Keyport ferry service

hoping for Sept. startup

Planning Board to

hear parking lot plans later this month

By darlene diebold

Staff Writer

Keyport Fast Ferry, which earlier this summer was awarded a lease to provide commuter ferry service from the municipal pier to Manhattan, is now looking at a late-September startup date.

The company will present its commuter parking lot plans to the Planning Board on Aug. 23.

"If all goes well at the meeting, we will be ready to go," said Keyport Fast Ferry owner Mike Cummins.

Currently, the engineering firms of Maser Consulting, Matawan, and Two River Engineering, Colts Neck, are preparing the necessary information to get the project rolling, he said.

Cummins wants to use two existing parking lots and a third area, located between the two lots, across West Front Street from Fireman’s Park.

One of the existing lots is at the back of the now-defunct Sauté Bay restaurant, located at 44 Beers St., which Cummins now owns and plans to use as the Keyport Fast Ferry office.

Cummins said that he would like to provide courtesy shuttle service from the ferry office to the pier in the winter months and during inclement weather.

The other existing lot is owned by Apollo Sewer & Plumbing Inc., 110 W. Front St., which is at the southwest corner of West Front and Beers streets, next to Sauté Bay.

The third lot, which has been used for storage in the past, is located between the other two lots and is zoned for commercial use. Cummins said he is planning to use a gravel surface rather than blacktop for the middle lot.

The three lots should provide parking for 200 cars, Cummins said. The borough is providing an additional 40 parking spaces, according to Councilman John Merla.

Cummins now hopes to begin service by late September. He had previously expressed hopes of getting the service up and running by mid summer.

"I have been talking to a lot of the business owners about this service, and they are looking forward to it. They have also said their customers are, too. I’m looking forward to the service coming in, and hopefully, it will be successful," he said.

New York Fast Ferry, which provides ferry service out of Highlands, will operate the boats, while Keyport Fast Ferry will handle the land-side operation.

When the service begins, Keyport Fast Ferry will offer 45-minute trips to the South Street Seaport on the east side of Manhattan at 6 and 8 a.m., with return trips at 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Eventually Cummins plans to add a stop at East 34th Street in Manhattan.

Cummins may also look into the possibility of adding service to the west side of Manhattan.

"I am curious to know if there will be a real demand for it," he said.

Keyport Fast Ferry will pay the borough $40,000 to lease the pier for a one-year trial period. The borough has to submit a report to the state Green Acres program in the eighth month of the lease, indicating whether it plans to renew it. The state agency is involved because the municipal pier was built and other waterfront area improvements were made with Green Acres funding. The initial lease can run for a maximum of two years after which the borough needs Green Acres approval to renew it.

Mayor Kevin Graham and other borough officials have expressed optimism that the return of commuter ferry service will be a plus and help with the revitalization of the downtown business district.