Capping off months of heated debate that garnered statewide attention, the Edgartown Select Board unanimously approved the transfer of the Chappy Ferry license, from longtime operators Peter Wells and Sally Snipes to current captain Brian Scall, on Tuesday night.
The decision allows Scall to officially take ownership of the ferry service, subject to approval of final legal review of documentation by the town counsel. This is the first time in nearly 20 years that ownership has changed for the ferry, the sole year-round transportation service between Chappaquiddick Island and Edgartown. The long-awaited decision came out at the meeting pretty quietly.
“The select board voted to transfer the ground lease and ferry license to Chappy Ferry LLC contingent upon final legal review,” James Hagerty, Edgartown town administrator, told The Times.
Hagerty clarified that this means the Edgartown town counsel will review the ground lease and ferry license agreement, and Scall will need to accept his obligation under the license agreement.
Arthur Smadbeck, select board member, introduced the Chappy Ferry license transfer agenda item Tuesday, and all three board members said they were in favor of the transfer.
After the license transfer was approved, some members of the crowd were surprised by how quickly the decision had been made.
One resident in the audience asked, “Can you just explain what was just voted on?”
“We just voted to transfer the license to Brian,” said Smadbeck.
There wasn’t any prior public discussion at Tuesday’s meeting before the decision was voiced, but the select board had held a public hearing earlier this month, and had also deliberated the matter in executive session.
The ferry transports thousands of passengers each year across the 527-foot stretch of water between the smaller island and Edgartown, and is one of the oldest businesses on the Island, operating since at least 1807, when a rowboat was used to cross the channel. While the business is privately owned, it operates under a license awarded by the Edgartown Select Board and needs approval from town officials before major changes are made, such as rate increases and transfers of ownership.
The license transfer process was long and controversial, with some Chappaquiddick residents calling for more transparency surrounding the ferry line’s operations and finances and raising concerns about the undisclosed group of investors backing Scall’s ownership.
Earlier this month, on Monday, May 11, Edgartown residents and Chappy Ferry Steering Committee members gathered in the Edgartown town hall for a public hearing, where they aired many of these concerns. While there were supporters of Scall, some Chappaquiddick residents questioned why his investors remained unnamed and wanted a guarantee for more access to the available data on the ferry, from its finances to some operational decisions, for improved transparency.
The pushback came largely from members of the Chappaquiddick Island Association, an organization that works for the well-being of the smaller island community, and the Chappy Ferry Steering Committee, which acts as an advisory body to the select board regarding the ferry.
In an interview following the meeting Tuesday, Scall said he always welcomed the residents’ input over the monthslong process, highlighting that he had met with a hundred people, including Chappaquiddick residents, to hear their opinions and ideas for the ferry.
Residents were first publicly introduced to Scall at a virtual meeting on Wednesday, April 1.
“I think people are very passionate about Chappy, about where they live, and their access,” Scall also said Tuesday. “That’s part of the reason why I’m interested in doing it. It’s to be my part of a solution for them.”
Scall also praised town officials. “The amount of research, due diligence, that they have done through this process has been a lot more than people give them credit for,” he said. “It makes me feel good about the town that I live in.”
Wells, who has operated the ferry with Snipes for almost 20 years, said he was delighted by the select board’s decision. He highlighted that he will still drive the ferry, and added that he is confident with the ferry line’s future in Scall’s hands. “I see in him the energy I had 50 years ago,” said Wells.