VIDALIA — Vidalia officials broke ground Thursday on a $39 million port facility that Mayor Hyram Copeland characterized as what he considered “one of the biggest projects in Concordia Parish and the region itself.”

The 145-acre port should be open for business by mid-2017, Port of Vidalia Director Wyly Gilfoil said, and when the current phase of construction is under way, the city will begin the process of permitting for the next phase.

“In my opinion, (the port) will be the crux of the future of this community and region,” Copeland said.

“This was a dream, a dream some said will never happen. Let me assure you, we never took the word ‘no’ or ‘it can’t be done’ for an answer.”

The city has previously built an access road from the Vidalia Industrial Park — which is across Louisiana 131 from the port site — to the river.

The groundbreaking Thursday was to mark the kickoff of the phase that would make the port operational, adding a conveyer system and barge loading facility meant to handle bulk dry products. The city is currently awaiting bids for the work.

Concordia Economic Development Director Heather Malone said the port would be a “key tool” for economic developers, while Sen. Neil Riser said it was “the kind of thing that brings people to an area.”

“The Mississippi River has played a vital role in this community’s history, and we will see it be a significant impact (in the future),” Riser said.

Concordia Parish only has one transportation option for industry currently, a four-lane highway, but with the construction of the port those options will grow, Malone said.

The port’s funding has come from a number of sources, including a $1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and a $215,000 grant from the Delta Regional Authority.

Another $1.5 million was secured through a federal appropriation, and the State of Louisiana has dedicated approximately $15 million in capital outlay funds and $13 million through the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s Port Priority Program.

The City of Vidalia has provided approximately $2 million in matching funds.

A news release from the city says the construction of the port is projected to create 200 new jobs and help local businesses retain approximately 300 jobs.

Mayor-elect Buz Craft — who will take office July 1 — was at the groundbreaking, and said that with the port funding already in place, things should be able to move ahead quickly and that it would help with his goal of recruiting more industry to the area.

“I am going to put industry ahead of retail as far as recruitment goes, because retail will follow people into the area,” he said. “With this, I feel we’ll be in our best position as we are moving to take on industry.”

The port project began with a feasibility study in the 1970s, which was completed in 1974, and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study identified the site — a historic river landing — as the best location for the port.

Malone said the site is the most central location for the port, allowing easy access for agriculture producers in the southern end of the parish and the Ferriday Industrial Park by way of Louisiana 15.

Approximately 40 percent of the U.S.’s agricultural output — and 60 percent of its grain output — is transported on the Mississippi River.