A Community Newsletter from the Port of Long Beach re:port Summer 2012 A New Era for Ships The next generation of cargo vessels has begun visiting the Port of Long Beach, bringing additional business and economic activity to our region. See Page 3. inside Sunset Port Tours Page 2 Ships Get Bigger Page 3 Middle Harbor Page 6 Bridge Replacement Page 8 Grant Program Schools, health care, seniors awarded funds Page 4-5 Beyond the Waterfront The Port supports community events, activities Page 7
A Message from the Port J. Christopher Lytle Executive Director, Port of Long Beach I recently had the pleasure of climbing aboard the container ship Fabiola as it was preparing to dock at the Port of Long Beach for the first time. It was a thrill I ll never forget. The Fabiola is truly a wonder of the seas: the largest container ship ever to call at the Port of Long Beach, and the largest at any North American port. Aside from its record-setting size, why is the Fabiola important? The major shipping lines are introducing bigger, more efficient ships. The Port of Long Beach must be able to accommodate these larger ships if we are to continue attracting more business and jobs to our city and region. One in 8 jobs in Long Beach is connected to the Port. That s 30,000 jobs in Long Beach and more than 300,000 in this region. We have to ensure that the Port s shipping facilities remain competitive in the decades to come. And that s why we need projects like Middle Harbor (Page 6) and the replacement of the Gerald Desmond Bridge (Page 8). These are two major pieces of nearly $4.5 billion in capital improvements we re building in the next decade to ensure we have the most modern and environmentally sustainable facilities anywhere in the world. Although moving goods and supporting the economy is at the core of what we do, the Port of Long Beach helps our local community in many ways. As you can read on Pages 4 and 5, the Port is supporting the community with millions of dollars in grants for schools and senior and health-care facilities. With our construction projects well under way, we want you to come to the Port and see all the excitement for yourself on one of our popular narrated harbor tours (see below). Please join us! Thursday Nights Added to Free Port Tours Narrated boat tours continue to be hot ticket Summer is here, and that means the Port s popular harbor tours are in full swing. The Port is offering the popular 90-minute, free, narrated tours through October. These tours provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about our operations, construction projects, environmental initiatives and more at one of the busiest seaports in the world. Tours are held on the first and third Saturdays of each month at 10 a.m., and on the second Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. And, for the first time, the Port is offering several sunset tours, on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., for a rare chance to see shipping terminals at twilight. There s no better way to see the Port of Long Beach than from the water, on one of our narrated tours, said Port Executive Director J. Christopher Lytle. This summer in particular is a great time to see the Port, with our big construction projects like Middle Harbor getting under way. You can reserve seats in advance, or join a standby list, through the Port s online registration system, www.polb.com/porttours. Tours will be posted one month in advance, on the first Monday of each month, at 8 a.m. For example, the August tours will be posted and reservations made available The Port is offering narrated harbor tours to fit any schedule, including weekend, weekday and, for the first time, sunset tours. Reservations: www.polb. com/porttours at 8 a.m. July 2, and September tours will be posted August 6. When available, click on the Reserve Seats button to make a reservation. If the tour is full, and zero seats are available, click the Standby button to be added to the standby list. Those on the standby list will be notified by phone if a seat becomes available. Seating is limited and spaces go fast, so reserve early. Just How Big Is a Big Ship? The Port of Long Beach recently welcomed the largest container ship ever to visit a North American seaport. The MSC Fabiola measures 1,200 feet long and 157 feet wide and can carry more than 12,000 cargo containers. The largest container ships at the Port typically carry about 8,000 containers. Larger ships can deliver goods more cost-effectively and reduce impact on the environment by decreasing fuel consumption. The Port of Long Beach s ability to handle this new generation of big ships is one of the ways it will help fend off competition from other seaports in the coming years. The Port is investing $4.5 billion over the next decade to modernize its facilities and accommodate these larger ships, which will in turn bring more business and economic activity to our region. Page 2 Port of Long Beach Summer 2012 Port of Long Beach Summer 2012 Page 3 1,092 feet USS Nimitz 965 feet Older Cargo Ship Cargo Ship Evolution 000,000 1,000,000 1,454 feet Empire State Building 8,100* 7,100* Cargo Ship Comparison 1,392 feet Six Boeing 747 Airplanes 15,500* 18,000* 2013 2006 1997 1996 *Capacity of cargo container units 1,200 feet New Cargo Ship
