Massachusetts Ferry Transportation Compact

Transcription

1 Massachusetts Ferry Transportation Compact Compact Membership Meeting March 20, :30 AM Winthrop Ferry Landing 707 Shirley Street Winthrop, Massachusetts 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 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 Attendance Affiliation MassDOT 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 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 Calli Cenizal Paul Nelson MassDOT -1- March 20, 2013

2 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 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 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 MassDOT -2- March 20, 2013

3 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 MassDOT -3- March 20, 2013

4 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 MassDOT -4- March 20, 2013

5 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. MassDOT -5- March 20, 2013