Portland taxpayers still are waiting for a full accounting of public funds spent on the cold storage warehouse that opened on West Commercial Street in February. And, now we learn that many local companies have not been paid for their work on the facility (“Maine’s new cold storage facility is at the center of a legal battle over millions in unpaid bills,” April 23).

Despite strong opposition and extensive research from West End residents, city planners justified the need for a cold storage warehouse on the basis of Eimskip’s growing presence on the Portland waterfront and perceived needs related to its imports and exports. However, judging by its greatly increased number of recently approved reefer connections, Eimskip seems to be doing just fine using independent refrigerated containers for cold storage.

Daily observations reveal no Eimskip presence at the warehouse. In fact, the empty parking lot and sparse trucking activity reveal very little commercial presence at all.

It’s way past time the developers and/or the Maine Port Authority scheduled a public meeting to allow residents (and, it seems, unpaid construction firms) to ask questions and to share concerns. State and city officials insisted Portland needed a cold storage facility. The time has come for accountability.

Jo Coyne
Portland