Port Grants Help Community to Breathe Better Millions of dollars in projects reduce air emission impacts, improve public health Dozens of school facility and health-care projects are being made possible by the Port s Community Mitigation Grant Program, designed to reduce the impact of port-related air pollution on the health of Long Beach residents. The Port has set aside more than $17 million for community grants. Of that amount, nearly $10 million has been awarded: $4.7 million to schools and related sites and $5 million to health-care clinics and senior facilities. And the Port is gearing up to award another $5 million to projects that will reduce greenhouse gases. This innovative grant program is part of a comprehensive strategy to offset the environmental impacts of portrelated operations. Dozens of projects have been completed or are under way. New air-filtration systems and upgraded windows and doors are reducing pollutants inside school classrooms. Local families are learning how to deal On the Web For more information, visit www. polb.com/ grants with chronic health problems such as asthma thanks to programs that include door-to-door outreach and in-home visits. Two organizations have deployed mobile care clinics to provide health-care outreach through Long Beach neighborhoods. New landscape barriers will protect residents from freeway dust and soot. The Port has cut diesel pollution by 72 percent in the past five years from all port-related sources, including trucks, trains, ships, cargohandling equipment, and harbor craft such as tugboats. These Port mitigation grants are designed to further reduce the health effects of Port operations, particularly among children and seniors. Century Villages at Cabrillo Landscaping Century Villages at Cabrillo is improving air quality at its West Long Beach campus with a oneacre landscape barrier partially funded with a $41,000 Port grant. Once the trees are fully grown, the foliage will block and trap 85 percent of the airborne diesel particulates from the nearby Terminal Island Freeway, Children s Clinic Bridge to Health Program With an $826,000 Port grant, the Children s Clinic of Long Beach has implemented a Bridge to Health Program that sends community health workers into the homes of families where asthma has taken a toll. The program is able to improve health by raising the likelihood that children and their families understand and use the best practices for controlling asthma. The clinic also offers a 12-week Taking Control of Your Health class where community health workers share information that people with asthma and other chronic diseases can use to improve their lives. Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma The Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma received a $489,000 Port grant to expand its efforts to lessen the impact of asthma on children. The campaign offers training and individual outreach to help families better manage and control children s asthma. The project allows for multiple home visits and works closely with local schools to increase the effectiveness of health outreach efforts. preventing the pollution from reaching the Villages campus. The project also received funding from Long Beach Container Terminal and BNSF Railway. St. Mary Medical Center Mobile Care Clinic St. Mary Medical Center s new 38-footlong custom Mobile Care Clinic, part of the new St. Mary Breathe Easy Mobile Outreach Program, is now traveling around Long Beach thanks to a $834,000 grant from the Port. St. Anthony High School Filtration System New stand-alone filters are cleaning the air for students and faculty at St. Anthony High School in Long Beach, thanks to a $291,000 Port grant. The filters remove soot and other airborne particles, making for cleaner classroom air. The project is already installed and working in three of St. Anthony s four buildings. The fourth will be equipped as part of an upcoming renovation. How the Port Mitigation Grants Are Awarded Under state guidelines, the Port is able to fund the grant programs as part of new major developments such as the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project. When Middle Harbor was approved in 2009, the Board of Harbor Commissioners allocated $15 million for community grants. Another $2.4 million was approved in 2010 as part of the approval of the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project. The Port solicits grant requests through an extensive outreach effort and hosts workshops for groups who are seeking grants. Once applications are received, a community-based Mitigation Grants Advisory Committee helps select eligible projects for funding and makes recommendations to Port staff. The recommendations are then sent to the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners for consideration and final approval. Next Up: Greenhouse Gas Grants The next round of grants, totaling $5.4 million, will fund projects that reduce greenhouse gases. Local nonprofit groups, government agencies and Port of Long Beach tenants were eligible to apply for the Port s first-ever Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Grants. The GHG grant program offered funds for projects including renewable power, energy efficiency, clean transportation, tree-planting and others. Projects funded by the GHG Grant Program must utilize proven methods to effectively reduce, avoid or capture greenhouse gases. Because many of the eligible projects reduce energy use, the projects also will save money for the grant recipients over time. A total of 84 applications were received by the February 2012 deadline, and the Port expects to award the grants later this year. Page 4 Port of Long Beach Summer 2012 Port of Long Beach Summer 2012 Page 5
