Council To Consider Gambol’s Shipyard Plan

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The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to reconsider Gambol Industries Inc.’s proposal to rebuild a shipyard at the Port of Los Angeles despite the rejection of the idea by the Board of Harbor Commissioners.

After nearly an hour of debate, the council agreed to review a plan by Long Beach-based Gambol to build a $50 million shipbuilding and repair facility at the former Southwest Marine terminal at Terminal Island.

“I believe that we cannot miss the opportunity to bring $50 million of private dollars to bring back a shipyard to San Pedro on a currently vacant site,” Councilwoman Janice Hahn said in a statement after the vote. Hahn brought the issue to the council after the commissioners had scuttled the plan. “This is a win-win opportunity which would not cost any taxpayer dollars.”

The Harbor Commission rejected the plan in December, when port executive director Geraldine Knatz said that an “impasse has been reached with Gambol on the key issues of cost, schedule and business plan.”

Knatz opposes the proposal because she believes it conflicts with a harbor dredging project that will allow bigger ships into the port. She wants to use the two big slips at the site as a dump for the dredge material.

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