Ship Terminal Work Begins: Maumee River Site to Lure Cruise Vessels, Ferries
By David Patch, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
Mar. 31–Ten years have passed since the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority disclosed plans for a ferry and cruise-ship terminal on the Maumee River, but construction has finally — and formally — begun.
With foundation piles for the 15,600-square-foot, $3.2 million facility in the ground and a construction pump growling behind them, dignitaries officially broke ground yesterday on what they hope will become a magnet for tourist dollars. The terminal also will house an office for the adjoining Glass City Marina.
“This has been a decade in the making,” U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) acknowledged during a news conference before the groundbreaking.
She praised local leaders for writing successful proposals that secured $2.6 million in federal funds from nationally competitive ferry-service accounts.
“The best word for today is perseverance,” agreed state Rep. Peter Ujvagi (R., Toledo), a city councilman when the first $1.2 million federal grant was announced in January, 1997.
At that time, Toledo hosted several calls by Great Lakes cruise ships and courted a firm that proposed to buy several European air-cushion vessels — commonly known as Hovercraft — to provide all-season ferry service between Toledo and Windsor, Ont.
But for now, the terminal is being built on a speculative basis as far as passenger service goes, with the port authority planning to “accept proposals” this fall for ferry service to begin next spring. Port authority officials promised that by spring, the terminal “will readily accommodate any of the Great Lakes tour boats.”
Because cruise schedules usually are established two years ahead, the agency acknowledged that cruise ships are unlikely to visit Toledo before 2009.
“We’ve dealt with interests throughout the life of the project that have gone by the wayside because it has taken so long,” James Hartung, the port authority’s president, said before the news conference. “But the facility’s going to be great, and the markets haven’t deteriorated.”
For a possible ferry operation, “we go in with no expectation of a subsidy” to support a start-up operation, “but that may be raised” during discussions, Mr. Hartung said.
During the ceremony, the port president said officials hope ferry routes linking Toledo with Detroit, Sandusky, and the Lake Erie Islands, along with Windsor, can be established. Windsor was proposed for the Hovercraft route because of the plan to use foreign-built vessels; U.S. law requires ferries used in domestic service be built in this country.
The passenger terminal, being built by Spieker Co. of Perrysburg, will be on city-owned land at the east end of the 125-acre Marina District complex.
Officially, the port authority will lease the terminal grounds from the city for $1 a year, but that dollar will be offset by the city’s lease of space inside the terminal for the marina office.
Contact David Patch at: dpatch@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.
—–
Copyright (c) 2007, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.