By Jacqueline Durett
Correspondent
SOUTH AMBOY — Mayor Fred Henry said he never doubted the city’s ferry project would move ahead.
“I was always positive that it was going to happen, it was just a question of how long it was going to take,” Henry said. “When you look down there [at the ferry terminal site], nothing has happened physically since we added that extension to [Radford Ferry] Road.”
In fact, former Mayor Jack O’Leary said eight years ago that he was planning for a permanent ferry to be up and running imminently; a temporary service was installed in the city after Sept. 11, 2001.
However, now the ferry’s timetable is looking much more concrete.
The city announced that on June 8, it received authorization from the Federal Aid Highway Program for $2.1 million in funding for the project. According to city officials, that money will cover the costs of the construction of the ferry terminal and site remediation.
Henry said now that federal funding is in place, remediation work at the ferry terminal site should take place this summer, with construction to follow. The project includes parking as well, with a minimum 500 spaces are planned.
Henry said the city also anticipates having an office in the terminal building.
The ferry would bring commuters to lower Manhattan in just over 40 minutes.
As for a ferry operator, Camille Tooker, city business administrator, said South Amboy has a letter of intent from NY Waterway, though the city is not bound by that letter. She said the city would still put out a request for proposals for operators “just to ensure [NY Waterway is] the best operator.”
She added that who the ferry operator is would also determine how many parking spaces the terminal ultimately has.
Henry also announced the federal funding program during the June 15 City Council meeting. He and Council President Mickey Gross thanked all of the city officials involved with the project for their time and effort.
“This was a major step in the whole process, and we know there is more work to be done,” Henry said. “Eventually we will have a ferry in South Amboy again.”
During the public portion of the meeting, resident Jacqueline Giordano said she was happy the city was advancing with the project as she is disappointed in the amount of businesses she has seen leave the area. Tooker agreed that with the ferry, there would perhaps be more interest in city businesses, particularly those on Broadway.