History of CTC

Prior to the Casco Bay Island Transit District and prior to the bridge to Cousins Island, vessels steamed down the coast from Portland and Falmouth Foreside, stopping at the then privately owned Cousins Island wharf, Littlejohn Island, and crossing the bay to Chebeague. One such vessel, the Nellie G. III, carried 100 or more passengers, and it was often loaded to capacity. Casco Bay water traffic is not a recent development to Cousins or any other island.

With the construction of the Central Maine Power Company's Wyman Station and the connecting bridge to Cousins (beginning in 1955), three changes occurred. First, Casco Bay Lines ceased servicing Chebeague, Littlejohn, and Cousins from Handy Boat Service on the Falmouth Foreside. Second, to fill the need for adequate transportation, Jasper "Smitty" Smith began operating a water taxi service between Chebeague and Cousins. People were commuting to and from Cousins privately as well. And thirdly, growth on Cousins Island and Littlejohn increased dramatically, while growth on Chebeague remained at a very low rate. Smitty began operating his water taxi between Cousins and Chebeague Island in 1959 using the Polly-Lin, a converted 36 foot lobster boat with a 23 passenger capacity.

The Chebeague Transportation Company was incorporated on August 24, 1971 for the purpose, as stated in its By-Laws, of providing and supplementing existing private and public transportation facilities to Chebeague Island. Except for the construction of a float which was subsequently donated to the Town of Cumberland, operations did not seriously commence until the Spring of 1973 when the Company leased an unused drive-in movie lot on U. S. Route 1 for use as an overflow parking facility with a 400 car capacity. Because of the Company's extremely poor financial condition at the time, it could not acquire the property by exercising the purchase option which accompanied the lease. This land became the Yarmouth Shopping Center.

In April, 1975, the Company acquired the water taxi operation from Jasper Smith. At the same time, the Company was asked to purchase the barge operations from John Gibson of Cousins Island, and was able to do so. Also, Robert Blanchard requested that the Company lease the parking facility on Cousins Island which he had operated since the early 1960s.

The Polly-Lin II served the Jasper Smith and CTC from its construction in 1967 until its retirement in 1985. It was a wooden vessel, 44 feet long and licensed to carry 49 passengers. Constructed to look like a large lobster boat, it was extremely popular. Unfortunately, because it was wooden, it could not be used in the winter, and it became too small to accommodate both passengers and personal cargo.

Because the Company did not have an adequate winter vessel -- one with separate compartments for safety, sufficient passenger capacity, and ice-breaking ability -- in February, 1977 the Company began renovation and reconstruction of a newly acquired vessel, Big Squaw. Originally designed with a second deck and a capacity of 100 passengers, due to financial difficulties of both the contractor and CTC, the second deck was not included in the final design and its capacity was reduced. The Big Squaw is a reconstructed logging vessel, 46 feet long, licensed to carry 58 passengers. Her engine was built in 1941 with limited remaining life. Her superstructure was deteriorating and in need of replacement, and with personal cargo, often became cramped and uncomfortable. In the early 1980s it became apparent to the Directors that the long range goal of the Company should be to operate two steel-hulled vessels to ensure not only adequate capacity but, more importantly, to provide sufficient backup transportation during the winter.

As a result, CTC constructed a new vessel, the Islander, launched in 1985. This vessel was designed to meet several criteria. First, it was designed to ensure the greatest resale value. This was accomplished by insisting on a second, open air deck. The interior compartment was designed to hold the same number of passengers as the Big Squaw. Of course, providing access to a second deck, the vessel's capacity was increased from 58 to 100. Secondly, the design had to better accommodate personal cargo. This was accomplished by providing a separate cargo area of adequate square footage at the stern of the boat. This added area increased the design length of the vessel to 52 feet. Third, we would settle for nothing less than the highest quality construction, and thus, we contracted with one of the finest builders of steel vessels in the State, Washburn and Doughty Associates of Woolwich and East Boothbay, Maine. Financed with an industrial revenue bond through Norstar (now Fleet) Bank, this boat is not only one of which we can be proud, but is also one which will be safe and one which will retain its value well into the future. By now, with a fleet of seaworthy vessels and running a daily year-round schedule, the water taxi had grown into a vital passenger ferry service.

