Published in print and online.
By Jennifer Corr
On a quiet morning on North Haven, vehicles piled onto the South Ferry, headed to Shelter Island, which is separated from the rest of the East End by the waters of Peconic Bay.
The only way to get to or from Shelter Island is by boat, and, for most people, that means the ferry. It’s been that way since the 1700s.
Yet, as of late, the South Ferry operating out of North Haven—along with the North Ferry, a separate privately owned company that provides rides to and from Greenport—has had to adjust its operations in the growing wave of effects from climate change, including sea level rise. These adjustments include building a new, longer ramp connecting with the road even in cases of high or low tide, and a raising of the road itself.
“We have to deal with what’s happening in front of us,” Nicholas Morehead, the chief operating officer for the South Ferry, said in his office on Shelter Island. “And if the tides are higher, we have to work with that. And if the tides are higher because of climate change, we have to work with that.”
According to the State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York has experienced a foot of sea-level rise since 1900, mostly due to the expansion of warming ocean water.
In order to operate in cases of high tides, and even low tides, the South Ferry Company is planning on elongating the ramps, which would provide a better angle in extreme conditions, allowing vehicles to drive safely onto the ferry. Raising the road approaching the ramp also is in the works.
Because the South Ferry is a private company, it doesn’t receive federal money allocated for publicly owned ferries, meaning that any upgrades to the ferries, including new ramps, would have to be paid for by the company.
Fare increases to help cover the cost of infrastructure changes went into effect on June 21. It was the first fare increase in nine years.
Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, who represents the South Fork and Shelter Island, addressed the South Ferry’s fare increase at a June 4 general meeting in Hauppauge. South Ferry Inc., by law, is required to hold a public hearing on proposed rate increases before the legislature. It was closed on June 18, with a stamp of approval from Ms. Fleming and County Executive Steve Bellone.
“I certainly recognize that the ferries are a critical part of our public transportation system,” Ms. Fleming said. “And I think both companies do an excellent job. So it is my goal to support them in any way I can. They’ve been very responsive from the community and constituent concerns around the fare hike, which I believe is reasonable. And those [fare hikes] are still structured to avoid burdening the locals.”
Since the roads leading to the ferry are publicly owned, the company is hoping to receive money allocated to municipal ferry companies from the federal government, via the state, to fund that portion of the project.
According to Mr. Morehead, the president of the company, Cliff Clarke, has met with government officials to talk about the project, and has made a request for funding in Albany, which is currently being reviewed. The money has to be allocated by September, Mr. Morehead said.
On Shelter Island, ferries are the main mode of transportation on or off the island, becoming a staple for the residents and emergency services.
“Really, it’s the emergency services that have to get on and off—that is the reason we cited for the necessity to have this,” Mr. Morehead said. “Failure is not an option, right? Like Apollo 13, we have to get them on and off the island.”
The ferries are also a lifeline for Shelter Island businesses like Marie Eiffel Market.
“We have all of our deliveries come on those ferries on a daily basis,” said Jason Penney, who owns the market with his wife, Marie Eiffel. Yet, when it comes to business, the rising cost for delivery trucks to ride the ferry is paid by increasing the price of goods.
“I think the average cost for a truck, if I’m not mistaken, is $60 to $90 for a round trip, a day,” Mr. Penney said. “So, what happens, what people don’t understand, is all of our food that comes on those trucks is more expensive than it is in Greenport, because they [the vendors] add on every single item to cover the cost.”
Ms. Eiffel added that she can’t align her prices with Sag Harbor stores either, noting that she is frustrated with customers who tell her she can set higher prices because “she has the audience for it.”
But when asked about the fare increases, Mr. Penney and Ms. Eiffel both said, “It’s fine,” saying they understand that the ferry needs to cover the cost of maintenance.
“And that’s one of the primary reasons you need the public process,” Ms. Fleming said. “It has the effect of ensuring that the hike, any adjustments, is reasonable. And that’s exactly why. Because it’s clear that it’s an impact on businesses and riders.”
At the North Ferry, fare increases are not just a reaction to climate change, as the North Ferry has multiple ongoing infrastructure upgrades, such as adding a new ferry and other capital upgrades. However, a new ramp that would work in cases of higher tides is certainly a part of it.
During the fall, the North Ferry had to shut down its service twice for an hour each instance. Stella Lagudis, the general manager of the Heights Property Owners Corporation, which owns the North Ferry, said that these disruptive high tides used to happen once in a while, but now that service was suspended twice last fall, the company is taking the issue very seriously, since it is a “critical transportation hub.”
“This would not have gotten done, at least now, if there wasn’t a need, and the need is the rising tide. The need is the ramp has to be able to meet the boat so that cars can get on and off and passengers can get on and off,” Ms. Lagudis said.
The company has started bulkheading work in Greenport and will add the new ramps in the winter. Shelter Island ramps will follow.
The North Ferry also is periodically discussing the project with the Department of Transportation, since the federal Highway Administration has money allocated to individual ferries around the country. However, there are strict corporate and project eligibility requirements to access the funds.
Ms. Fleming agreed that the North Ferry and South Ferry having to adjust their infrastructure to meet the demands of climate change is a representation of a wider issue, something she has noticed throughout the rest of the district, Suffolk County and on Long Island.
“We are seeing the effects in many ways, and they all have costs associated with them,” she said. “So I think it’s very important for us policy-makers to have a clear eye about what those costs could be and also do everything we can to reduce our carbon emissions.”
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