Governor slashes red tape for ferry
Fast Ferry expects to start providing service next week
By darlene diebold
Staff Writer

With all the problems concerning traffic heading to New York these days, acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco has removed state roadblocks that were keeping Keyport Fast Ferry from coming to town.

At the Sept. 18 Borough Council meeting, attorney Gordon Litwin announced that the state Department of Environmental Protection was told to expedite the company’s ferry permit and riparian licenses.

John Koenig, the owner of N.Y. Fast Ferry, which will operate the service on behalf of Keyport Fast Ferry, said Monday that service should be up and running "hopefully next week."

He hopes to get the site physically ready this weekend or early next week. He has to get a barge in place against which to land the boat.

"It’s terrible that a tragedy is required sometimes to get things moving a little quicker," he said.

"I’m happy to see the ferry come in at a time to help the people whose lives were disrupted by what happened in New York," Mayor Kevin Graham said. To expedite matters, the borough will provide parking for now.

In an interview Friday, Mike Cummins, Middletown, owner of Keyport Fast Ferry, which is leasing the borough’s municipal pier for ferry service, said that the state permit had already been faxed to him and that they were ready to go.

"We want to get this going as quickly as possible," he said.

"I have been getting a lot of phone calls every day with people looking for the service. We are ready," he added.

Cummins said that he knew that DeFrancesco was anxious to get the service running immediately to provide another means for people to commute to Manhattan, something that has been made more difficult with the loss of the PATH connection from New Jersey to the World Trade Center.

"The ferry is perfectly safe," Cummins said. "Thousands of people are riding ferries every day to get into Manhattan. Everything is completely back to normal on the water. This will offer people comfort and sanity on the way to work, especially now."

Cummins said that they will be using one smaller boat for now that will be able to accommodate either 150 or 250 commuters for the 45-minute trip.

Once the ridership grows, a boat that can accommodate 350 passengers will be put in place.

There will be two morning departures from American Legion Drive in Keyport to Pier 11 in lower Manhattan, at 6:10 a.m. and 8:10 a.m., and two return trips, at 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., with the possibility of a third, 8:30 p.m. return trip being offered twice a week.

"We have to see where demand is," explained Koenig.

Service will be offered weekdays only and tickets will be interchangeable with Highlands-Manhattan ferry service, which has three morning departures from Highlands and six return trips.

Ticket prices will be same as in Highlands — $15 one way during peak hours and $12 during off-peak hours; $29 round trip; $450 for a 40-trip monthly pass; $130 for a 10-trip pass; and $1,200 for a three-month, 120-trip pass.

Keyport Fast Ferry, which leases the municipal pier for $40,000 a year, still needs Planning Board approval for several parking lots it is planning. However, because DeFrancesco used his emergency powers to expedite the process, the approvals are not needed for the service to begin.

The Planning Board will still review the parking-lot plans tomorrow, as previously planned, but until the plans are finalized, Mayor Graham said the borough will provide adequate parking.

Commuters will be allowed to use the large parking lot off American Legion Drive, which runs along the waterfront at the foot of Broadway, and the 175-space Fireman’s Park parking lot on West Front Street and American Legion Drive, next to Ye Cottage Inn.

"There will be plenty of parking spaces," Graham said.

As part of the lease agreement with Keyport Fast Ferry, the borough will continue to provide 39 parking spaces at the Fireman’s Park lot.

"The town has just been wonderful. They’ve opened up their arms and said ‘let’s get going.’ We really feel great about this," Cummins said.

"It’s been long overdue. The project should have been off and running already," said Councilman John Merla. "The state officials pushed this through for Keyport. It’s time to let the people who have been waiting for it benefit. This will be good for us."