Monthly Archives: April 2013

DOT Plans to Double CT River Ferry Fares, Announces Meetings to Discuss Proposals

Posted on by
Reply
ferry 2The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) announced yesterday (April 5) that it will be holding two public meetings regarding plans to raise the fares on the two Connecticut River Ferries starting July 1, 2013.  The ferries affected are the Chester-Hadlyme and Rocky Hill-Glastonbury routes.
DOT says in a press release that the increases are necessary to offset the rising operating costs that have occurred over the years.  Fares have not been raised since 2003.
Under the proposal, effective July 1, vehicle fares will be increased from the current $3 per crossing to $6.   Fares for walk-on passengers and bicyclists will be increased from $1 per crossing to $2.  The price of the Discount Coupon Book that now costs $40 for a book of 20 coupon tickets (a 33 percent savings) will be increased to $80 (also a 33 percent savings).

“We are committed to maintaining the ferry operations serving tourists, commuters, pedestrians and bicyclists alike,” stated Commissioner James P. Redeker.  “Raising the fares has been carefully considered.  Fare increases are never popular, but costs for operating the ferries have consistently been significantly greater than passenger revenues, resulting in a state subsidy of $651,000 in the most recent fiscal year.”

The two public meetings on the fare increases will be held:

  • May 20, 6:30 pm – 9:00 p.m., Rocky Hill Community Center, Room 1
  • May 22, 6:30 pm – 9:00 p.m., Chester Meeting House

Commissioner Redeker noted that a Strategic Business Plan was developed in consultation with the Connecticut River Ferry Task Force, a group of concerned citizens.  Several of the recommendations from that effort have been implemented.  The Department is installing new road signs that will direct the public to the “Historic Connecticut River Ferry.”  Significantly, new environmentally compliant engines were installed in both the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry and the -Hadlyme Ferry during the 2012-2013 winter maintenance period.

The Chester-Hadlyme Ferry began its season on Monday, April 1, and will run through Nov. 30.  The Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry season is from May 1 to Oct. 31.

Exchange Program Seeks Host Families for International Students

Posted on by
Reply

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is seeking local host families for boys and girls from a variety of countries around the world. These students are 15 to 18 years of age, and are coming to this area for the upcoming high school year or semester.  These personable and academically select exchange students have good English, are bright, curious and anxious to learn about the USA by living as part of a family, attending high school and sharing their own culture and language.

The exchange students arrive from their home country shortly before school begins and return at the end of the school year or semester.  Each ASSE student is fully insured, brings his or her own personal spending money and expects to bear his or her share of household responsibilities, as well as being included in normal family activities and lifestyles.

The students are well screened and qualified by ASSE.  Families may select the youngster of their choice from extensive student applications, family photos and biographical essays.

To become a host family or find out more about ASSE and its programs, call Joyce 207-737-4666 or 1-800-677-2773 or visit www.asse.com.  There are many students from which to choose — Area Representatives also sought.

 Editor’s Note: ASSE International is a nonprofit 501.c.3 educational and cultural exchange organization headquartered in Laguna Beach, California.  ASSE promotes global learning and leadership by offering a unique, richly personal experience for students, volunteer families, host high schools and local communities. ASSE reaches across interpersonal and international borders, celebrating worldwide community through the spirit, character and promise of our youth.

Chester-Hadlyme Ferry Resumes Operations for 244th Year

Posted on by
2
Engine room_640

John Marshall, captain of the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, shows off one of two new John Deere 205-HP engines installed in the 60-year-old Selden III ferry over the winter by CT Department of Transportation.

The historic Chester-Hadlyme Ferry resumed service Monday for its 244th year with a “First Sailing” party organized by the Hadlyme Public Hall Association, which spearheaded a campaign two years ago to save the ferry service from state budget cuts.

A number of Department of Transport officials from Hartford attended the event to help celebrate the installation of the engines.

Death of Donald Porter Announced, Former WW2 B-24 Fighter Pilot

Posted on by
1

Don_Porter_Gramps in CotuitDonald Lindsay Porter passed away peacefully on March 18, 2013.  The son of Frank Porter and Grace Day Porter Leavitt, he was born on May 14, 1922 and grew up in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

He served as a B-24 pilot in World War II, flying thirty-two missions over Germany.

