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Rye Patch residents want 'rural' development
MR RyePatch
Field of dreams: Future home of Rye Patch Horse Farm and Wildlife Habitat. - photo by Photo by Mike Riddle
A riding club, gravel roadways, a community center, and even a bed and breakfast are just a few of amenities developer Tim Works is planning for the Rye Patch Community.
“I’m looking for special folks who are going to be here for an extended period of time; folks who want to help create a special place, something they can pass on to their kids,” he said.
Works plans to have 25 lots available, with each having “at least one acre of good dry land,” and ranging in size from one acre to two-and-one-half acres.
The project, Rye Patch Horse Farm and Wildlife Habitat, will be a gated community that is environmentally sensitive with homes no smaller than 2,000 square feet.
Works said the first step of the project would be to develop the community horse barn with 36 stalls and 16 acres of irrigated pastures.
He also said the riding area for the club would have access to more than 2,000 acres, with riding trails and hunting privileges.
“Members will be able to ride their horses for nine months, and then for three months they will be able to hunt”, the developer said.  
According to Works, the project is scheduled to begin construction in November, and be completed by the first of the year.
In addition to the stable and riding club, Works said he plans to build a community center, and a bed and breakfast.
The center is planned to have a small wedding chapel, restaurant and a swan pond.
“I want to do something special where someone can have a limo bring them to the restaurant and have a menu especially for them. Then, if they choose, we will have the wedding chapel where they can have a special wedding or a special evening,” he said. “We aren’t just selling lots, but we are building a community unlike any other.”
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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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