Steamship Authority governors are expected to open bids and award a contract for repairs to the Oak Bluffs pier when they meet Tuesday.
Ongoing discussion about finances during the pandemic is also on the agenda for the meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. and will be held by videoconference.
Instructions for dial-in attendance are included in the meeting notice posted on the SSA website.
Bids were due Monday afternoon for work on the wooden drive-on wharf in Oak Bluffs, which needs repair and replacement of some 35 pilings before it can be safely used by heavy trucks and cars. An engineering study done late this winter identified the needed repairs; early cost estimates came in at around $500,000. The SSA had budgeted $750,000 for the anticipated work.
The opening of the summer ferry terminal is expected to be delayed until at least late June, while the work is completed — a major sore point with Oak Bluffs town officials, who criticized the boat line in a strongly-worded letter two weeks ago.
The Tuesday agenda will also include an update from general manager Robert Davis on operations and finances during the pandemic.
Car and passenger traffic plummeted on ferries beginning in mid-March, but has begun to pick up again in recent weeks. Ferries are running on a reduced schedule, but more weekend service was added last week to meet increased demand.
With steep operating losses for the spring and question marks around the summer season, the boat line is projecting an operating decifit, but exactly how much it could be has been a moving target, given fluctuations in traffic and ongoing uncertainty due to the pandemic.
Last month Mr. Davis wrote a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker urgently requesting a financial bailout from the state.
Last week the Massachusetts congressional delegation got involved, seeking $3 billion in federal aid for the nationwide ferry industry, including the Steamship Authority.
Also Tuesday the boat line board is scheduled to go into executive session to discuss possible litigation with Senesco Marine over the 2020 drydock of the freight ferry Katama. Details of the dispute are not known.
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