The planned relocation of LST 325 cleared two procedural hurdles Monday afternoon and then stumbled over a third.
The Evansville Port Authority board voted to approve two contracts. The first is for dredging the river, and the second is for constructing a mooring barge.
Monday’s vote finalizes the board's actions during a special meeting two weeks ago, when it voted to award bids for the project.
But a third contract for building the ship’s visitors center has not been finalized.
The Evansville City Council has to transfer the money into the correct account before the contract can be signed. City council has already appropriated the funds, according to City Controller Russ Lloyd, but the dollars are currently sitting in an account for improvements other than buildings, and the visitors center is a building.
Parks and Recreation Executive Brian Holtz told the board that a contract should be ready for its approval in May, and that the delay shouldn’t push back the project’s scheduled completion date.
The LST could move into its new home as early as the end of the year, but LST board member Chris Donahue told the board that it's not guaranteed.
