The Natchez-Adams County Port is facing a few growing pains and, quite honestly, we couldn’t be happier.

Last week, the port commission considered many potential hurdles ahead — all tied to new growth at or near the facility.

With Great River Industries, formerly Enersteel, relocating its corporate office to Natchez, and construction of Elevance Renewable Sciences’ biorefinery poised to ramp up, the port will begin to look like Manhattan come rush hour.

Of course the potential traffic jam feared to occur if several hundred workers attempt to enter or exit the port at the same time is easily fixed.

Simply stagger their workdays.

The issue of who controls railcars on the short line owned by the rail may be a bigger sticking point.

The port wants to work out a fee for handling cars on port-owned segments of the line. That makes sense since the port holds the liability and cost of maintenance on its short, but critically important bit of rail.

Since Port Director Anthony Hauer pointed out the current owner of the connecting rail, Natchez Railway, doesn’t have an agreement to use the port’s line while explaining that the previous owner had such an agreement, we can only surmise a disagreement over price has ensued.

The port needs to hold its ground while not being greedy. That said, it seems silly and inefficient if cars entering the port currently must be unhooked from a Natchez Railway engine and re-hooked to a port engine just to make a short trip from the port’s boundary and to the unloading facility.

A problem for sure, but a problem caused by a little economic growth. We’ll take that over the alternative any day.