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Shreveport port set to expand

The Port of Shreveport-Bossier is growing, thanks largely to $1 million garnered through a cooperative agreement signed Monday by the Red River Waterway Commission and the Caddo-Bossier Parishes Port Commission.

The increase, about 105 acres, is contiguous to the 2,500-acre port and adds 80 acres to the south, 25 acres to the north, with river access, said Eric England, the port's executive director. Land purchases began about 18 months ago and concluded in the last quarter, he said. Sellers were Pennzoil-Quaker State to the south and four members of a Shreveport family, the Gardners, a private entity, to the north, he said.

"Our plan is to immediately begin development of the land suitable for industrial development," England said. He said there are several prospective tenants, "several of which are tied to the Haynesville Shale, some manufacturing, some distribution."

In a release, the commission said it had determined that expansion of The Port site is necessary in order to continue attracting businesses, industries and new jobs.

"This funding will facilitate the purchase of much-needed tracts of land," The expansion won't be evident to the casual passer-by, but will involve installation of amenities to attract and aid potential tenants, Hall said.

"The port is the biggest economic development engine in the Caddo-Shreveport-Bossier area," he said. "It's always necessary to plan in advance to have available land. Having land available and being able to develop it for industrial users and having it 'ready access' means you can turn it quicker when prospects come here. The ability to turn it around quickly is what the port is able to do. These people that are coming in with the Haynesville Shale need property. They need development and facilities now. They're looking all over the region and there's just not those facilities available, and the port will be able to deliver those.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100608/NEWS05/6080310/Shreveport-port-set-to-expand

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  • 1 month later...

Boat manufacturer to create 400 jobs in Caddo Parish

Building green ships: A new boat manufacturer is coming to the Caddo Manufacturing plant in Vivian. Epic Wake Boats has announced it will use the facility and the plant's workforce to produce its electric and hybrid boats. The Times of Shreveport reports that the company's plans also include producing two electric cars, which are built more for recreation than for everyday commuting. Epic officials say they plan to employ more than 400 people at the plant during the next few years. Hundreds of people lost jobs a few years back when VIP Boats went bankrupt. Caddo Manufacturing LLC was formed to pull the company out of bankruptcy, but employment levels had been dwindling for years. While building boats is nothing new to Caddo Manufacturing, the technology is new. Epic employs green technology: Its electric boats have no emissions to pollute the air or water. The hybrid model, which requires diesel to keep the battery charged, has few emissions.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

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Tipitina's Foundation gets 3 Shreveport buildings

Tipitina's Foundation co-founder Roland Von Kurnatowski says the owners of three long-vacant buildings in downtown Shreveport have given them to the foundation.

The Times reports that the buildings are next to each other, and all three have been empty for decades. Von Kurnatowski estimates that fixing them up will cost $15 million and take three years. He says street-level retail and upstairs residential space are likely uses, but there's a lot of preliminary work to do before making any decision about use. The foundation created in 1997 is associated with New Orleans' famed Tipitina's music club. It founded a music office co-op in Shreveport several years ago. Members get computer access, professional development seminars and other benefits.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/2011/02/tipitinas-foundation-gets-3-shreveport-buildings

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  • 2 weeks later...

Law school bound for Waggoner Building

A rendering of the Louisiana College law school is shown. Officials said Monday that the law school will be housed in downtown Shreveport's Joe D. Waggoner Building. (Courtesy of Louisiana College)

bildec.jpg

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20110215/NEWS04/102150325/Law-school-bound-for-Waggoner-Building

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  • 5 months later...

Sweet, that's good news. I've always felt that Shreveport needs more emphasis on higher education for the metro area. I think we're still lacking a little on undergraduate offerings, but with the Med School and now this law school, options are looking decent for graduate options. I like that they're going to use that building downtown. It's a nice building and is a shame it sat empty for so long.

