Jasper County pushed back this week in its escalating dispute with the State
Ports Authority, arguing the maritime agency cannot condemn the site of a
proposed steamship terminal without a development plan.
Both sides are wrestling for control of 1,800 acres that the Georgia
Department of Transportation owns on the north bank of the Savannah River.
Jasper is seeking the property for a privately financed shipping terminal
that would compete for business with the Port of Charleston. It began its
condemnation almost a year and a half ago after cutting a $600 million
development deal with Seattle-based SSA Marine.
The SPA decided in early 2005 that it, too, wants to build a new container
facility on the site. It filed its condemnation notice earlier this month, after
the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the state has greater power than local
governments to seize property for public use.
When Jasper refused to drop its condemnation, the ports authority sought a
court order April 18 that would force the county to back off.
Until that is decided, the county has said it will keep pursuing the land.
"We have a plan and financing to make this project a reality while providing
wide public benefits," said George Hood, chairman of Jasper County Council.
The SPA challenged Jasper's proposed project last year on the grounds that
the state has exclusive rights to develop and operate public ports in South
Carolina. The Supreme Court disagreed with that argument April 3.
In the latest legal salvo, Jasper's attorneys argued in a legal filing
Thursday that, unlike the county, the SPA does not have the necessary "firm plan
in place to condemn the land ... for a public use."
"We don't intend to let SPA stop our progress or to just sit on the land
until they eventually come up with a plan of their own," Hood said in a
statement Friday. "We will seek legal proof that they even have an economically
viable plan for developing this property."
The SPA was reviewing the county's court filing Friday and had no comment on
the merits, said spokesman Byron Miller.
Earlier this month, the Georgia DOT rejected the SPA's $9.3 million cash
offer for the proposed port property.
Reach John McDermott at 937-5572 or jmcdermott@postandcourier.com.
