Ferry dock delays costing frustrated islanders

Work on Prudence Ferry dock should wrap up next week, more than a month late

By Patrick Luce
Posted 6/21/17

Construction on the Prudence Island Ferry dock is entering its final stages and should wrap up in a week or two, music to the ears of Prudence residents and visitors who have been losing patience …

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Ferry dock delays costing frustrated islanders

Work on Prudence Ferry dock should wrap up next week, more than a month late

Posted

Construction on the Prudence Island Ferry dock is entering its final stages and should wrap up in a week or two, music to the ears of Prudence residents and visitors who have been losing patience — and, in some cases, money — in the work.

SumCo Eco Contracting was expected to make its final concrete pour Wednesday as it prepares the dock off Thames Street in Bristol for the new gallows and ramp ferry owner A&R Marine will install, Bristol Town Administrator Steven Contente said Tuesday.

“It should be done before the Fourth,” Mr. Contente said. “A&R and the town want to see it get done. We’re working together to make sure it’s done right.”

Once A&R take over the project, it will only take a week or so to install the new gallows and ramp that will allow the ferry service to resume carrying cars back and forth to the island, according to A&R President Stephen Antaya.

“I have a contractor on standby,” Mr. Antaya said. “The dock needed to be rebuilt before I put in the ramp and gallows.”

That rebuild has taken far longer than originally expected. SumCo was originally scheduled to complete construction on May 11, which would have seen the ferry dock return to full working order before Memorial Day. A series of delays — most notably, the partial collapse of a wall along the southern side of the dock — have held up completion of the work, which could rack up the bills for SumCo. The contract with the low bidder included a $250 per day penalty for running past schedule.

Mr. Contente said the town has not spoken with SumCo yet about the penalty, nor about any cost overruns on the extended project. Mr. Contente said he expects A&R and the towns of Bristol and Portsmouth to each pay the same $59,900 they agreed to at the start.

While the delay may cost SumCo, it is definitely costing some Prudence Island residents who have been unable to take their cars back and forth on the ferry since the work began in April. That leaves them scrambling to find parking on both sides of the water, or scrambling to find rides where they need to go if they have only one car. For those who rent their homes to travelers, the construction is leaving them scrambling to find tenants.

“I’ve already lost one rental,” said Susan Stevenson, a Portsmouth mainlander who also has a house on the island, who was riding the ferry across the bay Friday morning. “Because of the uncertainty of the ferry, they canceled. I can’t blame them. They have to bring things over. People want to come out for a long weekend, and they want to bring their cars.”

Those with homes to rent aren’t the only ones who will eventually lose money, according to Ed Aldrich, chairman of the Prudence Island Planning Commission. With the inability to transport cars, A&R has lost significant money over the past couple months, he said. Indeed, the company charges $31 each way to transport a typical one-ton car. A passenger without a car costs just $5.40 each way.

“The ferry depends on car service. I guarantee you next year the rates will go up more than they would have,” Mr. Aldrich said. “People are losing tenants. A friend of mine who fishes and sells lobsters on the island can’t get his bait over here. There’s a repaving project on the island that was half-done. Then they couldn’t bring the asphalt trucks over. There are constant economic impacts you don’t think about.”

There is also the expense — and frustration — of finding parking spots in Bristol, an often difficult prospect under normal circumstances. Islander after islander complained about the inability to find convenient parking, unless they want to rent space from the Robin Rug factory, which many said they ultimately chose to do.

“Parking is the biggest thing; It’s kind of a hassle, especially when you need to cut your lawn and get gas over here,” said Tracy Pfantz, a Virginia resident who spends summers on Prudence. “I finally just bought a spot so I wouldn’t have to fight for parking. But I have friends coming over tomorrow and don’t know where they’re going to park.”

Some of the full-time islanders are talking the inconvenience in stride, arranging for parking on both sides of the bay, using a cart to wheel supplies from the mainland onto the boat, and relying on strangers to help.

“I use a wheelie cart, and the guys on the ferry are always helpful,” said full-time resident Stephanie Jenness. “When you live on an island, you have to know there are inconveniences now and then.”

But it’s the avoidable inconveniences that are so infuriating, according to Mr. Aldrich, who said the project in Bristol has taken far too long. He hasn’t seen a sense of urgency on the contractor’s part, and he hasn’t seen a spirit of cooperation between the two towns involved in the process.

“People need a place to park, and Bristol has been a pain in the neck,” Mr. Aldrich said. “They’re not allowing Prudence people to park in resident spots, so there’s nowhere to park. How hard would it be to extend a courtesy and allow us to have the same benefit as Bristol residents? It’s absolutely stupid.”

Mr. Contente said the town considered such a request but ultimately decided resident permit spots are there for Bristol residents to use. Prudence Islanders, who are Portsmouth residents, should petition their local government for a solution, he said.

“They’ll park for weeks at a time and take spaces away from our businesses and residents,” Mr. Contente said. “There is parking available; they just have to pay for it. I don’t think it’s fair to provide free parking for another community at the expense of Bristol residents.”

For now, many residents are hoping for the inconvenience to end soon, but making the best of it.

“It’s actually nice on the island without as many cars,” said summer resident Josh Emmett. “We just keep one car on each side of the island, and take over what we can. If you forget something, oh well.”

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