Massachusetts Ferry Transportation Compact
Compact Membership Meeting
July 25, 2013
10:30 AM
New Bedford Harbor Development Commission
52 Fisherman’s Wharf
New Bedford, Massachusetts
Attendance
Ferry Compact Members:
Name
Clinton Bench
Louis Elisa
Andrew Hargens
Wayne Lamson
Bob Fultz
Phil Griffiths
Stephen Jones
Mayor Jonathan Mitchell
Rep. William Straus
Affiliation
MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning
Seaport Advisory Council
The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)
Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamship
Authority
Town of Hull
Boston Harbor Islands Alliance
MBTA Railroad & Ferry Operations
Mayor of New bed
Massachusetts General Court
Members of the Public who signed in:
Name
Chris Busch
Ron Bourne
Ellen Cebula
Brendon Crighton
Annette Demchur
Joe Domelowicz
Mike Driscoll
Jane D. Ellis
Jean Fox
Tom Humphrey
Mimi Lannin
Kevin P. Mooney
Jeff Stieb
Ed Anthes-Washburn
Brad Washburn
Affiliation
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Bourne Consulting
Seaport Advisory Council
Senator McGee’s Office
Central Transportation Planning Staff
Assistant to the Town Manager, Town of Winthrop
Division of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) Waterways
Boston Harbor Island Alliance
MassDOT – South Coast Rail
Central Transportation Planning Staff
MBTA Railroad & Ferry Operations
DCR Waterways
City of New Bedford
Port of New Bedford
Coastal Zone Management
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July 25, 2013
Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Staff:
Paul Nelson
Office of Transportation Planning
Meeting Summary
The meeting began with a welcome from Clinton Bench, the Deputy Director of the MassDOT Office of
Transportation Planning. The compact members then introduced themselves, followed by the members
of the audience.
Opening Remarks
Port Director Jeff Stieb welcomed the Ferry Compact members to New Bedford and provided a review of
the Harbor Development Commission’s building’s history as the old fish auction house. Representative
Straus added his welcome to the Compact members along with an apology for his absence at the
previous Compact meetings. He stated that he was encouraged finally having a state transportation bill
in place. Clinton Bench responded that while it was disappointed not to see the $1.1 billion in
transportation funding identified in MassDOT’s plan, the final bill included many positive aspects
including support for the MBTA, forward funding for the remaining regional transit authorities, and the
movement of employees off of the capital budget and onto the operating budget.
Mayor Jonathan Mitchell, who arrived after the primary opening remarks, also welcomed everyone to
the City ofNew Bedford. He pointed out that there are many positive developments going on in the City.
He stated that it was recently voted a top-50 yachting destination due to the many great restaurants
downtown. He also pointed out that the city was in the process of becoming an off-shore wind port. In
the future he stated that he would support improved public access to the waterfront in ways that
complement the city’s industrial activity. He asked the Compact to look into ways that it could support
both shoreside investments and added marketing for the Commonwealth’s ferry services. He pointed
out that the Seastreak ferry service from New Bedford could benefit from added outreach to customers
in the New York market. Clinton Bench responded that MassDOT and the Compact were interested in
supporting a comprehensive program to promote intercity transportation options. This would include
resources (maps, websites, etc.) that show intercity bus and ferry service routes and implementation of
interoperable fare technologies.
MAP-21 Grant Program Update
Paul Nelson of the MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning then updated the group on the new
program called the Ferry Passenger Program under MAP-21 that had been discussed at previous
Compact meetings. Unfortunately, the notice of funds availability (NOFA) has not been made available
but reports from the FTA District Office indicate that the NOFA has been drafted and is waiting on its
final approvals. Paul provided the Compact with two documents to help prepare for the NOFA release.
The first was the draft of a suggested outline for the process that the Compact should follow evaluate
and select the priority ferry transportation projects in the Commonwealth for recommendation to
MassDOT for support through state matching funds and a letter of support.
