Training facility moves forward

Work on a multimillion-dollar maritime training facility could begin in January. The Board of Supervisors and Port Authority's Board of Commissioners are expected to pass a joint resolution Monday to award a $15.6 million construction contract to Mobile, Ala.-based Ben M. Radcliff Contractor Inc. The 76,000-square-foot facility on Ingalls property will take 18 months to build. The project, funded through a Hurricane Katrina community development block grant, will help Ingalls expand its two- to four-year apprentice program to about 1,000 students. (Source: Mississippi Press, 12/04/11)