The port purchased the property from Rofan Services Inc., a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co. All parties are keeping a lid on the selling price.

A port contact tells GlobeSt.com that the acreage will be developed into disposal site for the Houston Ship Channel operations. The site's development is in line with a US Army Corps of Engineers directive. According to the port contact, additional areas must be developed if there is to be anymore widening or deepening of the channel. The corps has started working on the site's design, but it's still in the very early stages. The goal, though, is to get the project done as soon as possible, according to the port spokeswoman.

Mary Lehman, real estate manager for Rofan Services, and Bruce Womack and Cappy Ricks, both of the Houston office of Colliers International, represented the seller. Brenda McDonald, the port's real estate manager, was the in-house representative for the land purchase.

According to Harris County records, Rofan Services owns two parcels in the Jacintoport block. The 157-acre parcel, acquired in 1992, is assessed at $2.7 million. An adjacent 79-acre tract, bought in 1994, is valued at $2 million.

The plan is to cut the channel to a depth of 45 feet from its present 40 feet and widen it to 520 feet from the existing 400 feet. A combination of local voter-approved bonds and federal funds will be used to finance the project.