Almost 4 acres of land could be sold for barge terminal

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Barge traffic on the Missouri River has nearly vanished in Sioux City, but a request before city council next week could change that.

BRE, Inc. is asking for approval to purchase almost four acres of land near the river, previously a part of Chautauqua Park. The land would be used to build a barge terminal.

The company is expected to invest between $250,000 to $1 million for a concrete pad, an associated driveway, lighting, and an office on the site. The terminal would be used for both incoming and outgoing shipments of new steel, aggregate, sand, and gravel.

City documents indicate the terminal will be made available for other businesses in the area to use. The owner of BRE, Inc. says the proposal is good for the city.

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"I think it's a good dialogue that we need to have in the community about transportation," owner Dave Bernstein said. "We don't talk much on the economic development side for those parties, don't talk about transportation much. They should, and we're a great rail community. We have three major railroads coming through here and I think barging just helps make all them more competitive."

City documents indicate that BRE, Inc. is already in discussions with the Army Corps of Engineers and a barge terminal operator. As part of the sale, BRE is also being asked to provide a paved parking area for use by guests at the nearby softball complex.