VIDALIA — With the close of the legislative session Monday, the Louisiana Legislature sent a capital outlay bill to the governor’s desk that includes $1.9 million in promised funding for the Vidalia port project.

The governor had previously announced the funding, but it needed legislative approval before it could be allocated. Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said getting the funding is another step toward turning the proposed slackwater port into a regional economic asset.

“We are getting ready to make some major decisions on construction, and we are talking to industries and planning for the future, and I am excited about it,” he said. “The legislature approved this additional funding, and we will now be able to move forward. It will be a tremendous economic tool for the entire Miss-Lou.”

Vidalia Port Director Wyly Gilfoil said the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is in the advertisement period for an addition to the levee as part of the first phase of the project. Bid openings for that phase of the project will be June 11.

The first phase of the project includes the extension of an access road, the construction of a spur levee, a concrete ramp to the river and a working pad with a truck turnaround area. Portions of the first phase have already been completed.

“What we have got to start doing now is the permit application process on the next phase,” Gilfoil said. “At the same time we are working on that permit, we will be initiating some preliminary engineering and trying to be ready to advertise those portions of the project by about this time next year, trying to hit the next dry season for the river.”

The second phase could include the digging of the actual slackwater slip and the installation of a dock.

The port is close to the end of engineering for the construction of a conveyer system for the port, Gilfoil said, which could start earlier in 2015 than other portions of the second phase because it is not dependent on the river level.

“The pilings for the conveyer can be driven whether the river is high or low,” he said.

The Legislature also sent a bill to the governor last week that will allow the Vidalia Port Commission to restructure its membership.

Previously, the port commission was limited only to residents of the City of Vidalia. Under the new structure, two parish residents who live outside the Vidalia city limits will also be included in the membership.

The Vidalia board of aldermen will also appoint the non-Vidalia resident members. Copeland said the board will officially appoint Concordia Parish Economic Development Chairman Richard Young and former sheriff Randy Maxwell to the commission as soon as the law is effective.

“We have those two members serving now, they just can’t vote,” Copeland said. “They have been on the committee as citizens-at-large without the ability to vote, but they have been attending those meetings. We wanted to incorporate the entire parish into the port commission and get their advice on the rest of the parish.”