Georgia, South Carolina name six to port task force

Georgia, South Carolina name six to port task force Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford today announced the six members of a task force that will develop the joint proposal for a port in Jasper County, S.C.
   The port will be owned, developed and operated by the two states.
   Perdue appointed Jim Lientz, his chief operating officer; State Sen. Jack Hill; and Jim Balloun, former chief executive officer of Acuity Brands, to fill Georgia’s three spots on the task force.
   Sanford selected his Chief of Staff Tom Davis, Ports Authority Chairman Bill Stern, and Bill Bethea, former South Carolina State Ports Authority chairman, as South Carolina’s representatives.
   Sanford has also named an additional group of three advisory members to provide input and expertise during the process of drafting the bi-state compact. These advisory members are Gayle Averyt of Columbia, former Chairman of Colonial Life Insurance; Jim Micali of Greenville, chairman and president of Michelin North America; and David Maybank III of Charleston, president of Maybank Properties.
   Perdue also said today that the Georgia Department of Transportation has petitioned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release or modify the easements on the Jasper County property and begin the process of finding alternate sites to dispose of spoils from the Savannah River.