RECOMMENDATIONS
After eight months of deliberations and a comprehensive review and analysis of all possible solutions, the Chebeague Cousins Transportation Resolution Team is prepared to make its final recommendations to the Maine Department of Transportation relative to the Chebeague Island Ferry Landing. All of us on this team feel that these recommendations are consistent with our unanimously adopted Mission and Vision Statement, which reads as follows:
"The Mission of the Chebeague Cousins Transportation Resolution Team is to provide a recommendation for a permanent mainland facility(ies) to adequately meet the needs of the Chebeague Island community while being sensitive to the needs of the host community(ies). When the task has been completed, it will be perceived that the team underwent a comprehensive evaluation of the needs and concerns of the communities to arrive at a sensitive, fair, acceptable and workable solution."
As the team worked through the many issues and problems that have existed over the past twenty-five years, it was clear that a recommendation dealing solely with a ferry site would not be sufficient. It has, therefore, included in its final report a number of additional recommendations dealing specifically with those areas that seemed to have been most contentious in the hopes that MDOT will give them careful consideration as it moves forward with this project.
It should also be noted that the team feels that many of the problems that have been connected to the Chebeague Ferry operation have been directly related to the fact that the current landing facility is located in the middle of a long-standing residential community. A neighborhood has felt disrupted and invaded; an island community has felt discriminated against and unfairly accused. It is hoped, therefore, that many of these problems will disappear once the ferry landing site has been moved We have tried to address this in our recommendation by focusing on those things we feel require immediate attention while at the same time alerting the MDOT and the ultimate governing body to those areas that will require careful monitoring in the future. These future decisions can be better made and more accurately addressed when looked at after having had some level of experience at the new site.
It should be noted that it has not been the intent of this team to deal with all the daily minutiae of how the Chebeague Ferry will be operating. Our goal was to address those things we felt were most pertinent, make them part of our recommendation, and alert the eventual governing entity of things to be aware of in the future.
The team recognizes its role as an advisory group to the MDOT and its recommendations are offered in that capacity. It should be noted that they represent a clear consensus which has been reached after a comprehensive review of all the related issues.
The following pages present our recommendations.
TEAM MEMBERS
Pamelia Adams
Cyrus Hagge
Greg Hanscom
Stanley Milton
Stephen Moriarty
Patricia Phillips
James Phipps
Benjamin Prescott
Ralph Stevens
Gary Varney
We recommend that a permanent ferry landing facility be built at the Central Maine Power site located on Cousins Island to serve Chebeague Island's transportation needs. The site is located in the industrial zone on CMP property and is on the southwestern tip of Cousins Island adjacent to the Wyman Power Station. The attached site plan indicates some general guidelines and locational parameters that should be considered. (We will use a copy of the T.Y.Lin site plan we worked with at our meetings.)
Although the recommendation of a mainland ferry landing was considered our primary task, and in terms of available funding is clearly our first priority, we did address the issue of a new site on Chebeague. The team did not go through the same analytical process for the Chebeague site as It did for the mainland site but relied on the recommendations of previous studies by Chebeague Island and Cumberland. Accordingly, we recommend that a ferry landing and barge ramp be built at Sunset Landing in as timely a manner as budgeting will allow. We also recommend that the existing Chandlers Wharf be brought up to standard with the proviso that if it is the Town of Cumberland will agree to maintain it. Cumberland's commitment to maintain Chandler's Wharf will ensure that it remains the primary landing site for Casco Bay Lines service to Chebeague and enable Casco Bay Lines to continue to provide freight, commercial and passenger service to the Island.
As the team discussed the ultimate location of the ferry landing, it was clear that a number of ancillary yet highly relevant issues needed to be addressed as well. These key issues were identified as follows:
What follows are our recommendations and future concerns relative to each of these areas.
It is clear that lack of a clearly defined governing body with meaningful authority and ultimate accountability has exacerbated and, in some cases, caused a number of the problems that have existed in the past. We, therefore, place the highest degree of importance on the formation and chartering of this new entity, as only by doing so will we be able to avoid a repetition of what has gone on before, and guarantee an effective method for administering and legislating future operations. In this recommendation we have addressed the entity's membership, range of authority, and scope of operation.
It should be further noted that the intent of this recommendation is that fair and equal representation be had by all involved stakeholders. Attention, therefore, should be given to all vested interests so that no imbalance occurs. A mainland Yarmouth resident with property on either Chebeague or Cousins Island is an example of potential "imbalancing."
We recommend that a governing body be set up consisting of the following members:
Four additional members to be appointed by the respective Town Councils, as follows:
This entity should be set up as an independent unit with the ability to hear complaints, resolve disputes, and order actions with its own authority independent of either of the Town Councils. Given the success we have had in our deliberations, it is encouraged that this entity work using the same collaborative consensus-based process that we did. We realize, however, that in coming to some decisions a majority vote may need to be the determining factor.
