<p>Plans for a two-story ticket office and a fully operational third slip at the Steamship Authority’s Woods Hole terminal face rising opposition, both in Woods Hole and on Martha’s Vineyard.
Plans for a two-story ticket office and a fully operational third slip at the Steamship Authority’s Woods Hole terminal face rising opposition, with two state legislators and the Vineyard Conservation Society entering the fray just before this week’s public SSA meeting at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
After residents from both sides of Vineyard Sound assailed the ticket building design at public presentations in Falmouth and Vineyard Haven last week, Cape and Islands Rep. Dylan Fernandes (D-Woods Hole) and state Sen. Viriato (Vinny) deMacedo (R-Plymouth) wrote an open letter to the SSA asking that the two-story saltbox with expansive glass and a stone exterior, be redesigned to “look like Woods Hole.”
The 35-foot-tall planned structure would stand 45 feet above its surroundings because the foundation of any new building must be raised above flood plain level. Islanders and Woods Hole residents have both objected to the second story, planned to house the building’s mechanical, electrical, telephone and computer processing equipment along with staff training and break rooms and a pair of offices.
“We heard various comments about the design concept, both favorable and unfavorable,” Steamship Authority general manager Robert Davis told an audience of about 50 Islanders at Tuesday’s meeting in the high school Performing Arts Center.
“We plan on reviewing these comments and then seeing what we can do to minimize some of these concerns.”
“I hope that’s true,” a skeptical Molly Cabral, who opposes the two-story design, told the board and executives during the meeting’s public comment period. “My experience with the Steamship has been, that’s not always true.”
While the terminal building design has drawn the most objections from Woods Hole and Vineyard residents alike, a rising chorus of voices is calling attention to the potential increase in Island-bound cars and trucks represented by the renovations to the third slip. Formerly used as an overnight and maintenance berth, slip 3 is designated to become as fully operational as slips 1 and 2 — raising the specter of a 50 per cent increase in traffic to Martha’s Vineyard.
In a special edition of its almanac email Monday evening, the Vineyard Conservation Society aimed a passing blow at the “size, position, and ostentatious appearance” of the proposed terminal building, but concentrated on the potential increase in Island-bound cars and trucks — and the growth of the SSA’s advertising budget from $1 million in 2015 to $1.3 million this year.
“When the Chamber of Commerce stokes the tourism economy ever hotter they are simply doing their job. But when a quasi-governmental authority, granted monopoly power over ferry transit in exchange for promoting the common good, does the same they are elevating one part of their mission over the rest,” the VCS letter reads in part.
The letter goes on to cite the 1960 enabling legislation that permanently exempts boat line property from state taxes because “the operation and maintenance of the steamship line by the authority will constitute the performance of essential governmental functions.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, about 10 Islanders lined up to address the SSA board of governors and executive staff during the public comment period at the end of the agenda. While some leveled criticism at the building design — “It needs to be smaller, it needs to be cheaper,” said hotelier Josh Goldstein — many expressed concern that the boat line’s increased capacity will overwhelm Martha’s Vineyard with traffic and people.
“I had an awful summer,” said Nicki Patton. “The traffic, the people — West Tisbury had traffic jams for the first time in a long time.” Noting that SSA brass held meetings with Island business representatives, Ms. Patton urged the board to consider other residents as well.
“This summer was unbearable,” she said. “It’s really important the rest of us be heard about what was almost intolerable.”
Suggesting the boat line limit the number of vehicles it carries to Martha’s Vineyard, perhaps by capping how many cars a household may bring, Dean Rosenthal was told the SSA has no legal right to restrict travel.
“Who do you want us to discriminate against?” asked Vineyard governor Marc Hanover. Leon Braithwaite 2nd, a Dukes County commissioner, took his turn at the microphone to back up the board.
“The Steamship Authority is a conveyance for moving vehicles from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard, back and forth,” Mr. Braithwaite said. “There is no way, I feel, legally to limit that.”
Anna Edey also had a suggestion: “Stop advertising,” she told the board. General manager Robert Davis responded that the boat line has competition for passenger traffic from the Hy-Line, Seastreak and Island Queen ferries. (The Steamship Authority also licenses those competing ferries and collects revenue from them.)
