Two weeks after deciding to move forward with rebuilding rather than rehabilitating the docking system for the St. Johns River Ferry, the City’s Ferry Commission will meet today to discuss funding options for the estimated $7 million project.
The commission will meet at 5 p.m. at City Hall to discuss funding options after deciding on design options for the docking system at its Oct. 22 meeting. The Jacksonville Port Authority previously agreed to pay for the design of the repairs using funds from a Florida Department of Transportation grant.
While operational costs for the ferry are being addressed through ridership fares, money for capital improvements will have to be found elsewhere.
Grant writers from the City and JTA have been working with the commission to seek grant-funding opportunities for the ferry.
“We are looking at MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act) funds. They are finalizing the criteria right now, and some of the federal matches are 10 percent. That is really, really doable, even in this tight budget,” said City Council member John Crescimbeni, commission chair.
Costs to repair the docks for the ferry pushed the port to announce it could no longer afford to operate the service, which it said took money away from its core business.
Shortly after the port announced in February its intentions to stop ferry service by Sept. 30, it also began looking at options for the ferry’s next operator.
The Shaw Group was hired to present options to repair the docks. Option A is a phased approach with three levels of repairs over 10 years. It has costs of about $4.5 million in 2012, $4.3 million in 2017 and $2.2 million in 2022. It also would rehabilitate a structure that was originally built in the 1950s and has had eight upgrades.
“Option A does not account for existing priority two and three structural shortcomings that have yet to be uncovered. With any kind of project during my two years with the port, every time we open it up, I promise you, it’s worse than what we thought,” said Joe Miller, senior director for facilities and development at the port, during the Oct. 22 meeting.
Option B includes phased demolition of the existing docking structure and complete redesign of the existing ferry infrastructure system at a cost of about $7 million.
“It’s more expensive initially, but it’s significantly less expensive over the next 10 years,” said Miller.
Either option could be completed without taking the ferry out of service.
The commission is expected to hear from grant writers today about grant opportunities and which options it should pursue.
The commission also will receive its first revenue report since taking over operation of the ferry Oct. 1.
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