State port approves Copa’s expansion at Gulfport

Saturday, Sept. 16, 2000 | 10:02 a.m.

The state port authority approved the plan Friday. The authority also will negotiate a long-term lease with the Copa.

Copa co-owner Rick Carter said he wants a 30-year lease, which would expire in 2030.

"That gives our 530 employees a future," Carter said. "To borrow the kind of money we will need to build the barge and the hotel, we need a long-term lease. The lease we were under could be canceled for port expansion, so it was a year-to-year lease."

Rick Quinn, Copa chief executive, said it will take three to five years to raise the $75 million to $100 million needed to build the barge and hotel. The barge will have 65,000 to 70,000 square feet of gambling space. The Copa now has about 26,000 square feet of gambling space.

Carter said rent payments to the port would increase from $670,000 a year to more than $3 million.

The expansion will take place in three stages over six years. The Copa will move slightly eastward, taking up land now used for casino parking.

The Mississippi Development Authority, formerly the state Department of Economic and Community Development, must approve the deal.

Port Director Gary LaGrange said the new location will allow for construction of a cruise ship terminal, which has been one of his major goals.

Commissioner Virginia Shanteau Newton said the casino is located squarely in the middle of the port, and it needs to be moved farther east.

"The port is the only area for international shipping in Harrison County, and we have to maintain areas for it to grow," Newton said. "Right now, the Copa is right in the middle of that growth area."