By Garry Douglas
In August 2005, ground was broken for what we termed the new “Port of Excellence” at Champlain, fully replacing the badly outmoded U.S. border crossing facilities there with an extensive new campus that created what was then and in most respects is still the most modern, efficient, flexible and secure of all the major ports of entry on the U.S.-Canada border. We secured a then extraordinary investment of $170 million including components funded by Congress, New York, Quebec and Canada to achieve the vision. The intent was to create the best possible gateway for the North Country to attract and service Canadian business, visitation and investment, and it has done that now for many years, thanks in part to the solidarity of then Congressman John McHugh and Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton.
But that did not fulfill the vision for a Port of Excellence which called for maximum staffing and technology and for modernization of all of our area’s entry points, establishing a mission which still continues.
In the years since the Champlain project, the quest has secured new clearance technologies here, enhanced cross-border rail processing, secured a U.S. Customs & Border Protection dock at Rouses Point for incoming boats on Lake Champlain, saw Canadian funding of a new cargo facility at Lacolle, and helped to obtain full approval of a landmark U.S.-Canada Pre-Clearance Agreement several years ago that is just now resulting in new joint initiatives. Not to forget the establishment of a Customs operation at Plattsburgh International Airport.
And 2024-25 will now mark significant next steps including a groundbreaking in October for an entirely new U.S. Port of Entry (POE) at Rouses Point that will include a long-needed passenger processing facility for incoming Amtrak trains; a modernized and expanded U.S. POE at Trout River with construction beginning early next spring; and the completion of current plans for major new facilities to replace the outmoded Canadian crossing at St-Bernard de Lacolle – the Quebec side of the Champlain crossing. Plus, the landmark first implementation at our shared border of the Pre-Clearance Agreement, moving the Canada Border Services Agency operation to the U.S. side at Cannon Corners — the first of hopefully many such joint sites which can help to preserve low volume rural crossings from future cuts and closures.
And at all times, we continue our advocacy for optimization of legitimate cross border flow – currently tough in the face of the draw of personnel and resources to the southern border. But we are in active mode with other major border partners like the Peace Bridge and will do all that we can to assist for the summer months.
So, the Port of Excellence vision continues and has lived long enough to be supporting investments in upgrades and repairs to the “new” Champlain POE, now approaching twenty years since that groundbreaking.
Onward and upward!
Garry Douglas is president of the 4,000+ member North Country Chamber of Commerce.
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