Slip 3 renovations and the new ticket building are part of a multi-year, $60 million overhaul of the Woods Hole terminal. A temporary ticket building and waiting room opened in late 2017 to serve travelers until the project is completed.
Comments
My question to the SSA board,
Dean Rosenthal EdgartownMy question to the SSA board, as reported in this article, about traffic and limits, was roundly dismissed by the Board, in one case, quite rudely, by Moira Tierney in particular, from New Bedford. But the issue dismissed a bit more complicated, perhaps, then legal limits and discrimination. In the body of US law, there are statutes based on what is called The Doctrine of Common Calling. This doctrine is in part what the SSA means in terms of limiting, legally, passage of automobiles or passengers without discrimination. But if any of the board are reading, and to the community, here is the other side of that, commonly used in case law. Take the example of an Inn Keeper (this is the classic legal example). Yes, according to this doctrine, as it is a ”common calling” the innkeeper cannot refuse service to anyone within the public, as the SSA states likewise. But what happens when her Inn is full? What happens is that legally the Inn is not required to build an addition to their Inn, nor to allow guests over what is deemed over capacity. It should be obvious how this applies to a public corporation like the SSA. They may be required to allow and offer service to everyone under their understanding, but the legal doctrine of Common Calling also allows them the discrepancy of determining, essentially, when, as a public corporation, their “inn” is full and how they choose, within law, to proceed. It doesn’t go on forever. They don’t run boats overnight, for example. They have themselves already set limits.I don’t know if this kind of question is up to the towns or what - but there is a legal basis here, it’s not a crackpot consideration.. It is commonly considered in case law. We on this island think that the “Inn” is full. This is a longer conversation, one I had hoped to have with the SSA in the spirit of back and forth at the MVPAC meeting. The island has limited infrastructure and services. The SSA is part of the equation if they want to be! Thank you.
My short comment is that i
ECS Edgartown / FLLMy short comment is that i have written about the quality of the selectmen particularly from the 3 largest island towns for years - and there is no need to take it personal because its been terrible for decades. I would suggest the same is true of the SSA authority representatives. They need to be changed out one way or another.
The SSA is already
Nan Schanbacher Woods HoleThe SSA is already discriminating heavily against residents on both the mainland and the islands. Its charter calls for it to operate for the well-being of ALL Massachussetts residents, but the people who actually live here and pay the taxes are routinely lied to, ignored, bullied, and have their lives disrupted every summer (Woods Hole residents have to hear trucks lining up before 5:30 AM). If the temporary ticket office was sufficient for this past summer's record crowds, why is a new terminal even necessary? If the smaller, architecturally modest terminals on the islands are sufficient, why does Woods Hole need a huge monstrosity?
Let me get this straight..
Thomas EdgartownLet me get this straight...now that YOUR'E here, everyone else should have to go through some sort of discriminatory lottery to enjoy YOUR island?!
Not at all logical.
So if people there were here before you, and the island is "full" ,perhaps they should be able to force you to leave?!
what is it going to take to
John Edgartownwhat is it going to take to stop the SSA from bringing more and more cars to the island? where are our selectmen and the MVC on this? why are none of them speaking up?
Please sign this citizens
N Trumbull WHPlease sign this citizens petition if you object to the proposed design of the new terminal building in Woods Hole. Go to www.steamshipauthority.info
"“The Steamship Authority is
Katherine Scott Tisbury"“The Steamship Authority is a conveyance for moving vehicles from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard, back and forth,” Mr. Braithwaite said. “There is no way, I feel, legally to limit that.”"
Exactly, a conveyance for moving VEHICLES BACK AND FORTH from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. .
Not an advertising or PR agency.
Not a tourist company.
Not a resort operator.
