[12/14/04] Last week’s heavy rains sprung leaks at warehouses at Port of Vicksburg buildings, and commissioners said they’ll be fixed immediately.

The Warren County Port Commission owns four warehouses at the port, and assistant director Linda Watts said the rain led to leaks in all four.

The warehouses are used for storage for port businesses, including paper products of International Paper Company’s mill at Redwood.

“We use them to store rolls of paper for IP, and, if it’s wet, it’s ruined,” Watts said. But, luckily, she added, none was ruined due to the leaks.

“We have work to do to get all the leaks fixed,” she said. “We want to make sure the product is high and dry.”

The commission will get price estimates this week.

“We want to know who will do the best job for the most economic price,” she said.

Separately, the commission voted against funding a $1,900 feasibility study for a convenience or truck stop at the Flowers interchange, near the Ceres Research and Industrial Park.

Though the voted was killed, commissioners said they want a convenience store of some sort to be near the park and said plans are stalled until state plans to rework the interchange are complete.

Commission president John Moss said the Mississippi Department of Transportation has plans to revamp the interchange that serves plants in the industrial area.

“MDOT is talking about redoing the interchange, and it will take property to do that,” he said. “We don’t want to commit the property and then have to take it back by eminent domain.”

The five-member commission is charged with managing publicly developed industrial properties in Warren County.