Beyond the Waterfront Port partnerships support key community events and activities The Port is a major sponsor of community events and activities in Long Beach. At left, the Port s Green Port Pace Car was featured in the 2012 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Middle Harbor ceremony featured the driving of a commemorative golden pile, part of the new wharf structure. Below, residents get a rare glimpse of Port shipping terminals at twilight as part of the first-ever community harbor tour at sunset. Port Kicks Off $1 Billion Modernization Project Middle Harbor to feature advanced technology, clean air measures Civic, port and industry leaders gathered on the docks of the Port of Long Beach in May, launching a pioneering project to build a highly advanced shipping facility that will feature the most modern, efficient and environmentally friendly technologies available to move cargo. The Middle Harbor event included a ceremonial lease signing by Port Executive Director J. Christopher Lytle (from left) and Philip Chow of OOCL, Harbor Commission President Susan E. Anderson Wise, and Anthony Otto of Long Beach Container Terminal. For more information, www.polb.com/ middleharbor The 10-year Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project will combine two older shipping facilities into a single, more efficient, 304-acre terminal. The ceremony celebrated the kickoff of construction and the recent signing of a 40-year, $4.6 billion lease for the property between the Port, Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line and Long Beach Container Terminal LLC. What we speak of with this project is a collective vision a vision to make the Port of Long Beach one of the world s most competitive ports, said Philip Chow, CEO of OOCL. And the new design will make the Middle Harbor terminal the greenest in North America. The Middle Harbor modernization project will cut pollution in half from previous levels through the use of electrified equipment, cleaner fuels, green buildings, more ondock trains, and technologies such as shore power, which allows ships to plug in to electricity at berth. The new terminal will generate about 14,000 new, permanent jobs in the Southern California region. The project is being financed through revenue collected from leases with private shipping companies. The wheel of sustainability, which offers tips for living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, is a popular feature of the Port s community outreach booth (above). A group of young volunteers (at right) helps improve our local environment at the annual L.A. River cleanup in April. Page 6 Port of Long Beach Summer 2012 Port of Long Beach Summer 2012 Page 7
925 Harbor Plaza, P.O. Box 570, Long Beach, CA 90801 562-283-7700 www.polb.com PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LONG BEACH, CA PERMIT NO 5069 Board of Harbor Commissioners Susan E. Anderson Wise President Thomas Fields Vice President Nick Sramek Commissioner Doug Drummond Commissioner Rich Dines Commissioner Postal Customer We want to hear from you! Please give us your feedback in a short readership survey at www.polb.com/surveys. GDB Project Final Contract Negotiations Under Way Construction of bridge replacement could begin next year The Port of Long Beach and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) are finalizing a design-build contract that could allow a replacement for the aging Gerald Desmond Bridge to begin construction next year. In May the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved Port staff s recommendation of a design-build proposal that had the highest technical rankings and the lowest cost $649.5 million of the proposals from three pre-qualified teams. That recommended proposal was submitted by the joint venture team of Shimmick Construction Company Inc., FCC Construction S.A. and Impregilo S.p.A. (SFI). Port and Caltrans staff are now working with SFI to finalize the design-build contract. A Board decision on the final contract is expected in July. Final design will start soon after the contract is signed, and construction kickoff is expected in early 2013. The total cost of the overall bridge replacement project is estimated at about $1 billion, including site preparation, demolition and other considerations. The bridge replacement is a joint project between the Port and Caltrans. The Port, Caltrans, Metro and the U.S. Department The aging Gerald Desmond Bridge is scheduled to be replaced with a wider, taller bridge. Construction will begin in 2013 and is expected to take about three years. of Transportation are all contributing funds to the project. The Gerald Desmond Bridge is a vital link in the nation s trade system and a major commuter corridor. But the bridge, built in the 1960s, was not designed to handle today s traffic volumes and is deteriorating. The replacement project will ensure the safety of commuters and truck drivers and protect Southern California s important role as a major trading hub. Construction of the new bridge On the Web For photos, video and more information, visit www.newgdbridge.com is expected to take about four years and generate, on average, 4,000 jobs per year.