The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority's deadline for submitting service proposals for the new marine passenger terminal is more than three weeks away, but an agency official indicated yesterday a second chance already is likely.
That's because just two ferry operators - Put-in-Bay Boat Line Co., operator of the Jet Express catamarans between Port Clinton and South Bass Island, and Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Lines Inc., which runs more conventional ferries to the Lake Erie Islands out of Marblehead - sent representatives to a facility briefing and tour yesterday that the agency made a prerequisite for submitting proposals.
Kelly Rivera Nye, the port authority's communications director, said later yesterday she had just received a phone call from a representative of Hover Transit Services of Toronto.
The caller said the company is interested in potential Toledo ferry operations, but its officials did not learn of the idea until yesterday.
The port authority's legal advertisements requesting ferry-service and terminal management proposals for the $3.2 million waterfront facility set a deadline of Dec. 7 for submitting proposals, and required candidates to attend yesterday's tour. But Mrs. Nye said it's virtually certain there will be a second request for proposals.
"There were a few people that missed it, and we want to get them to the table," she said.
It may take another round of proposals to get the sort of service local officials hoped for when a $1.2 million federal grant - later increased to $2.6 million - for the marine terminal first was announced back in 1997: fast ferries to Windsor, Ont., to Detroit, or to the Lake Erie Islands that would be time-competitive with I-75 to the Detroit area or driving to existing Erie Islands ferry docks in Ottawa County.
Todd Blumenseedt, Put-in-Bay Boat Line's vice president, said he envisions running boats from Toledo to Detroit, Windsor, or both, but probably would start out with charter operations rather than scheduled ferries. "We have to do some planning, have some discussions with some of the communities we serve," Mr. Blumenseedt said.
Scott Stevenson, the Kelleys Island line's director of operations, said he thought a Toledo ferry "could possibly work," but he wasn't sure his company was best for the role.
"When I first heard about it, I knew it was going to be more of a market for Todd [Blumenseedt]," Mr. Stevenson said. "He has faster boats than I do."
The port authority invited more than a dozen firms - potential ferry operators and businesses that might want to manage the terminal - to attend the facility briefing and tour yesterday. A public dedication and tours are scheduled for Monday.
Besides Put-in-Bay Boat Line and Kelleys Island Ferry, representatives from V/Gladieux Enterprises Inc.; Maumee River Navigation Co., and Harbor Behavioral Healthcare attended the briefing and tour yesterday.
Gladieux is a potential terminal manager or caterer, Maumee River Navigation operates water taxis in Toledo, and Harbor officials attended as a first step toward exploring employment opportunities for Harbor clients at the terminal.
Mrs. Rivera, who conducted the event, said the terminal will have a "warming kitchen" suitable for banquets, but no liquor license. Officials hope that ferries serving the facilities will provide refreshments for their passengers.
"There are about 1,400 people a day going up to Detroit and Windsor on I-75," she said. "We'd be competing against the buses that already go up there, but I think we would cater to an upscale clientele, and we'd prefer vessels with liquor permits."
For now, the terminal can accommodate only vessels on domestic routes, Mrs. Rivera said. Space for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, while provided in the terminal, is unfinished and not included in the initial construction phase's budget.
Also deferred to the future is the cost of building a ramp for Hovercraft-type vessels.
The terminal's rated seating capacity for banquets is 350, and Tim Gladieux, the president of V/Gladieux, said it should become a popular Toledo event spot.
"It's a great setting next to the new bridge," Mr. Gladieux said, referring to the neighboring Veterans' Glass City Skyway. "A little bit of landscaping and some warm weather, and it'll be very attractive, I'd think. It'll be a nice new venue for banquet facilities and catered events."
Contact David Patch at:
dpatch@theblade.com
or 419-724-6094.
First Published November 17, 2007, 12:20 p.m.