Here's a newer link: http://www.sbmag.net/features/2011_may/1st_law_school.html

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Who would have ever thought that this building (image down below), the long-abandoned Ogilvie Hardware building, which is literally on a peninsula of land, surrounded by freeway overpasses on three sides, would be put to use once again. But construction began a few weeks ago, and is well under way, on converting this once-creepy old building where railroad bums and other vagrants often slept, into residences. And we're not just talking about any old residences, we're talking fenced-in, gated luxury condominiums with security andample lightiing.

I personally hope they leave all the graffiti on the freeway overpass structures,because I think it adds character. I know who I am, and I appreciate Iike the arts, including the street arts. I grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of graffiti in it, so I gained a love for it. If I were to put down $350,000+ or whatever they're asking for these spaces, I would love to have a view of the graffiti. And I would hope the skaters would still hang around down there as well.

So in a few months, we'll see a remodeled building here with a remodeled sign reading Ogilvie Hardware Lofts. Just one of many condo projects either under construction or having just opened in downtown, including Novena which I believe recently opened in an old Bellsouth building downtown. Now, with the addition of two new college campuses soon to make downtown Shreveport their home, residential space is the way to go.

Southern Univerity Shreveport-Bossier already has a very small campus downtown called the SUSBO Metro Campus. But they recently took over quite a bit more space and are in the process of working to get those spaces classroom-ready.

Also, Alexandria's Louisiana Campus has purchased the old federal building, which became abandoned when they built a new federal building just down the street, for a law school. This is about a 10-story building that has been used as shelter to the homeless for quite some time. It will now be a place full of college students.

These projects are also why the city is working with Greyhound and Greyhound will be moving their downtown terminal from its present location to the location of the old police station/city court building right off I-20 and I-49, which is a prime location for it anyway. This will open up that land in the middle of downtown to build a public greenspace so the college students and business people alike can spend time n the outdoors.

EDIT: My image didn't show. :angry: If you care enough, I guess just Google Ogilvie Hardware Shreveport.

Edited by SBCmetroguy
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Always good to see you posting Brian :thumbsup: Glad the cool-looking old building is being put to use! Thanks for the updates...

Thanks for the assist Antrel!

Yeah life is so busy these days working in the oil & gas industry. Plus, I'm dealing with a legal issue, trying to get my dad to spend the rest of his life in prison and dealing with my mother who doesn't even recognize me anymore due to a brain problem. So life is busy... and sad some days. But it is nice to make it over this way every now and then. Always good to know you're still around Richy. Oh and I turned 32 two days ago. I think I was 25 or 26 when I started posting here? Or at least it seems that way.

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Yeah life is so busy these days working in the oil & gas industry. Plus, I'm dealing with a legal issue, trying to get my dad to spend the rest of his life in prison and dealing with my mother who doesn't even recognize me anymore due to a brain problem. So life is busy... and sad some days. But it is nice to make it over this way every now and then. Always good to know you're still around Richy. Oh and I turned 32 two days ago. I think I was 25 or 26 when I started posting here? Or at least it seems that way.

No problem.

For the record I enjoy when you post too, we don't hear much about SBC and your posts are always insightful. Good luck with your family. If it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger. :shades:

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  • 4 weeks later...

Who would have ever thought that this building (image down below), the long-abandoned Ogilvie Hardware building, which is literally on a peninsula of land, surrounded by freeway overpasses on three sides, would be put to use once again. But construction began a few weeks ago, and is well under way, on converting this once-creepy old building where railroad bums and other vagrants often slept, into residences. And we're not just talking about any old residences, we're talking fenced-in, gated luxury condominiums with security andample lightiing.

I personally hope they leave all the graffiti on the freeway overpass structures,because I think it adds character. I know who I am, and I appreciate Iike the arts, including the street arts. I grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of graffiti in it, so I gained a love for it. If I were to put down $350,000+ or whatever they're asking for these spaces, I would love to have a view of the graffiti.

lol. Yeah, no. People who are paying $350k for housing in a gated community do NOT want to see graffiti across from their home.

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lol. Yeah, no. People who are paying $350k for housing in a gated community do NOT want to see graffiti across from their home.

