It might not be obvious, but right from the start in 1950, the Steamship Authority has followed fairly clear lines of thought when it comes to naming ferries and freight boats.
The Steamship Authority has agreed on a design concept for the new Woods Hole terminal.
The board approved the plan at their meeting last week in Nantucket, settling many aspects of a debate over terminal reconstruction that has spanned the last year.
The Island may be busier this summer, if advance reservations on the Steamship Authority are an indication.
Reservations for vehicle passage from Woods Hole to the Vineyard are up 3.5 per cent over last year, and bookings in the other direction are up 4.6 per cent, according to data collected by the Steamship Authority at the end of April.
The design process for a new Steamship Authority vessel that will replace the freight ferry Governor begins in Seattle with the Elliott Bay Design Group, the same firm that designed the Island Home. Final contract drawings and specifications are expected to be completed by the end of October.
The Steamship Authority this week postponed making a decision on the proposed Woods Hole terminal redesign because of additional questions from village residents. Woods Hole community members thanked the boat line for listening.
Cost estimates for a ferry to replace the Governor and a plan to rebuild the Woods Hole terminal top the agenda of the Steamship Authority governors this morning. The monthly board meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Marine Biological Laboratory Candle House in Woods Hole.
Final designs for a new Steamship Authority ferry and terminal in Woods Hole are underway. General manager Wayne C. Lamson said the new designs should be ready and presented at next month's board of governors meeting.
The Steamship Authority governors Tuesday voted to go forward with designs for a new freight ferry with a capacity for 384 people.
For almost a year, the SSA has been looking at plans for fleet replacement, beginning with replacing the freight ferry Governor. In August, the board opted in favor of a 235-foot freight vessel similar in size to the ferry Martha’s Vineyard, but asked for price comparisons between a boat with a 384-person capacity and a 512-person capacity.
Catherine Norton was appointed by the Falmouth selectmen in mid-January. She pledges to listen to all the stakeholders in the state-chartered boat line that is the lifeline to the two Islands.
Port town coffers are helped thanks to 50-cent ferry embarkation fee. Money is used for everything from summer traffic cops to harbor dredging and public safety budgets.
