Port Freeport chairman: 80,000-sq.-ft. cold-storage warehouse coming; half-billion project progressing

Ravi Singhania, chairman of the Port Freeport Commission, told the Freeport City Council at its April 7 meeting that major port projects are advancing and that a new cold-storage warehouse will be dedicated in the spring.

Singhania said Port Freeport’s larger half‑billion‑dollar expansion project is “coming along fine and should be done by the end of this year” and that, around May, the port community expects a dedication for a new 80,000-square-foot warehouse intended to provide cold storage and serve as a transfer station for Del Monte. He described the warehouse as a roughly $20 million facility that is not tax abated and said the project should employ about 80 people at opening. Singhania noted the facility’s economic effect should begin to be visible in the local tax base since it was described as not tax abated.

Singhania thanked the council for cooperation between the port and city and said the port remains cautious about external factors such as tariffs but generally expects the project to be within budget and to support local jobs.

Why it matters: a dedicated cold-storage facility and broader port investments can generate local jobs and tax revenue; the port’s timetable and employment estimate give residents and councilors a near-term metric to assess economic impact.

Ending

Singhania concluded by thanking council members for ongoing cooperation with the port commission and inviting the council and community to the upcoming dedication.