The Steamship Authority (SSA) members met Tuesday morning in Oak Bluffs and agreed to a request by the Falmouth member, supported by Oak Bluffs and Tisbury officials present, to explore private-carrier options for transporting freight between New Bedford and Martha’s Vineyard. While the proposal is not new, the general support was in sharp contrast to the division that New Bedford service raised 15 years ago when trial service was attempted.
The boatline will examine the freight options even as it considers a request by New York–based Seastreak to provide seasonal weekend fast ferry service between New Bedford and Nantucket, or under a second option, with a quick stop in Oak Bluffs before continuing across Nantucket Sound. Hy-LIne, which now provides seasonal high-speed service between Hyannis and Nantucket, as well as service between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs and Oak Bluffs and Nantucket, wants to retire its traditional ferry, Brant Point, on the Vineyard route in favor of a new fast ferry with a passenger capacity of between 300 and 350 passengers. At the same time, it wants to use the Lady Martha, which now operates on the Hyannis-to-Vineyard run and has a 149-passenger capacity, to begin high-speed service between Oak Bluffs and Nantucket.
Despite some discussion about whether the Hy-Line request to switch out boats warranted a public hearing, the members, who have the authority to license service to the islands originating in Massachusetts, agreed that the public would best be served by a thorough airing. Public hearings in four ports on both proposals, including a 2 pm hearing Tuesday in the Oak Bluffs library, are scheduled next week.
Michael Santoro, chairman of the Oak Bluffs board of selectmen, endorsed the service. Mr. Santoro said the availability of passenger ferry service would encourage people to travel as passengers and “not bring cars to Martha’s Vineyard.”
Also Tuesday, the authority members approved a $91 million 2016 operating budget, up 2.1 percent, with projected operating revenues of $99,330,00, a 0.8 percent increase. Payroll costs (up $1,541,654 million), health and welfare benefits (up $1,142,754) and fuel oil (up $962,020) accounted for the most significant increases in the budget, while maintenance of vessels and terminals accounted for the biggest drop.
In good news for riders, SSA management said no fare hikes would be needed in the coming year to meet boatline expenses.
Even as fares stay flat, members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) will see their cost of noncommercial ferry travel drop. On Tuesday, boatline members agreed to a memorandum of understanding under which the tribe will initially transfer $200,000 in federal Tribal Transportation Funds (TTF) to the boatline for operation and maintenance expenses. In return, enrolled and eligible tribal members will receive a 20 percent discount on passenger and auto fares. Once the $200,000 threshold has been reached, the program will be re-evaluated and a determination will be made about adding additional TTP funds.
Tobias Vanderhoop, Wampanoag chairman, greeted the boatline members in his native language Tuesday and thanked them for their support of this first-ever agreement between the tribe and authority.
“The tribe looks at this as an excellent opportunity to develop a real long-term relationship, partnership with the Steamship Authority,” he said. “We are constantly looking for other opportunities that can enhance the boatline and ensure that not only can our people come home and access their homelands, but that we can also go and do the things that we need to do since we have to go to that other part of the world.”
The federal TTP program receives $450,000,000 annually to provide safe and adequate transportation and public road access to and within Indian reservations, Indian lands, and Alaska Native Village communities, according to the Federal Highway Administration website. “A prime objective of the TTP is to contribute to the economic development, self-determination, and employment of Indians and Native Americans.”
Ghost ship
For those with long memories, the request by Falmouth member Elizabeth Gladfelter might have been a case of “déjà vu all over again.”
In 2001, a push by New Bedford for a piece of ferry service that found support in Falmouth provided a political flashpoint that resulted in a brief subsidized pilot freight link to the port city, and ignited a legislative battle that ended with the expansion of the SSA membership to include a voting New Bedford member.
In April 2012, following another examination of New Bedford service, the staff concluded that it would not be financially feasible for the SSA itself to provide freight service between New Bedford and Martha’s Vineyard. The members tabled discussion about whether the SSA should develop a request for proposals (RFP) from private-vessel operators to provide freight service between New Bedford and Martha’s Vineyard, to see if such a freight service might be financially feasible or whether the SSA should investigate other alternatives, such as barging.
On Tuesday, George Balco, Tisbury port council representative, said Tisbury and Oak Bluffs are interested in pushing forward with the concept of barging trash off the Island, and looking at alternatives.
“We want to work very closely with New Bedford on this,” Mr. Balco said.
Ms. Gladfelter, referring to the 2012 discussion, asked if it was possible to provide freight service to transport hazardous materials, trash, and recyclables to New Bedford.
For her part, New Bedford member Moira Tierney said her city would welcome anything the Island wanted to ship, trash included.
Ms. Gladfelter asked the SSA to revisit the possibility of SSA service from New Bedford. General manager Wayne Lamson asked if that would rely on an existing vessel or a new vessel. “Use your imagination,” she said.
General counsel Steve Sayers recommended the staff prepare a number of options, including issuing an RFP, or advertising to solicit interest from private carriers. “Let’s find what the people who actually do this type of service would recommend,” he said. “Because what we would want is something that doesn’t cost us anything; they would do it on their own, they would make money, and it would become part of a stable transportation network.”
“Sounds good,” Ms. Gladfelter said. Mr. Sayers agreed that no vote was needed.
Marc Hanover, Vineyard member, recalled that during the failed experiment in 2001–02, the carrier, Hvide, was limited to transporting trucks, and often sailed back empty from the Vineyard Haven terminal, even as autos waited in the standby line. He said if an RFP is issued, it needs to be designed so the service will work.
Oak Bluffs town manager Bob Whritenour endorsed the examination. “I would underscore, it is the goal of the towns of Tisbury and Oak Bluffs to eventually try to get transportation directly to New Bedford,” Mr. Whritenour said.
Mr. Whritenour said the initial analysis of his working group had shown that it was uneconomical to focus just on solid waste or hazardous materials. He said any successful model must include more commercially viable transport, whether vehicles or other freight products. He said both towns support the examination of New Bedford service.
In other business Tuesday, the SSA approved several change in freight policies designed to better utilize freight space. One change redefines a “frequent shipper” from a shipper with at least one round-trip per week to a shipper who makes at least three round-trips per week. Reservations for frequent shippers would be processed first.
The SSA approved a contract with the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School District to transport school groups, teachers, administrators, and game officials on school-approved travel at a fixed rate of $60,000, which represents a 50 percent discount and is unchanged from the previous year, according to the SSA staff report.
Carl Walker, director of engineering and maintenance, reported that construction of the new ferry Woods Hole is going well despite some delays related to equipment not arriving on time. The ferry is scheduled for delivery by April 29. Mr. Walker said he would do his best to meet that schedule but added he was realistic about the possible impact of any further delays.
The members also heard a report on design progress for the new Woods Hole terminal. The new state building code soon to take effect and Coastal Zone Management regulations based on projected sea level rise would require that the first floor of the terminal be 16 feet from the ground in elevation. The SSA will seek a variance that would allow it to be as low as possible in order to minimize the need for several ramps and switchbacks to meet requirements for passengers with disabilities, but it will likely be required to flood-proof the building up to 17 or 18 feet above sea level.
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