Warren County might get income from storage fees once closing documents are signed on a 3.1-acre tract at the Port of Vicksburg, port officials were told Monday.

The tract includes a 32,000-square-foot metal warehouse and supervisors agreed last week with port commission members to pay $500,000 for the land and building near the port terminal.

The warehouse on the property was deemed more than adequate for storing steel coils while space is freed up for other prospects at the port, Kinder Morgan Terminals regional sales manager Tom Murphree said when port commissioners met Monday.

Monthly totals to be shared would depend on volume, but rates for keeping supplies of raw materials could be paid up to $2.25 per ton, he said.

The purchase comes as activity has ramped up at the cargo unloading facility. Tonnage for November was reported by the company at 48,679 tons, adding to totals already ahead of 2007. Revenue for the month was $326,140.20, which put the total for the year at more than $1.5 million.

Murphree met with the commission, including executive director Wayne Mansfield, in closed session to discuss the status of ongoing talks to extend the company’s lease to handle cargo at the port.

The commission and Kinder Morgan have agreed in principle on a five-year deal worth $235,000 in base rent plus 8 percent if revenue tops $2.255 million. Terms on the current pact to expire in December 2009 have revenue bonuses kicking in at $1 million to $1.4 million. Talks continue to hinge on the company inking a long-term arrangement with Severstal, the Russia-based parent company of the SeverCorr steel plant in Columbus.

Though commissioners announced no agreement has been signed, raw materials continue to appear on tonnage reports — two-thirds of November’s total was in the form of pig iron.

Also, the panel discussed litigation filed in November by the company in charge of replacing the T-dock crane support structure.

In its suit, Vicksburg-based Riverside Construction claimed breach of contract against the commission, citing misrepresentation of geotechnical reports and the inflexibility on the part of the county concerning work delays. The company seeks an extension in its contract and a nearly $900,000 increase in its $3.4 million contract price.

No action was taken following Monday’s session, chairman Johnny Moss said.

The dock’s most vital parts have returned to service since 2007 when it was shuttered for most of the year. Final phases of the project were to include a fender system to buffer the structure from barge contact. Remaining work involves welds on the bracing system, county engineers said Monday.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com.