Massachusetts Ferry Transportation Compact
Compact Membership Meeting
March 20, 2013
10:30 AM
Winthrop Ferry Landing
707 Shirley Street
Winthrop, Massachusetts
Attendance
Ferry Compact Members:
Name
Clinton Bench
Jim Cowdell
Kimberly Driscoll
Louis Elisa
Andrew Hargens
Joshua Katz
Bob Fultz
Senator Thomas McGee
Jim McKenna
Tom Powers
Ed Washburn
William Walker
Affiliation
MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning
City of Lynn
City of Salem
Seaport Advisory Council
The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)
Joint Transportation Committee
Town of Hull
Massachusetts General Court
Town of Winthrop
Boston Harbor Island Alliance
City of New Bedford
Boston’s Best Cruises
Members of the Public who signed in:
Name
Chris Busch
Annette Demchur
Joe Domelowicz
Tom Humphrey
Bob Botri
Kathy Winn
Mary Jane Smalley
Mimi Lannin
Rick Nolan
Affiliation
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Central Transportation Planning Staff
Assistant to the Town Manager, Town of Winthrop
Central Transportation Planning Staff
Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management
City of Salem
City of Lynn
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
Boston Harbor Cruises
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Staff:
Guy Bresnahan
Office of Transportation Planning
Calli Cenizal
Office of Transportation Planning
Paul Nelson
Office of Transportation Planning
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March 20, 2013
Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
DRAFT 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. Mr. Bench summarized the activities that have occurred since the last Compact
meeting; the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been in the process of being signed and the
Scope of Work has been completed. He also stated that MassDOT expects to begin the technical work
with the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) on behalf of the Ferry Compact within the next few
weeks.
Opening Remarks
Josh Katz spoke on behalf of Representative Straus and expressed the Representative’s regrets that he
was unable to attend. Senator McGee then said a few remarks, stating he was happy to collaborate with
this group on an issue that is so important to the economic vitality and transportation network of the
Commonwealth. James McKenna from the Town of Winthrop welcomed the Compact and audience
members and spoke about the importance of ferry service to the Town. He emphasized ferry
transportation’s importance to the town as a catalyst for economic development, and that the Winthrop
ferry was a great example of working together to establish new water transportation service.
MAP-21 Funding Update (FHWA/FTA)
Guy Bresnahan of the Office of Transportation Planning then spoke about the new funding programs for
ferry transportation under the new transportation authorization bill, MAP-21. Through the Federal
Highway Administration, there would be $60 million available as a formula program based on various
metrics, such as ridership. In late January, Massachusetts received its first half allocation, which was not
significant: $52,000 for the MBTA and $515,000 for the Steamship Authority for the first six months of
2013.
Mr. Bresnahan explained that funding would be going to systems that generated significant amount of
service. Some services such as the Salem Ferry had not been fully recorded in the 2009 census, which
led to an incomplete capture of Massachusetts ferry systems. He also suggested that the Compact work
to update the census information for each service during the next census which will be in the Spring of
2013 for 2014 allocations.
Speaking about the Federal Transit Administration, Mr. Bresnahan stated that there is would be a new
program called the Ferry Passenger Program under MAP-21 that would be a $30 million competitive
grant program. A primary difference with this program and the former Ferry Boat Discretionary
Program is that MassDOT would not vet the applications to determine eligibility. However, he proposed
that MassDOT could review the proposals through the Compact and that the projects selected through
this process would benefit from letters of support and matching funds from MassDOT.
Mayor Kim Driscoll of Salem asked if there was an option for regional submissions. Mr. Bresnahan
mentioned that the notice of funds availability (NOFA) will be published in late April, and that most
submissions would most likely come from individual municipalities or entities. Mayor Driscoll voiced her
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
support for vetting the proposals through the Compact. Bill Walker, Boston’s Best Cruises, agreed with
Mayor Driscoll’s vote of support, adding that the ability to review and vet applications will give the
Compact some authority. He asked when the applications are due. Mr. Bresnahan responded that the
timeline was unknown but that we would know more in April with the NOFA is available.
Louis Elisa of the Seaport Advisory Council asked if there are communities that are non-signatories to
the compact who may be interested in the funding program. Mr. Bench commented that he thought any
municipality could participate in the funding program, and that the Compact can encourage all
communities. Senator McGee agreed that vetting by the Ferry Compact was a good idea. James
McKenna, Winthrop, added that it would help the group focus and also enable members to support
each other and support the ferry network as a whole. Mr. Bresnahan said that the Compact should keep
in mind that other, larger states would also be competing for the federal funding, and that applicants
would be facing a serious challenge, so that any support the Compact can offer would be very useful.
Mayor Driscoll pointed out that there will be opportunities for discussion of the Compacts priorities and
that the vetting process should mirror the FTA requirements. She asked what kind of criteria the entity
could use to evaluate the applications. Mr. Bresnahan responded that it could be based on multiple
issues, such as fulfilling the State of Good Repair, or creating new service; the group could also rely upon
the Ferry Boat Discretionary program criteria that MassDOT has used previously.
Ed Washburn, City of New Bedford, asked how proposals were evaluated before, and if the federal
agencies had given guidance previously. Mr. Bresnahan reiterated that MassDOT had used the Ferry
Boat Discretionary Funding criteria issued by the federal agencies in the past.
