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Midway annexes 379 acres of new development
City agrees to help finance water, sewer
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Midway has approved an agreement that will annex the entire 379-acre Glebe-Martin mixed-use project into the city, and finance water and water treatment service for the new development as well as for municipality.
Mayor Don Emmons said the agreement with Deepwater Holdings was “a win-win deal for the city of Midway.”
The 15-page document provides for Midway to issue up to $16 million in tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds to finance the water and sewer work, but other financing options are left open.
Deepwater may decide to use its own funding sources to pay for water and sewer improvements for the development and then sell the infrastructure to Midway.
Specifics of the plan include Deepwater granting the city an acre of land for construction of a new deep well and 250,000-gallon storage tank that is expected to bring the capacity up to 500,000 gallons per day. A lift station will be provided to serve the development.
The capacity for handling wastewater will be increased by up to 400,000 gallons. A “purple pipe” water reclamation system will provide water for irrigation.
Midway will waive tap fees from Deepwater, while allowing the business to charge third parties who buy into the development. These fees will be used to pay for infrastructure or related costs, such as bonds. Emmons said he planned to begin the steps for annexation soon, noting that the process is simple if only one landowner is involved.

About the development
The development — the name of which is evolving: Liberty Gateway at Martin Plantation, Sawgrass Landing or something not yet announced — is to consist of single-family and multi-family dwellings, townhomes, and retail and commercial space.
Chris Herrell, a manager at Midway Holdings, said residential areas will have a private entrance off Highway 84. Two other access points would allow the public to enter the retail and commercial areas, as well as some of the common areas.
The single-family residential area is to be constructed in phases and would feature a traditional neighborhood design with Coastal Craftsman-style homes.
Herrell described them as “not luxury,” but “high quality” and noted, “We’re building a community, not a country club.”
He said a retail village with internal access would be located on 61 acres. Eleven other parcels are designated for restaurants, hotels and other establishments.
Emmons said he would like to see a full service hotel built early and is also interested in a first-class restaurant.
“We can pull people off that interstate,” Emmons said. “We want to be very careful about setting the tone of this area.”
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GPA grows trade, market share
Intermodal volume up 20 percent
port photo
Rubber tired gantry cranes handle cargo at the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Savannah. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project will double rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year by 2020 - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

From July 2017 to March, TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah.

"Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part, to a strong economy and growing market share."

Intermodal rail volumes jumped by 20 percent in March and 15.4 percent for the fiscal year to date, for a total of 318,454 containers handled over nine months – another record for the GPA.

"As the numbers show, our rail cargo is growing at a faster pace than our overall trade," GPA Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. "This is important because rail is playing a key role in our responsible growth strategy. We anticipate our rail infrastructure investments to take 250,000 trucks off the road each year by 2020."

The GPA recently broke ground on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, on which the Port of Savannah will build 10,000-foot unit trains within its own footprint. From the expanded rail infrastructure at Garden City Terminal, Class I rail providers CSX and Norfolk Southern will provide direct rail service to major Southeast and Midwestern markets from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati.

An added benefit is that the Mason Mega Rail project will move all rail switching on terminal – improving vehicle traffic flow around the port.

In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Located in an industrial belt, including the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires, the ARP will provide an alternative to all-truck transit to Northwest Georgia.

Each round-trip container moved via the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.

March was also a strong month for roll-on/roll-off auto and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick handled 66,144 cars, trucks and tractors, while Ocean Terminal added 4,050, for a total 70,194, a 17.2 percent increase.

"The global economy is thriving and our volumes are following suit," Lynch said. "As existing accounts grow their footprint in the expanding auto facility in Brunswick, Georgia's competitive logistical advantages are drawing additional business across all of our docks."

Lynch noted that for the fiscal year to date, Mayor's Point breakbulk terminal in Brunswick grew by 44 percent (34,515 tons) to reach 112,728 tons of forest products. At East River Terminal, bulk cargo expanded by 34 percent July-March (189,918 tons) for a total of 750,384 tons.

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