What we have is not working

Dear Editor: 

Let us start by clearly and loudly stating: What we have now is not working on many levels with the Steamship Authority.

Currently, there are no requirements for the SSA board of five members to have prior management or maritime experience to be appointed to this essential role. Even worse, because of the structure set up in the archaic Enabling Act of 1960, the five members are forever locked in voting blocs based on power struggles. They are appointed every three years; usually more of a formality because, with rare exceptions, the same people simply get reappointed if they want it. The proposed term-limits legislation is a step in the right direction, but will not solve the myriad of systemic issues.

One storm at the end of last month sent the Woods Hole SSA operations into a complete state of chaos because of the half-baked construction project that is plopped right smack in the middle of the traffic flow. We all know storms are a fact of life in our area. How did no one see this chaos coming? There continue to be safety concerns, and the lack of handicap access was only partially addressed after recent public outcry. We do not believe that a single golf cart is going to solve the entire safety issue problem. Definitive plans are needed now before this happens again. There have been no emergency SSA board meetings on this topic, despite mounting complaints from a concerned public. 

The new terminal buildings have cost us (yes, we pay for it through our tickets) $35 million to date, and that does not appear to be the final number. The original budget for the replacement building was $15.9M, so it is 200 percent over budget as of today. The most prevalent opinion from the public is that the ticket building wasn’t even needed. The temporary ticket building, which has served the public for the past seven years, simply needed a bit more seating, especially with increased modern reliance on e-ticketing, to be reinforced to last, and to be raised to meet floodplain requirements. The plans for the utility building, another eyesore, include an expansive conference room on the second floor overlooking Quissett Harbor. To get around public criticism, it has been renamed “Multi-Purpose Room.” For what purpose? What about that huge administrative building at the Palmer Lot with a large meeting room that was recently built in 2018, at a cost to ticket holders of $15.8M? Shouldn’t that be enough space to hold meetings and training, as has been done for the past five years?

On the vessel front, three old, extremely environmentally unfriendly boats were purchased and took nearly three years to deliver. There were many obstacles and cost overruns. The COO, Mark Amundsen, spent more than half of his time last year in Alabama, trying to get the boats ready for the SSA. All of this at a cost of another $80 million. The boats had to undergo significant changes, some unplanned, to make them work in our ports, and adjustments continue to be needed.

And what about all the studies, including by the WHOI, that have been conducted regarding the rising sea levels at Woods Hole? Yet our SSA board just keeps sinking more and more of our funds into that port, rather than looking for alternative solutions, such as other ports along the South Coast. More than $100 million has been earmarked for Woods Hole upgrades to date, between the waterside and landside work, and there is no end in sight. How is this responsible spending? 

Let’s not forget to mention other important issues that have still not been addressed. Our pilots, captains, and other hard-working vessel crew are still working without a contract and pay raise, and with nonstandard shifts, under an extended temporary dispensation from the Coast Guard. Additionally, the SSA’s original new website plan was shelved at a waste of $3M when it was realized that reservation scheduling issues had to be addressed first. Now that new reservations system is moving at an expensive and glacially slow pace.

The glaring root problem is the lack of management within the SSA. Bob Davis was asked to resign in Sept. 2024, yet here we still are, living day to day with poor planning and poor decisions. To add insult to injury, he is being paid quite well for 31 months post-resignation. The search for a new general manager has been a slow process, and is not as transparent as it should be. We firmly believe the position must be filled with someone from outside the organization to bring the vision and leadership that is sorely lacking.  

Again, let us say clearly and loudly: What we have now is not working.

Steering Committee of Steamship Authority Citizens’ Action Group

Amy Cody, Margaret Hannemann, Alysha Norbury, Beth O’Connor, Nat Trumbull