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Hey send them this article: This was a Rochester NY city venture 50 million lost in first year. Now they want to dig a deeper hole!!! Oh the new Democrat Mayor who replaced the old democrat Mayor Johnson. Duffy: Failed ferry won't sink port Brian Sharp Staff writer (January 21, 2006) — Mayor Robert Duffy urged Charlotte merchants to look beyond the failed ferry venture Friday, reminding them of the $157 million in public money invested in the port over the past decade. "You look around, the changes here have been profound," Duffy said, pointing not just to the terminal but also to road improvements and the O'Rorke Bridge. "(The ferry decision) in no way suggests a lack of support for this area. We're going to be right there with you." The Harbor Merchants Association invited Duffy and his top advisers to address concerns after his Jan. 10 decision to pull the plug on the ferry and begin digging the city out of the $42 million debt incurred by the ferry itself and its operations. Duffy and his senior staff spent two hours fielding questions, at times drawing applause. While at the terminal, city administrators ripped down no-parking warnings taped to the front doors that one worried merchant said gave the impression that the building was closed. The officials promised to tear out pay-to-park boxes so people can park for free. They pledged to improve snow plowing. And they asked for suggestions for events to bring people to the area in the coming weeks and months. Millions more in public and private dollars are anticipated, with consultants drafting a master plan for future housing and commercial development. Efforts are under way to reuse the old firehouse, open a new Charlotte Village and Transportation Museum and extend the Genesee Riverway Trail to Petten Street. Duffy and Deputy Mayor Patty Malgieri met this week to discuss how shutting down the ferry might affect the city's capital improvements plan. Malgieri said the discussion focused on some reuse of the terminal staging area, which can accommodate 200 vehicles, on parking and on the possibility of additional marina space. City Council this week approved hiring Steve Gibbs and the Gibbs Marine Group as operator and manager of the new River Street Marine. Along with 112 boat slips, there is a building with restrooms, showers, laundry, lockers and a small office. The marina opens April 15, offering wireless Internet as well as dockside power and cable TV hookups. "The port needs one of two things," Gibbs, who lives in Greece, said in a phone interview. "That's either a major attraction — and that would be a regional attraction to bring people down to the port — or it needs housing and a community there to keep people down at the port, kind of like they did at Corn Hill Landing." Already, it seemed Friday, some merchants were doing what Duffy asked — moving beyond thoughts of the ferry. "Let's face it," said Lee Selover, president of the Harbor Merchants Association. "The ferry never got up and running. A couple months here, a couple months there. Nobody ever understood what the impact could be." During his terminal visit, Duffy had a quiet conversation with two Bay Ferries employees whose final workday was Friday. With the shutdown, Bay Ferries and the Rochester Ferry Co. are cutting staff to five or six people who will stay on until the ship is sold. The total number of employees affected was not immediately available. As the mayor later prepared to return to City Hall, he shook hands with ferry terminal shop owners and promised to return. Then he reconsidered leaving, turned and directed the five staffers with him into the empty Quiznos for an early lunch. "I would rather have a more short-term solution so we all survive through the winter," said Quiznos owner Kiran Patel, estimating that business has slowed to fewer than 25 customers a day. "Usually, I'm all by myself here. When I see a customer, I get delighted." Related articles: Mayor open to gambling at port Dumb and Dumber> What's next Mayor Robert Duffy will bring his first City Hall on the Road, a public session with city staff to the ferry terminal building the evening of Feb. 1. Advertisement