For immediate release: Apr 6, 2010
http://www.kztv10.com/news/apex-ready-to-suspend-negotiations-with-port-for-nsi/
CORPUS CHRISTI – Action Ten News has obtained a letter sent by a company called Apex to the Port of Corpus Christi. The letter is addressed to the Port’s Executive Director John La Rue. It says Apex is ready to walk away from negotiations for Naval Station Ingleside.
One of Apex’s subsidiaries is SwiftShips, a company that builds boats and ships for the U.S. and other countries. And they want to do that on property currently used by NSI.
The letter states in part that ‘we are contemplating the suspension of talks for NSI until we believe we have a serious partner in negotiations.
La Rue did not return our call for this story.
On March 9th representatives with Apex and SwiftShips told Port Commissioners the same things addressed in the letter. “This is a great facility, but there are others in the United States. And we will begin our process of looking at other facilities if there’s no consensus in the community because naturally we want to go someplace where we’re welcome,” said Mustafa Tameez.
The letter from Apex goes on to say ‘there is not a local consensus on how to move forward in redeveloping the Naval Station.’ And further ‘if the Port was interested in creating jobs, then our proposals should have been met with enthusiasm.’
Apex has promised to bring one thousand new jobs to Ingleside its first year.
But Joihn Kelley with We The People newspaper believes commissioners have had other intentions for NSI all along. “Well I believe it is because of the interest on the part of A&M. They’re very clear that their purpose and desire is to gain control of the whole Ingleside base for their own future Renewable Energy Center.”
Kelley also claims that Port Chairman and A&M alum Mike Carrell has been pushing the A&M proposal over the one from Apex.
On May 1st the Port assumes responsibility for the maintenance of NSI at an estimated cost of half a million dollars a month.
A Port spokesperson told us commissioners would not have any comment on the letter since they just received it Monday night.
