“If there ever was an emergency this is one. You’ve got an economic engine that’s dead up there now.”

Those words from county engineer John McKee about the crane at the Port of Vicksburg were said in September 2015 when the Warren County Supervisors were discussing whether to repair the 40-year-old crane or replace it.

They are true today as the board again debates the future of the crane — a portion of which was damaged in a fire several days after repairs by Konecranes of West Monroe, La., costing the county $171,508.55, were completed.

At this point in time, the inactive crane is costing the county money — the $312.50 a day penalty the county must pay WATCO, for every day it is out, and the much-greater loss of revenue from loading and unloading cargo at the port.

It also puts the port behind the proverbial eight ball as the county tries to compete for a piece of the pie from the proposed Continental Tire plant that will be built in the Bolton area.

The decision should be a no-brainer. Fix the crane so the port is back in business and working at the cargo volume it should be working at, and begin the process of determining how to finance getting a new crane.

Repairing the crane and putting it back into operation would buy the time the county needs to examine ways to finance the project and hire an engineer — or use the county engineer — to design a new crane for the port.

There are funding sources available to the county. The Mississippi Development Agency, the U.S. Economic Development Agency and Delta Regional Authority all have funding programs, either through grants or low-interest loans, to help cities and counties replace work equipment. The supervisors could also do what they briefly discussed in 2015, float a bond issue to pay for a new crane and handle some other major expanses headed the county’s way like the estimated $2 million for a new radio system to join the statewide MSWIN network.

It’s time the supervisors sat down and took a hard look at it problem at the port and determine a way to fund repairing and then replacing the crane. Doing that not only puts the port back at full operation, but a new crane could help attract new business and give the port a better shot at landing some Continental Tire business. It’s time to stop thinking “what if,” and time to move forward.