NEW MADRID PORT GIVES FIRM OPTION

NEW MADRID -- New Madrid County Port has granted a one-year option on 14 acres of land to Louis Dreyfus Corp., which plans to more than double the size of its plant at the port.

Dreyfus, a grain company using 13.5 acres, paid $4,000 for the option, said Bill Pinnell, port director.

The company plans to construct another warehouse and install more sacking equipment on the additional land, said Pinnell. "They are planning to go into more domestic rice production," he said.

The expansion would conclude with completion of a new general-cargo dock at the port, said Pinnell. Preliminary work on the dock has been completed, and bids for the dock soon will be sought with construction starting in January, he said.

The port was completely dredged in August by the Corps of Engineers, and plans are being formulated to dress and shape the banks of the harbor and add rip-rapping, he said. Basic construction of an entrance road to the harbor was completed this year and the road is to be paved next year, he said.