Glen Cove Faces Deadline To Provide Ferry Service To Manhattan Or Pay Up

GLEN COVE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A ferry terminal, but no ferry?

Glen Cove faces a deadline to provide ferry service to Manhattan. First, it must find someone to operate the ferry, and then find a way to make it affordable for commuters.

Federal, state and city money funded the ferry terminal in Glen Cove – a key component of waterfront redevelopment. But as CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reports, the city still hasn't found an operator to run the ferry service.

The Penas, longtime residents, came down to the docks to take a look Tuesday.

"What I'd like to see is our fishing club back. I don't use the ferry," Frank Pena told McLogan.

"The terminal is sitting there empty," Barbara Pena added. "Nobody is using it, and it is a big waste of taxpayers' money."

Resident Maureen Tracy called it a "pipe dream," saying when the MTA paid for temporary ferry service there during the 2017 "Summer of Hell," fares were too costly, ridership too low, weather uncertain, parking unreliable and dock space in Manhattan congested.

So will taxpayers be stuck with the $22.5 million ferry project bill?

"When this was proposed by the City Council of Glen Cove, they never told the citizens that if they didn't get a ferry, that the city of Glen Cove would be obligated to pay the federal government back," said Tracy.

There may be a silver lining – the massive Garvies Point development that's under construction next to the ferry terminal, building more than 1,000 condominiums and apartments. Uniondale's RXR Reality has pledged to help subsidize a ferry.

"We have invested a lot of money, the federal government has, the state has. They all believe in this project," Glen Cove Mayor Timothy Tenke said.

Experts say ferry service in the Northeast is growing – when commuting times are made convenient.

"In terms of transit dollars, it's relatively inexpensive. You don't have to lay tracks or build a road -- the water's already there," said Roland Lewis, of the Waterfront Alliance.

"Just having the option of catching the ferry that's down the road from my house," resident Anthony Zaki said.

"Being outside, being in the sun, you don't feel so trapped," said resident Joe Olivio.

The mayor and Garvies Point developers will meet with federal officials Wednesday to request a deadline extension of at least a year. Otherwise, come January 1, a ferry service must be running there or the city will have to repay millions in grants.