ITEM FILE PHOTO
BY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNN — City Councilors are taking a stand in favor of Lynn’s ferry service.
The panel voted 7 to 0 Tuesday to send a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker, asking him to reconsider his decision not to fund a third summer of service. The administration denied Lynn’s request for about $700,000 in operating expenses earlier this month.
The Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development said the city’s application for operating expenses for the ferry came too late, and the funds were exhausted for this fiscal year.
Councilor Peter Capano said the ferry is an important option to quickly transport commuters from Lynn to Boston. He called it a critical part of the city’s waterfront master plan.
“Traffic is getting worse and worse,” Capano said. “This would help us a lot.”
The letter reads: “We, the Lynn City Council, request that funding be identified by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for the continuation of the Lynn Ferry service.”
The council cited the completion of a successful two-year pilot program, and the effective use of water transportation from Lynn to Boston for North Shore commuters, as reasons for the request.
“Water transportation offers an alternative, convenient, affordable, stress-free commuting option to a region that has been underinvested in transportation,” the councilors wrote.
The ferry takes drivers off the roadways, it said.
The city, through the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC), has committed $750,000 in investments for the service while the state provided $3.85 million, according to the letter.
It describes the ferry to be a “catalyst for change” that the region needs and residents deserve.
“As a result of federal, state, and local investment in this site and operation which highlights the city of Lynn’s waterfront and its proximity to Boston, we are already seeing economic growth and development and increasing property values in surrounding neighborhoods,” the letter said.
Capano said U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Salem) secured $4.5 million in funding to build a ferry and said it is a disappointment that further progress will not be made due to the lack of state funding.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte
