Did I not warn that the imported Earthkeeping, green, eco weenie types would join forces with the local dog-in-the-manger, anti-progress crowd?

Merlin Reply » Report Abuse Judge it! #77 5 hrs ago Judged: 1 1 1 David Lang is Tidewater's COO. According to him, Deutsche Bank provided a $37 million loan for Phase I of the Laurel Island project. The company had planned to borrow $200 million for the first two phases and raise capital through property sales. Lang estimates development costs at $450 million. The value at build-out could reach $4 billion, Drury says.The grand plan has several elements. "We have 50 acres on a little piece called Drizzle Bluff," says Lang. It occupies 1,500 linear feet along the Crooked River on the mainland, where Tidewater plans to dry-stack boats. A 450-slip marina is planned on Laurel Island. Altogether, Drury has proposed developing 4,000 acres, including the 2,000 on Laurel Island. Again I ask...where are the EIS (Environmental Impact Study) from the Dept. of the Interior and others? Does he even have a USACE (United States Army Corps of Engineers) 404 permit? (Wetlands) Is his plan to have a TAD created and THEN seek permission to do this? If permission is denied what, then, of the TAD?(And as always it's the same players that take the stage (and lurk behind it) whether it be this TAD or the airport issue: Deloughy, Weaver, Hase, the JDA and the Camden Partnership). Can anyone fill me in on how far along the legal process Drury's Dream is? (Translation: Is it too late to hold out hope of finding an endangered sand gnat specie on the ilsand so we can kill the deal and keep man off of the island in perpetuity?) Drury also shopped his concept in Europe, where the strong euro makes U.S. property a bargain. Two groups of Germans flew to Georgia, but by mid-May 2008 no lots had been sold. "We're putting together marketing plans," states Drury. He's desperate...and St. Marys is an easy target. What the heck...the Germans aren't even interested, Kingsland passed, but we'll leap on the tax bandwagon. Even Drury, in his letter to the Camden Watchdogs, says "the economy is horrible" - so where are all of these "boomers-sans-kids" who are willing to pay $700,000 per LOT going to come from? Once again, St. Marys will leap - and then be stuck with a go-nowhere project. Drury's been flogging this horse around the world and now, due to his "emotional connections" to St. Marys he's using us as a last resort (pardon the pun).