PORTLAND (AP) — Maine officials are accelerating plans to find a private developer to build a multimillion dollar cold storage warehouse on Portland’s waterfront seen as critical to support the state’s growing food production industry.

The Maine Department of Transportation is close to hiring a national expert in cold storage design to help the state find an investor to develop the facility adjacent to the city’s container terminal.

Robert Elder, director of the Office of Freight Transportation and Business Services, told the Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1N090g3 ) momentum for the plan got a boost at the recent international seafood show in Boston, where Gov. Paul LePage and state officials heard from wholesalers, processors and potential investors who want to see the facility built.

State officials will meet Monday to discuss the project and develop a plan.