After the war, Don met Margaret Edwards, the love of his life, at the University of Northern Iowa.  They married in Hong Kong in 1949, where Don worked for Chase Manhattan Bank.  After Hong Kong, Don and Margaret raised three children while enjoying life in Panama, Trinidad, Argentina, and Venezuela. In 1984 Don and Margaret retired to Old Lyme, CT.

Don was a natural storyteller, beautiful painter, ready singer, and great debater.  His family and friends will never forget his overflowing energy, wit, charm, and love.

Don is survived by his brother Darrell Porter; his children Mark Porter, Lindsay Diehl, and Sarah Waterbury; and grandchildren McCosh Thayer, Katharine Thayer, Kemper Diehl, Porter Diehl, James Porter, Caleb O’Brien, and Ezra O’Brien.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, (2 Ferry Road, Old Lyme, CT), on Sunday, June 9, 2013.  All are welcome.  In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme for the Donald and Margaret Porter Memorial Fund.

Talking Transportation: TSA – The Toughest Job in Transportation

Posted on by
Reply

Jim CameronWho do you think has the toughest job in transportation?  Airline pilots?  Long-haul truck drivers?  Metro-North conductors?    To my thinking, the toughest job is being an airport TSA agent.

Forget the recent furor over revised Transportation Security Administration rules soon to allow small knives in carry-on luggage.  The plastic knives the flight attendants distribute in snack packs in-flight are already sharp enough to slit a throat.  By not worrying about every pen-knife and nail clipper, TSA agents should have more time to concentrate on truly lethal weapons.

A far bigger threat to aviation security is liquid explosives and non-metal knives.  Ceramic knives are undetectable on magnetometers, which is why the TSA brought in those full-body scanners we love so much.

But I think the biggest threat to aviation safety is the public’s anger at the TSA agents who are just doing their job.  After a thorough TSA screening at an airport last month I saw an angry passenger literally curse at the agent.  That passenger wasn’t pulled aside and given a retaliatory body cavity search. To her credit the agent kept her cool and didn’t get into even a verbal fight.  Could you be so thick-skinned?

It’s been 12 years since 9/11.  Have we forgotten what can happen when determined, armed terrorists take over a plane?  The TSA screens 1.8 million passengers a day.  If just one of those fliers got an undetected weapon onto a plane and blew it up, imagine the uproar.

Remember the holy triad of service:  fast, good and cheap.  You can achieve any two of those, but not all three.  Clearly, the top priority is “good” security.  So in this age of sequestration we’re unlikely to see quality compromised for speed.

If you want to fly, put up and shut up:  put up with the long lines while the agents do their jobs properly to keep you safe and keep your mouth shut.

Passenger protests have brought some TSA screening changes which seem arbitrary.  Like the recent rule allowing passengers over age 75 to keep their shoes on.  Terrorists can’t be that old?

And what passes for the rare TSA inspection of Amtrak passengers is more for show than real security. Unless every bag is opened, the rare and random briefcase examination or quick dog-walk through a moving train seems to be just “showing the colors”.

What do all these TSA inspections do, aside from create long lines and frustrated fliers?  They turn up an amazing amount of weapons.  The TSA’s weekly blog makes for fascinating reading.

In one recent week alone the TSA intercepted 32 firearms, 27 of them loaded, and ten stun guns. There were clips of ammo, brass knuckles and (no surprise) sheer stupidity:  a passenger flying out of San Juan told the ticket agent that her bag contained a bomb and she was going to blow up the plane. After an inspection by the TSA, her bag didn’t have a bomb. But as a result of her threat, the ticket counter, checkpoint and terminal were closed for nearly an hour, inconveniencing thousands.

And there were, as the TSA blog put it, “consequences” for the flier.

JIM CAMERON has been a commuter out of Darien for 22 years.  He is Chairman of the CT Metro-North / Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council, and a member of the Coastal Corridor TIA and the Darien RTM.  You can reach him at CTRailCommuterCouncil@gmail.com or www.trainweb.org/ct .  For a full collection of “Talking Transportation” columns, see www.talkingtransportation.blogspot.com