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
The second was a list of projects that had applied for funding, but had not been selected, from the 2012
Ferry Boat Discretionary Program. Paul stressed that this list was being provided to the Compact based
on a request at the previous meeting and that it was not meant to reflect any prioritization of these
projects over the many other ferry projects throughout the Commonwealth. He asked the project
proponents to provide a summary of the listed projects. Andrew Hargens provided an overview of the
Commonwealth Flats Passenger terminal in Boston. Steve Jones asked if the new terminal could act as a
central facility for all ferry service out of Boston. Andrew responded that it could be possible because
the terminal was designed to support several vessels simultaneously. Ron Bourne provided an overview
of the Salem Ferry Pier Phase II project on behalf of the City of Salem. Ron stressed that the focus of this
phase of the project is to provide 100 additional feet of full protected vessel berthing. Wayne Lamson
provided an overview of the Fairhaven Maintenance Building & Facilities project. He pointed out that
with this project would fit the funding levels provided through the Ferry Boat Discretionary program’s
new formula and that he would likely use that funding for the project in place of a competitive grant.
Steve Jones provided an overview of the Hingham Ferry Dock Replacement project.
Louis Elisa asked how the Compact should work to distribute this information to communities that may
be interested in applying. Paul responded that the Compact members should feel free to pass along any
information distributed by MassDOT on the program to potential applicants.
Bob Fultz suggested that the evaluation criteria should emphasize projects that conform to a “Fix it
First” approach as they contribute to the system’s overall state of good repair. He also suggested that
the criteria include economic need of the host community and the number of connections provided by
each facility. Andrew Hargens added that this was the intention of the “diversity of ridership” criterion
but that a better term would be “intensity of use.” Paul Nelson responded that most competitive grants
from U.S. DOT have required a detailed benefit/cost analysis that should capture many of the group’s
concerns but that more will be known once the NOFA has been released.
Kevin Mooney pointed out that DCR Waterways had recently applied for funding through the U.S. DOT
TIGER V program for projects on Georges Island in Boston and Squantum Point in Quincy. Bob Fultz
pointed out that $140,000 in additional funding is needed for Phase II of the Hull commuter boat float
project.
Inventory of Ferry Systems in the Commonwealth
Tom Humphrey from the Central Transportation Planning Staff presented the findings of the inventory
of ferry systems in the Commonwealth, Task 1.1 of the technical services contract. The inventory
includes information on the ferry services in Massachusetts, including route endpoints and intermediate
stops, number of trips operated, frequency of trips, vessels and their attributes, fares, sources of
operating subsidies, boat terminals and land-side connections, and ridership data.
Mike Driscoll asked what factors had contributed to the discontinuance of routes between 2001 and
2013 and when the Commonwealth would reach the saturation point for ferry services. Clinton Bench
responded that in his view there were three types of ferry service: (1) those that provide essential
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
mobility (e.g. SSA service to the islands), (2) those that support the regional transportation system by
providing congestion relief (e.g. MBTA ferry service), and (3) those that serve as a catalyst for economic
development. The additional benefits of these ferry services mean that the debate must go beyond
simply whether they can break even. Representative Straus agreed that the private sector should
survive on its own merits. He stated that he would like the Compact to identify where the
Commonwealth should be involved and to be focused the staffing and funding priorities on those issues.
Paul Nelson added that the additional work in the Technical Services contract with CTPS would help
address these questions.
Representative Straus suggested that the Compact include the freight operators the islands, including
the RM Packer Company which transports fuel oil by barge to Vineyard Haven. Wayne Lamson pointed
out that many of the bulk fuel shipments have been moving to truck by ferry due to added costs for
regulatory compliance.
Bob Fultz requested that the Pemberton Point facilities be included in the inventory. It is a major
maintenance facility for the harbor islands and some vessels are unable to dock at the pier as it is
currently configured.
Tom Humphrey asked the Compact for more information on ferry ridership. Wayne Lamson stated that
he could supply ridership information for the services that operate under contract with the Steamship
Authority.
Ed Washburn stated that he would provide information on the additional vessel that provides service to
Cuttyhunk.
Jean Fox asked if there was any information on the potential Fall River to Block Island ferry service.
It was determined that the next meeting of the Ferry Compact would be on September 26th at 10 AM,
location TBD.
The meeting concluded at 12:00 PM.
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