Council Considers 2-Year Renewal of High Speed Ferry Service at Perrotti Park

The Newport City Council will vote on a 2-year contract renewal between the city and Interstate Navigation to continue high-seed ferry service out of Perrotti Park Marine Terminal.

City Manager Jane Howington recommended the council approve the contract in a Feb. 10 memo accompanying the resolution on Wednesday's night's City Council agenda.

The ferry service operates between Newport and Block Island with ferries originating from Fall River, Mass.

The service returns to Newport from Block island at midday and goes back to Block Island for one more run and back to Newport in the evening before heading back to Fall River for the night.

There will be three departures daily during the season, which starts on June 21 and lasts until Sept. 1 in both 2014 and 2015.

Along with requiring insurance, the city maintains that Interstate Navigation must pay the city $750 per year for the use of the terminal, $50 per vessel for special events that requires "employment of additional vessels" and a $50 per day rental fee for use of the harbormaster's office to sell tickets. There's also a $25 fee per landing for any vessel over 50 feet.

Other terms in the contract requires Interstate to maintain the cleats or bitts installed in 2013 on "A" dock and provide a loading ramp.

In a letter to the city manager, Christian Myers of Interstate Navigation said the response from the public last year was good and "we are looking forward to improving the ridership of that service in 2014."

He also said "we built a good working relationship with the city of Newport and the harbormaster's office. Our usage of the harbormaster's building for the ticket counter worked very well for us and we feel it was a benefit to the city as well."

The only difference between the 2012 and 2014 schedule is the elimination of the 6:45 p.m. trip from Perrotti Park to Block Island. It will be replaced by a return trip to Fall River where the ferry ISLANDER will berth overnight. 

Last year, the ISLANDER berthed overnight at their dock in Pt. Judith and ran empty from there to Newport each morning.

"We believe the vessel will be better utilized originating from its runs from Fall River with passengers, and we hope that the citizens of Southeastern Massachusetts will elect to ride our vessel from Fall River to Newport and Block Island," Myers said.

Myers pledged that Interstate will be a "good neighbor and responsible user of the facility."