The Jacksonville Port Authority will end its operation of the St. Johns River Ferry on Sept. 30, but the planned transfer of duties from the authority to the City and its St. Johns River Ferry Commission still needs work.
"There are a lot of issues that could fall through the cracks and we are trying to get those addressed in a short amount of time," said Marla Buchanan, an attorney with Rogers Towers who has been appointed to the commission.
Commission members met with port officials Thursday to discuss the upcoming transfer and address several looming issues, even though the majority of its members are not yet official.
Its only approved member is Council member John Crescimbeni, who chairs the commission.
Buchanan, Elaine Brown, Aaron Bowman, Carl Cannon, Rich Redick and Larry Williams all await Council approval, which could be voted on Aug. 15 if the appointments are approved by the Council's Rules Committee on Aug. 6.
"The calendar is fleeting and we need to establish a game plan on how the (St. Johns River Ferry) commission will take over ferry operations. That includes a lot of components, such as the actual transfer of the ferry and all of the capital associated with it to the commission and then how does the commission operate? We are going to have bills to pay," said Crescimbeni.
He explained that the commission would most likely need to hire someone to oversee the ferry’s day-to-day operation.
"It's going to involve a lot more than accepting the keys," he said.
Though it appears difficult, the City plans to use a transfer document from 2007 — when the City transferred ferry operations to the port — as a framework for new legislation.
The group also was informed by Council Auditor Kirk Sherman that the City's ferry accounts are still available and just need to be changed from their inactive statuses.
"We've got a good piece of legislation to work from. It looks like we just have to play the record backwards to get us where we need to go," said Crescimbeni.
The port expects to receive the transfer legislation from the commission this month, said Chris Kauffmann, port chief operating officer.
The port's board made three conditions for the transfer of the ferry at its June meeting.
They are:
• The dollars that were presented to the board — $200,000 from the City, $200,000 from the port and $300,000 from the Florida Department of Transportation — are to be brought together to cover the deficit that the ferry annually incurs.
• Once the transfer happens, the port does not have any liability relative to ferry operations.
• The board wants to review the final legislation to transfer the ferry.
With news this week that the FDOT did not plan to contribute funding for the ferry, Crescimbeni asked if that would be an issue with the board.
"I think what we need to do is work out the best arrangement we can, bring it to the board and they are going to have to vote on it. Do I think there is a way to work it out? I do, but I'm not the board," said Kauffmann.
One of the bigger issues with the ferry transfer is the status of 13 parcels of land that were transferred to the port when it agreed to operate the ferry.
"Those 13 were transferred with the 2007 ordinance. After two years of the port running the ferry, the requirement in the ordinance was that four parcels would be returned back to the City," said Kauffman.
Those parcels include one on the Heckscher Drive side of the ferry and three on the Mayport side.
Crescimbeni questioned whether the port’s intent is to retain the other nine parcels.
Kauffmann explained that the board wanted to work with the City on the transfer of the remaining nine parcels, with the port retaining waterfront parcels and the City receiving the non-waterfront parcels. Crescimbeni asked Karen Chastain, senior deputy general counsel, who will be drafting the transfer legislation, to include that language.
One of the waterfront parcels in Mayport Village, located on Ocean Street between Roxie and Henry Streets, is the location of the ferry office and maintenance yard. Kauffmann suggested that the port lease the land to the City for $1 for one year while the commission searches for a way to maintain the ferry service, but that the lease be subject to port board approval.
Thursday’s discussion also covered other issues such as the inspection of the ferry, the condition of the ferry facilities, the definition of reasonable wear and tear for the ferry equipment, revenue collection, the contract with HMS Global Maritime to operate the ferry and who maintains the ferry grounds.
Kauffmann pledged to get the port team, which has been preparing for the transfer since February, to meet with City staff to answer any questions and exchange information.
"I'm liking what you are saying today," said Crescimbeni.
He said he was also pleased with the attendance of Blair Fishburn, Jacksonville Transportation Authority chief financial officer, whom he invited.
"We wanted them to be in the loop on what was being discussed," said Crescimbeni.
Fishburn said the authority was an observer at this stage because nothing has yet been requested of it.
@photojoe71
356-2466