The wonderful psycic ability at work yet again! How do you read people's minds?!! :shok::dontknow:

Who would have thought, people might actually appreciate urban art?!!! Never!! :sick:

Everyone wants a house in the suburbs! This is 1955-I mean 2012 people! Suburbs! :yahoo:

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Eh, no worries. I was originally told it was going to be luxury condos, but the last I heard was that it would be high-end apartments.

Believe me, this developer knows what he is doing. He has developed similar projects all over Dallas, and brought back to life areas once thought uninhabitable in this modern world.

And to add to Antrell's comment about people appreciating urban art, a lot of people actually like that kind of thing. If I weren't settled into my suburban home (which is not where I saw myself afew years ago... I saw myself in an urban loft) I would give this location much consideration.

Consider the Lee Hardware and United Jewelers apartment buildings. Years ago no one would have wanted to live there due to fear of vandalism or theft of their automobiles. Then, about 15 years ago, a New Orleans developer with a vision (something most in Shreveport lack) remodeled these buildings and fenced in the parking areas and there have been very few problems there to date. I expect the same at the Ogilvie Hardware building.

It's just like the repurposed buildings in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas which now houses the Dr. Pepper and 7-Up lofts. At one time, NO ONE would have invested in that particular area and the banks would have laughed at them. So they most likely had to devise a clever plan and put together a killer presentation, like they might have had to do in the case of the Ogilvie building in Shreveport, to get anyone to finance the project. And now those are some prime residences and Deep Ellum is one of the best urban districts in the country.

So all I'm trying to say is, just because one man may thumb his nose at something like a snobbish prick, another man, possibly younger and more stylish, would die to live somewhere like that.

The only issue in that area I think they will really have to address is vagrancy. While vagrants won't be able to get onto the grounds themselves, unless the access gates are really slow to close behind each car, there is always a chance of them panhandling just outside the gates now that they will have new neighbors with more money than them. But I guarantee, Downtown Shreveport Unlimited would not put up with that for long and would certainly address it with the police chief to get more patrols in the area.

I'm happy to see downtown growing and coming back to life! Next up after this is the huge Sheveport Common development in the West Edge area of downtown with the Central Art Station (formerly the Central Fire Station), which is currently under renovation, and the hugely ambitious lighted, covered gathering area that will rival Las Vegas' Fremont Street Experience. The designer's plans blew my mind when I saw them. This is one project to beat all projects and I want more than anything to see it come to fruition. I will personally donate whatever I can to add to the cause if they will accept funding assistance from the public. A project like that, in itself, would set Shreveport apart and there is no doubt in my mind that our visitors would remember their trip to Shreveport after experiencing that.

Oh, and on the news the other night they mentioned something about renovating the neon bridge due to so many of the neon bulbs having gone out over the years. And some of them can't just be replaced very easily, they most likely would require someone wearing a harness to rappel down the side of the bridge to access many of the bulbs. But I most certainly welcome that; it will be nice to see that bridge regain the vibrance it once had. Now if we could just get that pedestrian bridge that they held a design contest for a few years back... :whistling:

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So all I'm trying to say is, just because one man may thumb his nose at something like a snobbish prick, another man, possibly younger and more stylish, would die to live somewhere like that.

Name calling isn't going to lead to a intelligent conversation. Is that how you act when someone offers a different opinion than yours?

Secondly, you are kidding yourself if you think wealthy people want graffiti on their building or across the street.

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Name calling isn't going to lead to a intelligent conversation. Is that how you act when someone offers a different opinion than yours?

Secondly, you are kidding yourself if you think wealthy people want graffiti on their building or across the street.

"Is that how you act when someone offers a different opinion than yours?" :huh:

When's the last time you left your subdivision?

Edited by Antrell Williams
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"Is that how you act when someone offers a different opinion than yours?" :huh:

When's the last time you left your subdivision?

Are you REALLY comparing my reply to that of his where he called me a prick? That's ridiculous and in no way should be acceptable here.

Secondly, just because it's a downtown development doesn't mean people will want to see graffiti by or on their homes.

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