Andrew Hargens, Massport, stated that it is important to vet the projects early to guide project
development and allow efficient use of resources. Mr. Bresnahan suggested that this was a role that the
Ferry Compact could take on, if the Compact would be the vetting body to determining whether or not
MassDOT should support a project. Mr. Elisa agreed, stating that the Compact could act as advisory
body to potential projects. Mr. Bench stated that we need to consider the NOFA deadline when
scheduling the next meeting, where we could discuss in more detail possible applications and evaluation
criteria.
Ferry Boat Discretionary Program Project Update
Mr. Bresnahan reviewed the eight projects funded through the Ferryboat Discretionary Program that
are currently underway. Salem Pier is currently ongoing, $3.1 million, done by the end of May.
Steamship Authority facilities are under construction at various terminals to comply with the EPA
regulations regarding discharge. Lynn Blossom Street ferry terminal will be under construction soon, at a
cost of $3 million. The Boston Redevelopment Authority received $1 million to purchase water taxis. The
Winthrop terminal is under construction and has received $950,000 for vessel acquisition. Hull has
received $555,000 to rehabilitate their commuter float and keep it from sinking. It will also cover pier
safety improvements. The City of Boston received $950,000 to do ADA improvements to a ferry pier on
Long Island. The City of Medford also had two awards of $700,000 and $400,000 to initiate a feasibility
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
study concerning potential water taxi service. Mr. Bresnahan added that the lessons learned from the
Boston boat acquisition will help MassDOT improve the process when buying boats in the future.
Mr. Elisa, Seaport Advisory Council, asked if MassDOT was involved in the Quincy project to develop
service from Squantam neck. Mr. Bresnahan said he was not sure, but that there are no immediate plans
to use that site. Mr. Elisa responded that the redevelopment in Quincy is related to potential ferry
improvements, and that Quincy and Hingham should be included in the Ferry Compact. Mr. Bench,
MassDOT, stated that Quincy and Hingham’s interests are represented by their service operator, MBTA.
He added that he would ask if the new MBTA General Manager would be able to attend the next Ferry
Compact meeting.
Tom Powers of the Boston Harbor Island Alliance asked about the timeline for the Lynn project. Bill
Cowdell, Lynn, responded that it would take 12 months from receiving the notice to proceed with the
contract.
CTPS Technical Services Scope of Work
Mr. Bench, MassDOT, updated the group with the current status of the Technical Services Scope of work
with the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) on behalf of the Ferry Compact. He summarized
the scope’s contents, mentioning that the first task was primarily data collection of resources, best
practices, jurisdictions, and similar inventory of information, and the second task would emphasize
analysis at the direction of the Compact.
Mr. Elisa of the Seaport Advisory Council recommended that the scope of work look at ways that water
transportation can reduce auto and bus trips. Mr. Bench responded that the scope will look at a variety
of transportation options. Ed Washburn, City of New Bedford, would like the scope to include a look at
how the new investments in other transportation modes and other intermodal connections can support
the ferry system. Mr. Bench added that the scope can take into consideration not just competing
services but complementary services as well, and opportunities for intermodal activity.
Bob Fultz of the Town of Hull asked that the scope look into the environmental and air quality benefits
of ferry service. He added that the scope could also look at a fix-it-first approach when assessing current
needs. Mr. Bench responded that these would fall under the second task of the scope. Mr. Nelson,
MassDOT, added that the second task can be retooled at a later date to include further environmental
analysis, but it is important that the data collection begin as soon as possible.
Mr. Elisa pointed out that the City of Fall River is interested in starting ferry service to Newport and
Block Island, and asked if the scope would have more geographic considerations along the state
coastline. Mr. Bench said the scope does include all the ports of Massachusetts but would probably not
include Rhode Island. Mr. Hargens, Massport, recommended that CTPS look at the documents produced
by the Boston Harbor Association and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay for more information. Mr.
Washburn, New Bedford, added that Seastreak ferry operates out of New Bedford and also operates a
ferry from Manhattan to Martha’s Vineyard. Mr. Elisa also suggested the Massachusetts Office of Travel
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
and Tourism as a source for information. Mayor Driscoll of Salem commented that CTPS should ensure
that they coordinate directly with operators.
Mr. Bench asked if the group had any ideas for resources concerning trends within the industry. Mr.
Walker, Boston’s Best Cruises, suggested that CTPS consult the Passenger Vessels Association and some
of the restrictions being put in place through Chapter 91 from the Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection. Mr. Hargens, Massport, suggested that CTPS inventory the waterfront
developments that have ferry service obligations. Chris Busch, Boston Redevelopment Authority, added
that he maintains a list of these projects. Senator McGee asked that it be clear that CTPS would conduct
a nationwide search for best practices. He also pointed out that there has been some interest in
establishing a ferry between Boston and Nova Scotia.
Mr. Washburn, New Bedford, pointed out that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been
getting more stringent about the enforcement of the emission control areas. He also suggested MARAD
as a resource. Jim McKenna, City of Winthrop, asked that the scope consider the existing safety and
security environment at the ports, with the Coast Guard as a reference.
Tom Powers, Boston Harbor Island Alliance, asked if there were some way to find out if other National
Parks receive funding for ferry services. Mr. Bench, MassDOT, responded that we may be able to look to
the Statewide Transportation Improvement Programs of other states to see if NPS funds have been used
for ferries.
Other Business
Mayor Driscoll of Salem asked if the Compact should draft a joint letter to support financial support for
ferry transportation. There was general agreement from the Compact.
It was determined that the next meeting of the Ferry Compact would be in Salem on a date to be
determined.
The meeting concluded at 12:45 PM.
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