"We have some odds and ends to finish up, but will wait until spring to do that, including a little concrete work on the ramp," said port director Marc Van Dongen.

The first load of chips being stockpiled by NPI LLC, will be birch, he said. NPI is a company that manufacturers and exports hardwood and softwood woodchips.

"That's all they are stockpiling right now is birch," Van Dongen said. "The next ship in February will be spruce scheduled for Japan. They are also negotiating with China. I expect to have a ship in there every four to six weeks for wood chips, year-round."

Borough manager John Duffy estimated net income from those vessels alone would initially be $80,000 to $100,000 annually.

Meanwhile, borough officials are waiting to see if the Legislature approves a request to start paying on a $9.8 million bond for construction of the deep water dock and related road upgrades.

House Bill 528, passed by the Legislature in 2002, includes a municipal capital projects section to allocate reimbursement to several municipalities, including the Mat-Su Borough, said Tracy Carpenter, finance committee aide to Sen. Lyda Green, R-Wasilla. Gov. Frank Murkowski has included $756,143 in his proposed operating budget for the port bond, she said. All such payments are subject to annual legislative approval.

Duffy said the borough made the first interest-only payment of $254,309.27 on Oct. 1. The next payment, due April 1, is for principal and interest totaling $499,983.75, he said. The borough is to make payments on the first of April and the first of October through 2021 on the bond, he said.

Van Dongen, a retired deputy commander of the Alaska District office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, estimated that each vessel carrying wood chips would generate $50,000 to $55,000 in wharfage and dockage fees.

Duffy said that at least initially, funds generated by the port would be used to cover the costs of port operations.

The new dock extends out 485 feet, with more than 60 feet of draft at its 1,200-foot face. There is a 100-foot-by-110 foot turn-around area in the center, where the trestle meets the dock, he said. The only other structure at the port site is a barge dock, 500 feet wide, which extends out 850-feet from shore.

Van Dongen, whose offices are at borough headquarters in Palmer, said plans are to build a two-story terminal building next summer. A terminal for ferry passengers will be downstairs and port offices upstairs, he said.

The ferry is currently being designed by Lockheed Martin, he said. The ferry landings at Port MacKenzie and Ship Creek will be designed by Tryck Nyman Hayes Inc., he said.