A Steamship Authority board member says general manager Robert Davis has to do a better job of communicating problems like the one that shut down ferries on Thanksgiving Day, stranding some holiday travelers.
As Davis provided an update on the Woods Hole terminal construction project, he explained what happened when a barge working on rebuilding the slips, coupled with wind, interfered with ferry travel. Davis said the approach to Woods Hole can be difficult when ferries power down and lose some control over steering.
“Under certain wind conditions, it’s a difficult approach at best, and perhaps an unsafe approach at worst,” he said. After a ferry came within a couple of feet of hitting the barge on Thanksgiving Day, Davis said the captain pulled the plug on the rest of the day’s crossings. It was a few days later when The Times finally confirmed that it was a barge and not just the weather that forced those ferry crossings to be halted that day.
“Our customers need to know that,” Moira Tierney, New Bedford’s representative on the board, said, looking directly at Davis, and saying the message should come from him. “So, are you going to do that?”
“We’ll work on getting better communications out there,” Davis said.
“No, no, no, no, that’s not an answer,” Tierney responded. “Are you going to do that?”
“Yes, yes, yes, yes,” Davis said.
Since that incident with the barge, Jay Cashman, the contractor on the Woods Hole project, has been working with the ferry service to move the barges when work will stop for an extended period. Moving them, however, takes about two hours each way, so they’re trying to do it as infrequently as possible, to limit disruptions to the project, Davis said.
Davis pointed out that it’s a particular problem this season because they’re working on a slip that’s in the middle. The barges should be moved out permanently by the end of February, though that’s dependent on a lot of factors.
Ultimately, it’s up to the captains whether to cancel. “I want to show my support for the captains and the crew; they don’t want to be canceling under any conditions, but they have a responsibility to the passengers as professional mariners,” Davis said. “They don’t take that decision lightly.”
Later, Davis said recent problems with the MV Martha’s Vineyard over the past week — most recently Sunday — were unrelated to each other. He said the loose switch that shut down power to the vessel Sunday night had recently been checked by the U.S. Coast Guard and SSA staff before the ferry returned to service. Both missed that it was loose. “We’re looking at all these switches to make sure they’ve been secured,” he said.
Hanover is new chair
Marc Hanover, the Vineyard’s representative on the SSA board, was elected chairman, taking over from Robert Jones. Jones presided over the meeting, as Hanover’s appointment came at the end. He’ll take over in January when the board meets.
Hanover received the full support of his fellow board members, as he put it, in a “landslide.”
Jones deadpanned about giving up the chairmanship: “The only thing is, it’s OK, it’s just the money I’m going to be losing.” (Board members are unpaid.)
Hanover praised Jones for his leadership over the SSA in coming back from what was a difficult 2018 for the ferry service, with unprecedented breakdowns on the Vineyard runs that led to a top-to-bottom review by an outside consultant.
“I would like to congratulate you and thank you for how you presided over the Steamship Authority this past year,” Hanover said, ticking off a list of accomplishments the SSA achieved, including the Woods Hole project finishing slip 3, coming up with a new design for the Woods Hole terminal, and multiple new hires. “While 2018 was a year full of challenges, 2019 was a year full of change as an organization. [The SSA] began the most significant transformation in its history.”
Jones called it a year of “ups and downs” as chairman. “The reason we’re sitting here is because of our staff and the leadership of the general manager, and it goes all the way down to the lowest man on the totem pole of workers and staff,” he said. “So this is an organization that’s a team, and we have a tremendous team.”
Tierney was appointed secretary and Kathryn Wilson is vice chair for 2020. Wilson will be the board’s next chair in 2021.
Earlier in the meeting, the board received an update from John Sainsbury, president of HMS Consulting, the consultant that did a review of the SSA and is helping it navigate the many recommendations made in its report.
Sainsbury said a request for proposals (RFP) currently seeks bids from companies to assist in crafting a strategic plan for the ferry service.
“It’s actually a year since our report came out, which those initiatives were based on, and a lot has happened in that year — a lot of it, most of it, behind the scenes,” he said. “Probably not a lot of it noticeable to the public, but we are definitely seeing the impact of those changes already. But keep in mind, it is going to take some time.”
During the past year, steps were made to create policies and procedures to be reviewed, a mission statement was established, and some key positions were filled. All told, the work will continue through the end of 2022, based on a timeline shown by Sainsbury during his presentation. He described it as a “culture change” for the organization.
“It’s about process. That’s what we’re trying to establish here,” Sainsbury said. “These are long-term initiatives, but there’s quite a bit that’s been going on. We should start to see the effects of these changes pretty soon.”
In other business, the board approved new contracts for the Tisbury Park and Ride, SeaStreak, and with MVRHS to provide service for students, faculty, and coaches going off-Island at $55,000 per year.
Mark Rozum, the SSA comptroller, said the VTA and SSA were successful in getting a joint grant to pay for an electric bus. The SSA will receive $375,000, which will offset the price difference between a diesel and an electric bus, Rozum said.
Rozum said the new year will begin with ferry riders able to download an app to use their smartphones for ticketing. The good news for families is that the 10-ticket rides can be shared on two devices. “So no one will be fighting over who has the card,” he said.
The system was tested on the Nantucket run. “The information I’ve gotten back from Google and Apple is that this is the first application for ticketing that they’ve been involved with for a ferry, so it’s quite an accomplishment,” Davis said.
During public comment, Murray Scudder of HyLine, which has a contract through the SSA to provide ferry service to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, apologized for a lawsuit brought by a HyLine partner in Barnstable Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks to dissolve the Hyannis-based ferry service, but Scudder sought to ease any fears the board might have about the suit.
“For more than two years now, the owners of HyLine Cruises have been working to come to an agreement on a succession plan and possible buyout that would allow the company to continue the healthy and successful family business moving into the next generation and beyond,” he said. “To date we remain unsuccessful in that regard, but we’re hopeful in achieving that goal. On Friday, Dec. 6, our partner, Frederick (‘Skip’) Scudder, filed suit in Barnstable Superior Court. It’s unfortunate that this lawsuit has been filed. However, I want to assure the board members and management of the Steamship Authority, residents of the Islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, the town of Barnstable, the traveling public, and most importantly our dedicated employees that HyLine Cruises will continue to provide safe, reliable transportation.”
Though it’s midway into the fiscal year, the board approved goals for Davis. Tierney asked that Davis specifically mention having a task force look at New Bedford for freight service as part of his goal in creating a task force. Jones, once again, pushed back on the task force, saying it should include board members because they are picked by towns to represent them on the SSA.
Davis pointed out that any recommendations made by the task force would be brought to both the port council and board for ultimate say.
Hanover said looking at electric ferries should also be part of Davis’ goals. He pointed out that Washington State Ferries are looking at going to electric ferries.
“They can afford to be pioneers, but certainly I’d like us to follow closely,” Hanover said.
Davis said he would have representatives come in to talk to the board about the costs associated with electric ferries in the future.