Not "in competition" with other carriers, which is licenses. Other carriers do not carry VEHICLES. Indeed, car traffic should be discouraged in favor of foot traffic to the Vineyard and the ongoing improvement of infrastructure to serve foot passengers (i.e., VTA). Furthermore, the SSA seems to be doing very well, thank-you, if it has $60 million lying around with which to increase its VEHICLE capacity and build build build in Woods Hole and take over Precinct 2 in Falmouth. (NB: Please note the pathetic presence of a few trees in the huge swath of tar at the Palmer Avenue lot). And Falmouth, too, is groaning under the growing traffic burden. The Island has a right to use state roads for transport of, also, garbage, etc. but the SSA does not have a right to keep priming the traffic pump for its own bottom line, leading to an endless upward spiral of expansion.
The tone deafness of the SSA to leading-edge development and climate issues has left a paper trail going back to the Gazette poll done in I think the eighties. The message was exactly the same back then: rein in vehicle traffic. It is high time for the SSA management to be required to attend ongoing education on smart development, just as any other professionals must continually refresh their qualifications, and show proof that they have done so. What are the SSA managers' professional qualifications, to act as planners for all of the communities they "serve"? They seem incapable of listening to and learning from their constituents, even though the communities they serve are home to super-brilliant scientists and other thinkers. Has any SSA manager ever attended a lecture at the Woods Hole Research Center? Did any planner or architect go up there to learn from them about energy-efficient building? Do any of them belong to or support environmental organizations? The very fact that the SSA built a terminal that (they say) was good for just 20 years evidences the weakness of their planning. And, it is very troubling that they say anything expedient at the time but do not stick by their word.
My short comment is that i
ECS ECS/FLLMy short comment is that i have written about the quality of the selectmen particularly from the 3 largest island towns for years - and there is no need to take it personal because its been terrible for decades. I would suggest the same is true of the SSA authority representatives. They need to be changed out one way or another.
Sooooooo many great points.
ecs Edgartown / FLLSooooooo many great points. Both local papers should put this on their respective front pages.
The SSA Board needs to
Mitzi Pratt AquinnahThe SSA Board needs to consider what our infrastructure can bear more than, as they currently do, what the market will bear. There certainly doesn’t seem to be any reason to advertise a monopoly. We should all be grateful that there are at least passenger alternatives that alleviate some of the traffic to the Cape. Hopefully, the building design will be reconsidered(w/ solar panels over the staging area!) but the 3rd slip has me really concerned. When we have asked traffic to be held at current rates in the past, we have been ignored.
Everyday islanders and the
TAD ChappyEveryday islanders and the citizens of Woods Hole have clearly been bypassed and the decision makers need to remember who they ethically should represent. Not only will Vineyard traffic be a chokehold but the traffic in route to and from the Woods Hole terminal will be equally suffocating. Opening up a third slip for everyday use is a bell that cannot be unringed. Great journalism by the Gazette - keep this on the forefront please!
I have said this before and I
Doug OBI have said this before and I will say it again - get this done! I am at full throttle with an influx of clients and I can’t have delays or distractions.
Is anyone ever happy with
Cindy BarnstableIs anyone ever happy with what the SSA does.There is very little they can do to make an island, a main land and off Cape tourists happy.They may have had issues this past year with cancellations due to assurance of the safe vessal point. Now, you want them to fix the amount to passages and vehicals that can travel back and forth. And if that's not enough to please everyone one what will be next? People need to get an attitude ajustment around here. Let the SSA do their job. You have professional captain, pilots and engineers who see to it that the vessals are operated properly and you have people in the offices taking care everything else. Folks, please let them do they job
All good points. I think this
Tisbury tax payerAll good points. I think this comes down to one question. How do we determine when the island has too many people?
Commenting on the issue of
John Cape CodCommenting on the issue of this article which is about the Woods Hole Terminal design by the way ! The new terminal design is totally out of character with the Woods Hole community and should be sent back to the drawing board. How is it the Coast Guard can come up with a agreeable plan to rebuild there base of operations in Woods Hole, yet the SSA can't ? If it gets built as proposed it will be an eyesore to the area and will never go away.
I feel very sorry for SSA
Manuel New BeigeI feel very sorry for SSA,damned if you do and damned if you don,t,people on vineyard never happy very spoiled.
Not spoiled, rather secular
Chris OBNot spoiled, rather secular to a fault. They want only people they want. One day when the tourist dollars dry up and we are all on welfare will be the day they learn.
Add new comment