December, 1980 witnessed early ice so powerful that the barge purchased from John Gibson sank. In March, 1981 a new, safer barge was constructed with similar overall dimensions as the old wooden one at the bottom of Casco Bay.

In 1993, a complete renovation of the Big Squaw was undertaken, following the replacement of its aging engine in 1988. This provided safe, comfortable back-up capabilities to the Islander, while also giving CTC a smaller, more efficient winter boat.

The CTC parking/bussing operation has its origins in the Cousins Island parking originated by Robert Blanchard shortly after the time the Polly-Lin began service. After receiving official permission in 1972 to use his land for parking, Mr. Blanchard began leasing the property to CTC in 1975, at which time the CTC and the Town of Yarmouth signed a consent decree limiting the number of cars that could use the Blanchard property to 165. Parking in the Blanchard Lot is limited to year-round Chebeague residents, commuters, and the medically handicapped.

Between May and October, overflow parking is provided at Drowne Road in Cumberland Center at the site of the municipal landfill. There are no accommodations for overflow parking during the winter and spring months. We operate a van and two used school busses from that site to Cousins for our customers who must use that facility. It is nine (9) miles to the Drowne Road parking facility; the bus ride takes between twenty and thirty minutes.

To summarize, our current operations include three vessels. The old steel-hulled Chesuncook is used solely to push our barge. It is only 35 feet long and is no longer licensed to carry passengers. The steel-hulled Big Squaw provides backup services to the flagship of our fleet, the Islander. To support its remote parking lot operation, the Company also operates two reconditioned school busses and a fifteen passenger van.

The CTC has been able to accomplish its stated goal of providing needed transportation to and from Chebeague in part because it has always attempted to be foresighted -- to identify future needs and to plan ahead. It was founded, and continues to operate, with the old yankee do-it-yourself philosophy stemming from the independence required for isolated island living. The Company has been blessed with broad based support as well. Established as a publicly held stock company, it has been able to raise substantial capital from approximately one thousand stockholders. It is important to note that about 10% of CTC stockholders are Yarmouth residents. Despite this investment from residents, property owners, and friends, the stockholders have consistently stated at annual meetings that no dividends are to be declared, that any and all profits should be retained to either repair/improve the vessels/equipment/facilities or to reduce the cost of transportation. Our fee structure, by the way, reflects this directive.

Equally important to the success of the Company has been its ability to attract an extremely capable Board of Directors. More than three dozen people have served on the Company Board since its inception, and each has brought a variety of marine expertise, business acumen, and an understanding of the needs of the passengers to the Board. Surprisingly, these Directors receive no compensation of any kind. Like so many other Chebeaguers, they volunteer their time and expertise (each contributing hundreds of hours every year) for the benefit of the transportation system.

Serving the Board of Directors are three Operations Directors for Personnel, Maintenance, and Administration. The Personnel and Maintenance Directors also serve as the senior boat captains.

There have been proposals to re-organize the structure of CTC into some form of quasi-municipal body. There is a good likelihood that at some point in the future CTC will cease to be a for-profit organization, but will seek to maintain its autonomy and self-governance.

We believe we are unique along the Maine coast. No other water transportation system has been so self-sufficient -- not only in financing its own fleet, but also in receiving no direct subsidies from any governmental unit. Obviously, we are grateful to the Town of Cumberland for providing overflow parking space and for assisting in the acquisition/maintenance of the float at Cousins, just as we are grateful to Yarmouth for the services it provides. Nevertheless, compared to other operations relying on Federally funded vessels, publicly financed parking and landing facilities, and government subsidized operations, the CTC can be proud of its self-sufficiency. In short, the CTC may be a publicly held corporation, but in effect it is truly a community enterprise performing a public service with private investment for the public good.

