Ports officials make push for harbor deepening to Congress

Staff Report

Updated: Feb 2, 2012, 8:30 PM

Published: Feb 2, 2012, 8:32 PM

In testimony before Congress, Georgia Ports Authority Director of Administration Jamie McCurry pushed Wednesday the need for greater federal funding for harbor maintenance and modernization.

House Ways and Means subcommittee members heard from industry professionals regarding Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) spending. At present, the HMTF holds an uncommitted balance of $6.1 billion. In FY2010 alone, $1.2 billion in harbor maintenance taxes were collected, while only $793 million was spent on dredging and related maintenance, its intended purpose.

“Because maintenance dredging has been underfunded and the modernization of harbor channels constrained, the U.S. is missing out on the full job growth that can come through world trade,” McCurry said. “New, larger ships serving global commerce offer dramatically lower operating costs and decreased environmental impacts as more goods can be carried on fewer ships.”

GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz said the trust fund has long needed attention.

“We applaud the Ways and Means Committee for holding hearings on this vital issue,” Foltz said. “This was also a good opportunity to deliver the message of the critical role the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick play in the national economy.”

While Savannah is home to the nation’s fourth busiest and fastest growing container terminal, the Port of Brunswick is now the fifth busiest port for the import/export of automobiles and machinery units. Georgia’s deepwater ports serve a region covering all or part of 18 states, encompassing 44 percent of the U.S. population and 42 percent of all job-creating companies in the nation.

Foltz said the delay caused by underfunding harbor maintenance — and its related costs to U.S. exporters and importers — will only grow as shipping companies move to larger vessels.

“These companies must limit expenses in order to remain competitive,” he said. “Mounting economic pressures are leading shippers to demand increased efficiency in a world where speed is the currency of the day.”

In his prepared statement, McCurry said the same logic holds true for deepening the Port of Savannah to more effectively serve the larger vessels set to transit the Panama Canal after its expansion in 2014.

“If these ships cannot access U.S. ports, we stand to not only forego the benefits of these vessels, but also to lose jobs and economic opportunities to the other countries around the world that can accommodate them,” McCurry stated. “It is therefore vital that this country both invest the necessary money to maintain authorized channel depths at our ports and to see that necessary expansion projects are completed in ports where deeper harbors are needed for the future.”

McCurry was invited to speak by Congressman John Lewis, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight Subcommittee, and subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany Jr., and by Congressman Pat Tiberi, Chairman of Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures.

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Effingham ECCA Students Build Electric Car with Hyundai

From wiring to problem-solving, Effingham juniors Rowand Smart, left, and Dexter Bohlman tackle the challenges of building an electric car alongside engineering director Aaron Parker. (Mya Taylor / Effingham Herald)

ECCA electric car — From wiring to problem-solving, Effingham juniors Rowand Smart, left, and Dexter Bohlman tackle the challenges of building an electric car alongside engineering director Aaron Parker. (Mya Taylor / Effingham Herald)

Mya Taylor

Updated: Sep 23, 2025, 1:44 PM

Published: Sep 23, 2025, 1:47 PM

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — For five months, 10 engineering students at Effingham College and Career Academy spent afternoons with wrenches, wires and instruction manuals, turning boxes of parts into something extraordinary — a working electric car.

The build was part of a partnership between ECCA’s engineering lab and the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in nearby Ellabell. Funded through $150,000 in state grants and supported by Hyundai’s donation of tools, the project gave students hands-on experience in electric vehicle technology while tying classroom learning to one of the region’s most significant new industries.

Finding their place in the project

Junior Dexter Bohlman hadn’t expected to be part of the build. A scheduling error placed him in a higher-level engineering class, and before long he was wiring railings, connecting a key fob and shaping the steering panel.

Much of the work he did alone. The wiring — 250 to 450 terminals in all — was especially tricky.

“You have to figure out how to manage the wires to make it so that they’re less complicated,” Bohlman said. “On the top rail it’s a little bit of a mess, but down there we managed to get it a little more concise.”

For Bohlman, the project became more than an assignment. It gave him experience to add to his aerospace résumé and a sense of ownership in something bigger than himself.

Classmate Rowand Smart also joined by accident, after his schedule shifted. At first, he said, his enthusiasm for engineering was fading. The project changed that.

“It turned into something that I was actually interested in because it’s kind of a hobby working on my truck and seeing the less mechanical and more electrical part of it,” Smart said. “The wiring, the programming, all of that was really interesting.”

Smart’s father and grandfather were both mechanics, and he said their influence helped guide him through the toughest parts of the build.

Learning by doing

Students worked four days a week on the car, often troubleshooting unexpected problems.

“We had to figure out what we were going to do, find the parts, read the instructions before we put it together, and make sure we had the right equipment,” Smart said.

Together they learned not only how to wire circuits and measure voltage but also how to rely on one another.

Engineering Director Aaron Parker said the students’ persistence reflected what he calls the “four C’s” — creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.

A proud moment

By May, the car was ready for its first test run. Getting it out of the lab was almost as hard as building it — four adults and 10 students had to tilt and lift the vehicle through a doorway.

Once outside, the students each took turns driving. For Bohlman and Smart, it was the highlight of months of effort.

“It was probably one of my proudest moments of students, especially upon completion,” Parker said.

The car later went on display at Stemposium, a community event where STEM students showcase their work. Families and staff stopped to admire what the team had built.

Looking forward

Bohlman said he dreams of an affordable electric rally car, while Smart imagines a Mustang with electric power. Both said the project changed how they see engineering.

HMGMA Chief Administrative Officer Brent Stubbs shared his gratitude for the partnership with ECCA.

“HMGMA is thrilled to sponsor the EV lab at Effingham College and Career Academy. ECCA is teaching young students about electric vehicles and giving them an opportunity to get hands-on experience, so when we learned about their need, we jumped at the opportunity to help. We are proud to be a long-term partner in educating future generations of EV and automobile enthusiasts. We hope one day some of them will become Meta Pros at HMGMA,” Stubbs said.

As for the car itself, Parker said it will soon get finishing touches — a light and dash cover — before being used to promote the program. Another frame, bright red and untouched, waits for the next group of students to take on.

“At the end of the day we want to set these kids up to be successful adults so that they can be independent when they get out in the real world,” Parker said.