 million are nearing completion at the New Orleans’ Erato Street Cruise Terminal.

Kalama: City Annexation Could Spur Development of Port Industrial Park

The City of Kalama has agreed to a Port of Kalama proposal that it annex 360 acres for business and recreational purposes. The property, which has been under country jurisdiction, is mostly owned by the port, but includes some residences. According to the port, transfer from county to city jurisdiction will provide more options and greater flexibility for developing the property.

Under consideration is the creation of the Spencer Creek Business Park and a recreational complex on what are now the Kalama Fairgrounds. The multi-use business property is expected to boost the area’s economy and job opportunities while strengthening the city’s revenue base.

The port and city worked together to craft new city code that will enable flexible development, while providing predictable quality of infrastructure, landscaping and buildings. The business park would encompass about 70 acres (3 million square feet) and more than 500,000 square feet of space when built-out.

"We expect the Spencer Creek Business Park to attract new commercial, office/flex and light-industrial businesses to the region providing more family wage jobs here," said Port Executive Director Mark Wilson. "The development of this business center – and expansion of neighboring recreational facilities at Haydu Park – support our strategy for economic growth in the Cowlitz region and position Kalama as a relocation destination for diverse industries."

The port also plans to replace and expand the community’s fairgrounds and athletic fields on the East Port property. Haydu Park will include 24 acres of fairgrounds and baseball and soccer fields up from the current eight acres, allowing baseball and soccer teams to play simultaneously. The park will also include access to several thousand feet of Kalama River frontage. Over time, additional facilities to support the fair and ball fields are planned.

"The port’s mission is to ‘induce capital investment in an environmentally responsible manner to create jobs and enhance public recreational opportunities,’" said Mr. Wilson. "This project meets every aspect of the port’s mission to make Kalama a more successful and livable community."

New Orleans Nears Completion of $2.3 Million Upgrade of Erato Street Cruise Terminal

Renovations, expansions and upgrades costing $2.3 million are nearing completion at the New Orleans’ Erato Street Cruise Terminal ahead of the arrival of the port’s largest home-port cruise ship to date.

The 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream is scheduled to begin sailing seven-day, year-round eastern and western Caribbean itineraries April 14 from Erato Street Cruise Terminal, replacing the 3,006-passenger Carnival Sunshine, which will be repositioned to Port Canaveral.

The 130,000-ton Carnival Dream is the lead ship in the cruise line’s newest and largest class of ships. The 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation will continue to sail year-round, four- and five-day itineraries to Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico. Together, the two ships will be able to carry more than 400,000 passengers annually from New Orleans. Carnival is the only cruise line that sails two cruise ships year round from the Crescent City.

New passenger waiting area in Erato Street Cruise Terminal.
Photo/Port of New Orleans

The terminal improvements included relocating and expanding embarkation counters to maximize passenger flow; additional X-ray and screening machines to accommodate the increase in passengers and luggage; newly painted drop-off areas and ticketing areas to update the terminal’s decor; relocating, renovating and tripling the size of the terminal’s Captain’s Lounge; and the installation of state-of-the-art audio/video way-finding and information systems to facilitate passenger flow.

The newly expanded and renovated Captain’s Lounge in Erato Street Cruise Terminal.
Photo/Port of New Orleans

To accommodate the design features of the Carnival Dream, the newer Julia Street Cruise Terminal gangway was move to the Erato Street facility. Installed in 2011, the Julia Street gangway was designed to work with the ship’s unique 30-lifeboat configuration. The gangway also features dual telescoping extensions that connect to the ship’s weather deck, thus facilitating higher passenger volumes. The former Erato Street gangway was repositioned to Julia Street, which receives seasonally homeported cruise ships from November to April.

The passenger loading bridge that was relocated to Erato Street Cruise Terminal to accommodate Carnival Dream.
Photo/Port of New Orleans