The entity should be ready to address areas including but not limited to parking, barging, scheduling and commercial use. It is our expectation that it will also establish policy, hear complaints, and resolve issues in accordance with the authority we recommend it be given. It should have authority to interpret these recommendations, and be ready to address and act on changing circumstances as they develop.
It is recommended that this entity be set up to operate as quickly as possible, certainly prior to or concurrent with the commencement of the design process. It is further recommended that the initial make up of this entity include some representation from our team as this would provide a logical transition and provide the committee with individuals fully cognizant of the issues to be dealt with. Having this entity in place prior to the completion of the new wharf would enable them to deal, perhaps more effectively, with some of the current problems being experienced. It would also send a message to both communities that change has occurred which might ease some existing tensions.
The actual method of setting up this governing entity as well as its ultimate legality and jurisdictional authority presents a number of possible variables. It could be formed as a transit district, non profit corporation or legislatively sanctioned entity. We are not sure what best suits this situation and would ask the MDOT and the towns of Yarmouth and Cumberland to work with us to design what is most appropriate.
The amount of allowable parking has, like many of the other issues, been a point of contention for many years. The team's recommendation for parking is site specific and is influenced by two factors:
Parking also involves not only year round residents, but the many summer people and day trippers who currently park at the Drowne Road site adjacent to the Cumberland Town Hall.
Our recommendation for parking subject to ultimate site restrictions is as follows:
At some point in the future it may be necessary to expand these parking facilities to accommodate year round growth. The primary indicator for this eventual expansion should be driven by some measurable, consistent formula using objective data and standards. Census, primary residence evidenced by state voting status, CTC ridership, traffic count data measured at Cousins Island bridge and entrance to new parking facility are examples of objective data and standards. One possibility for an additional indicator in this regard is the length of the shuttle bus season which now accommodates overflow parking at Drowne Road. It is assumed that the shuttle service exists to primarily serve summer users, and diminish the impact of summer traffic on Cousins Island, and therefore should operate between Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. If it becomes necessary to extend those dates beyond these limits it would indicate a pressure on year round parking availability and thus a need to assess possible expansion. Since it was agreed that Drowne Road is less than an ideal setting for overflow parking, it is also recommended that a search for a new site for offsite parking be undertaken within a reasonable period of time and possibly as part of the wharf design process. A number of criteria should be considered relative to this site including convenience to Route 1 and I-95, the municipality in which it is located, as well as proximity to the ferry landing.
For the parking area as well as the entire ferry landing area attention must be paid to adequate buffering and security. We would recommend the placing of an attractive barrier along the residential line and measures to control access to or from Spruce Point Road either by footpath or roadway. Also the power station and tank farm should be segregated by extending the existing boundary fencing and maintaining a vegetative screen.
We also recommend that the MDOT explore the use of "traffic calming" measures for Cousins Island Road including "speed tables" and or "ramping."
The scheduling of ferry trips is really an operational issue for the carrier and something the team felt was not necessary to go into specific detail about. Our intent is, however, that scheduling should be adequate to provide what is necessary to serve the passenger load while being sensitive to other Cousins Island and Chebeague Island activities.
Late night "party boats" and any other arrivals which might unduly disturb either community should be avoided.
Again, the team feels that this is an area that the ultimate governing entity needs to pay close attention to.
Clearly one of the more volatile issues throughout the years, this is an area the team spent a considerable amount of time discussing. Our recommendation relative to barging is as follows:
A number of other issues were discussed in conjunction with this topic and should be considered as part of our recommendation.
Endorsing the use of barging under the conditions listed here should not imply the endorsement of any expanded or full scale commercial barging. The team acknowledged the need to provide barging to Chebeague at its current level, but does not support or encourage any expansion at this time. The recommendation was based on the assumption that the barge currently in use is the one that would be continued to be used. It is also understood that this may need to change at some point in the future but we feel that any change beyond this with regard to the number of barges in use or their size is something the Governing Board should deal with after having had some experience in operating at the newly recommended site. In determining the need for a change in equipment a key indicator should be the extent to which new equipment would materially increase traffic along Cousins Island Road.
The intent of our recommendation here is to maintain the current levels of traffic.
It is recommended that all issues regarding barging be monitored and controlled by the Governing Board.
The team recommends that commercial use include the following:
All mainland tour buses and charter buses should be prohibited from the ferry landing site and directed to Casco Bay Lines in Portland.
The Governing Board should have discretion to permit delivery of items (such as Sunday newspapers) that cannot be timely delivered by Casco Bay Lines.
Mainland wharf design should accommodate at least three moorings for temporary public use by Chebeague residents.
It should be emphasized here with regard to commercial and/or passenger use this facility is meant to serve Chebeague Island and not act as a cross bay or down bay terminal serving other islands or communities. This will help minimize the impact upon the Cousins Island neighborhood.
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