'Boat to nowhere' offers election issue
When the presidential primary spotlight shines on Maine next month, however briefly, the campaigns will no doubt find plenty of local examples to continue whatever national narrative they’re building.
While the ongoing arguments from Augusta will no doubt provide plenty of fodder, we should not forget that our long awaited “boat to nowhere” might serve as a cautionary tale.
Earlier this month, we reported that the new $5.5 million Casco Bay Lines ferry is still a ways off, with the builder setting a goal of 14 months after work begins in July. It earned the “boat to nowhere” moniker when critics compared it to the famous Alaska “bridge to nowhere” that became a lightening rod for opponents of earmarked local projects.
Hank Berg, general manager at Casco Bay Lines, tells us that the vessel project is “still alive and well, although it’s a little later in schedule than we hoped.”
Berg also explained that the U.S. Coast Guard required a host of “technical” changes to the Wabanaki’s design based on new design standards adopted since the Aucocisco was built. Those design changes, according to Berg, essentially required that the vessel be made stronger than initially proposed.
But by the time the new designs were in place and the Coast Guard had signed off on the plans, Blount Shipyard had already moved on to other projects. In other words, the Wabanaki lost its "slot" in line and had to wait until there was an opening.
That has to come as eye-rolling, teeth-grinding news to critics of the ferry whose chief complaint was that the ferry was a rush job to begin with. The big hurry came from the federal government’s call for “shovel ready” projects that could qualify for stimulus grants. Unlike most federal spending on local infrastructure, the new ferry did not require local matching funds.
Lacking time for new designs or needs assessments, managers simply used designs for the Aucocisco, the ferry system’s most recent boat addition which entered service in 2005.
That decision actually sparked little discussion at the time, and even those who eventually ended up opposing the boat apparently didn't challenge the application – despite some recent research that suggested smaller, faster boats might be the way to go.
Minutes from the ferry system’s governing board cite one official commenting that a rider survey indicated taht "... the public wanted smaller, faster boat. However, when you are presented with getting a free boat, without figuring in operating expenses, it was something the board couldn’t walk away from."
Here’s where presidential narrative might come in: Those concerned about how local officials view federal money, the campaigns might note that the boat was repeatedly defended as being a “free” vessel.
During the boat debate, one ferry system employee told me that “... they say don't look a gift horse in the mouth; but a gift horse left in your front yard? If you don't have a barn for the horse? You still have to feed the horse, get a saddle and everything."
Even some of the ferry system captains complained that they felt bypassed by the lack of process and wondered if the new ferry could actually accomplish what a smaller boat might do.
"This is not the right boat and not the right time," said Frank Paretti, a Casco Bay Lines board member who formally proposed declining the grant.
Federal funds being rushed into approvals without much local vetting? Officials in one of the country’s most progressive — they will doubtless say “liberal" — cities calling a $5.5 million expenditure “free?”
Of course, by the time the GOP process hits Maine it could be that “going to nowhere” will be a theme to avoid, but if you want to roll your eyes at some stimulus spending, it’s a good place to start.
(Curtis Robinson is founding editor of The Portland Daily Sun.)
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