Permits issued for movie studio

Master plan for Moon River Studios in Effingham County.

moonriverplan — Master plan for Moon River Studios in Effingham County.

Effingham Herald

Updated: Aug 19, 2015, 4:24 PM

Published: Aug 19, 2015, 5:24 PM

FONU2, Inc. announced Monday that Effingham County has approved Moon River Studios’ initial permit request to begin construction of the entrance, roads, and water lines for the film production studio facility.

After a bidding process led by the company’s civil engineers, the grading, road, and water line contracts have been awarded to Preferred Site Construction, LLC.

“The issuance of permits and the actual moving of dirt are major milestones for Moon River Studios,” said Jake Shapiro, chairman of the board of FONU2. “The shared vision of building the Moon River Studios has taken another leap towards becoming a tangible reality. We expect to announce a start date shortly. We congratulate Preferred Site Construction, LLC on winning the bid, and we look forward to working with them. Once construction has begun, we will be posting photos to our Facebook page and Web site, so that our supporters can continue to track our progress.”

Effingham County commissioners approved the studio’s master plan for the nearly 1,560 acres off Interstate 16 and Old River Road.

The studio’s rentals division, Moon River Rentals, has begun grip and lighting equipment rentals to productions.
Most recently, the Moon River Studios rental division, Moon River Rentals, provided grip and lighting equipment for the small-budget horror film “Siren.” The feature film is shooting during August in Savannah.

Georgia is currently ranked number 1 in the nation for growth in the film industry.

“It has been a pleasure working with Moon River Rentals and filming in coastal Georgia,” said Jude S. Walko, “Siren”’s line producer. “The studio was responsive to all our grip and lighting needs, and they were punctual and helpful at every turn.”

“We are proud to work with independent film productions like ‘Siren’,” said Robert DuVall, vice president of equipment rental, Moon River Studios. “Such films are vital not only to job growth and economic development in the Coastal Georgia region but are the building blocks of the film industry.”

Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port

The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

GardenCityTerminal — The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

Bryan County News

Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM

Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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