The Steamship Authority’s board of directors approved a 2018 summer schedule aimed at reducing truck noise in Woods Hole, but stopped short of providing financial incentives for truckers to take later ferry trips during the busy summer months.
At the board’s monthly meeting held Tuesday at the Oak Bluffs library, board members questioned setting a precedent by providing a discount for trucks over 40 feet to take late afternoon boats. The recommendation was to charge those trucks the same rate that a 40-foot truck would pay. (Trucks pay by the foot.)
General manager Robert Davis had proposed the discount as an incentive to move larger trucks, which produce the bulk of the noise, away from the morning hours that had generated negative feedback at public meetings and in an online survey from Woods Hole residents.
Calling it a slippery slope, Marc Hanover, the Vineyard’s representative on the board, was the first to express concern. “I’m opposed to a discount. I think our space is valuable at all times,” he said. “I’m willing to give it a try.”
Other board members were not. “Do we really need to offer this discount?,” Robert Jones, Barnstable’s representative, said. “I don’t think many truck drivers will take advantage of it. We’ll set a precedent, and then how do we get out of it?”
Elizabeth Gladfelter, Falmouth’s representative, said that while she appreciated the effort put forth by the SSA administration to find a solution, she didn’t like the idea of adding truck traffic later in the day to Island or Falmouth roads. “It won’t alleviate everyone’s concerns, but people should appreciate the effort the Steamship Authority has made,” she said.
Along with the early-morning change, truck drivers will be requested to follow the speed limit on the roads leading to the Woods Hole terminal, Mr. Davis said.
“We do not want our customers to be speeding down Woods Hole Road or Palmer Avenue,” Steven Sayers, general counsel for the Steamship Authority, said. “If we get wind of it, I think we’re going to impress very hard that they know we don’t want to carry any freight shippers at 5:30 in the morning that function like that.”
In another effort to ease traffic, the M/V Sankaty is being added to the fleet to make three round trips a day to add freight capacity, Mr. Davis said.
Trip Barnes, whose moving company makes ferry trips, also questioned the need for the changes. “Some of my Falmouth brothers over there are just going to have to suffer,” he said. “It’s very, very hard to change the whole 100,000 people on the summer schedule…because we’ve annoyed some people on the road coming down from Falmouth.”
Mr. Barnes said it might just be a matter of better policing to slow trucks down and get them to be quieter as they pass through Falmouth. “Especially if they know they’re being watched,” he said. “No truck driver likes to see policemen.”
Ms. Gladfelter said it’s not about trucks breaking the law or police. “The truck community has been responsive to the concerns of the community,” she said.
Martha’s Vineyard getting a makeover
The M/V Martha’s Vineyard is getting a $17.4 million makeover at Senesco Marine in Kingstown, R.I. The project, called a midlife refurbishment, will feature installing a new pilot house, with updated equipment and new windows geared toward improving sightlines for the crew. It also features new seating areas, as well.
Carl Walker, director of maintenance and engineering, showed photographs of the ferry in dry dock, fully gutted down to the interior framing. In some photographs, wires could be seen dangling from the ceiling.
“It looks like a mess, but it’s an organized mess,” Mr. Walker told the board.
Since the vessel has been gutted, work has been uncovered that wasn’t anticipated, much of it to repair steel pitted from the ferry’s years of service. Nearly half of the $1.6 million set aside for contingencies has already been spent on items not anticipated, he said.
“There’s a lot of change orders. I apologize for that,” he said at one point.
The M/V Martha’s Vineyard is expected to return to service sometime in March, Mr. Davis said.
Meanwhile, the board approved sending the M/V Island Home in for more modest maintenance. The Island Home work will be done between January and February and will include having its hull cleaned and replacing thrusters to diesel power. Parts for the Island Home’s electrically powered thrusters are hard to come by, Mr. Walker said. “We’re buying parts on eBay,” he said.
The board also authorized Mr. Davis to seek a contract to repair the Vineyard Haven seawall that protects the terminal parking lot. It’s been damaged by propeller wash, he said.
The project is estimated at $480,000. If the bids come in higher than that, Mr. Davis will bring the issue back to the board, Mr. Sayers said.
In other business, the Steamship Authority reported that it expects to move into its temporary terminal in Woods Hole the week of Nov. 13. The new building, which features painting of navigational charts, appears to be ready, though Mr. Davis said finishing touches are being made to the ticket area and concession stand. That project is $2.6 million and will make way for demolition of the current Woods Hole terminal.
In that vein, the board unanimously approved a $150,000 contract with J.R. Vinagro of Johnstown, R.I., to do the job. The project had been estimated at $500,000, which had Mr. Jones scratching his head at the low bid. But because the company can recycle the concrete, it can bid low on the demolition. Mr. Davis pointed out that the same company was used to demolish the Falmouth Ice Arena to make way for the Palmer Avenue lot expansion.
The board also received an update on the Palmer Avenue administration building. The contractor is on pace to have that $13 million project done for a Jan. 17 move in, Mr. Davis said. Once the administrative offices are moved, demolition of the Woods Hole terminal can begin, he said.
The three-story building will house 65 full- and part-time employees once it’s finished.
Board members unanimously approved a request to spend $582,252 on new furniture for the offices. The SSA had planned to move furniture, but found that the office furniture, some of it nearly 50 years old, isn’t compatible with the new building, Mr. Davis said. The SSA had budgeted $250,000 for new furniture for the building.
Finally, Mr. Davis reported that the RFID cards being used by commuters are going well. More than 300 commuter cards have been issued, and 11,000 10-ride cards have been purchased.
Customers can either reload the cards at ferry terminals or online, Mr. Davis said.
In response to a question from Mr. Hanover, Mr. Davis said the cards are actually cheaper than printing ticket books. One of the positive aspects of the card is that it is easily replaced if a customer takes a photograph of the ID number on the back, he said. “And it makes it through the washing machine,” Ms. Gladfelter said.
Next stop, Oak Bluffs
Oak Bluffs selectman Michael Santoro welcomed the board to Oak Bluffs. He praised the board for expanding service to the Oak Bluffs terminal, which closed on Sunday, for next year.
Mr. Santoro pointed out that embarkation fees provided to Oak Bluffs are used solely for police staffing. This year, that paid off with much smoother traffic in the area of the terminal, he said.
“The police staff did a fantastic job with traffic this year,” he said.
Mr. Santoro pointed out the town’s efforts to improve infrastructure in the area of the terminal. A second phase is planned, but is not yet scheduled, he said.
The town does have $100,000 for a streetscape project to improve signs around where the Island Queen docks, he said. They’d also like to improve signs directing people to town from the SSA terminal, he said.
Because the Oak Bluffs dock is exposed, it can sometimes face diversions when the weather dictates. Mr. Santoro asked if policy had changed on cancellations because sometimes four or five at a time are posted on the website. “Typically it’s been boat-to-boat,” he said. Mr. Davis explained that if there are multiple cancellations, it’s because ferry captains know that freight boats won’t be running ahead of time. They are typically the first boats that have to divert, he said.
“Protocol hasn’t changed,” Mr. Davis said. “We do try to do it on a boat-by-boat basis.”