CTC operates eight round trips a day (seven on Sunday), plus one evening trip (two on Friday). Winter evening trips are by confirmation; that is, if no passenger asks for the trip it will not be run. Travel time is approximately 15 minutes, one way.

Casco Bay Lines services Chandlers Cove at the west end of Chebeague with four round trips a day (three on Sunday). There are no evening trips, with the exception of Fridays. Travel time to Portland is approximately an hour and fifteen minutes, one way. Casco Bay Lines provides approximately 10% of the total transportation services to Chebeague, while CTC provides the remaining 90%.

The Maine State Legislature in "An Act to Ensure the Availability of Ferry Service in Casco Bay" (1992) has recognized the critical importance of CTC by stating in LD 2306, §5101-E, "The Chebeague Transportation Company is not required to seek or hold a certificate of public convenience and necessity under section 5101 for ferry service between Chebeague Island and the mainland of Cumberland County north of Tukeys Bridge."

As the Chebeague Transportation Company emerged to become the primary means of access to the Island, the Company assumed greater community responsibilities for the benefit of both the year-round and seasonal populations. Many of these services are rendered at no cost and, certainly, the Island is a better and safer place to reside as a result of our ability to provide these services.

We transport all of the school children between grades 7 and 12 between Chebeague and Cousins on a daily basis during the school year. These services are rendered under a contract with MSAD #51. School children can also ride at no charge to and from extracurricular activities and the Company operates twelve trips during the school year to permit children to attend evening activities such as interscholastic athletic events and school sponsored dances.

CTC also supports the rescue unit on the Island. Our employees are on call 24 hours a day to assist the Island rescue squad (which includes CTC's two senior captains and other employees) in transporting victims of sickness, accident or death. This function has the highest priority and is the foremost reason why the Company maintains its vessels in a ready-to-go status at all times (including backup vessels). Rescue transportation is provided at no cost. In the cases of funerals and extended periods of hospitalization, the Company also provides free transportation. We do this because we have a sincere belief in working together and feel a moral obligation to assist those in need.

The Company also transports numerous public officials in the performance of their duties. The Town of Cumberland uses CTC when it holds public meetings on the Island. The assessor uses our facilities in reviewing properties, as do the building inspector, fire chief and state fire marshall. The police routinely use the CTC transportation system, and historically have been transported on our boats. Equipment and personnel required to maintain the infrastructure on the Island have used CTC to transport not only employees, but paving equipment and public works trucks. We transport teachers -- ones who live on Chebeague and teach on the mainland, and those who live on the mainland and teach our children on the Island.

The Island no longer benefits from a resident physician. Designated as a Health Manpower Shortage Area by the State of Maine's Department of Human Services, the Rural Health Program assists in serving the medical needs of Islanders. Also, Community Health Services provide visiting nurses and wellness screening programs. All of these healthcare providers benefit from our regular and timely service at a reduced rate. In addition, free parking is provided to the doctor for regular visits to the Island.

The Company has historically provided service to those participating in Cumberland's recreation programs, as well as Little League baseball, permitting Island youngsters to participate in mainland sporting events and to benefit from various field trips. The Chebeague Island Council, Inc., a non-profit agency, sponsors a swimming program for children during the summer. Recently, this program has been held on the mainland, and the children have benefitted from the generosity of the Company.

In its study of transportation in Casco Bay, the Greater Portland Council of Governments reports that among non-Chebeague residents, Yarmouth citizens travel to Chebeague in greater numbers than do residents from any other Maine city or town.

In summary, Chebeague Transportation Company is the primary provider of transportation services to Chebeague Island, and has fulfilled this role for many, many years. With the support of its passengers/stockholders and assistance from the Town of Cumberland, the Company has done so in a totally self-sufficient manner. The Company is an integral part of the social fabric of Chebeague, providing services essential to the livelihood, health and safety of the Island's residents, both full-time and seasonal, as well as visitors.

For more information, call CTC at 207-846-3700 or send e-mail to: ctc@nlis.net.

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