Glastonbury Town Council to Send Letter to Attorney General

The Glastonbury Town Council did not take a formal vote Tuesday night, but decided to have the Town Manager Richard J. Johnson send a letter to the Attorney General’s office to see if there are any options for saving the .

The letter would ask for any ways to stop the closure of the ferry as well as clarification of some of the statues surrounding it.

“Just to ask if there are some protections for the continuation of the ferry,” Johnson said about the letter.

The council also discussed meeting with the Department of Transportation. The meeting would allow council members to ask if there is any way to “narrow the gap between expenses and revenue” of the ferry.

“Expenses far out weigh revenue,” Johnson said.  No date for the meeting was officially set, but it is expected to be sometime in September, Johnson stated.

The concept of forming a foundation with surrounding towns was also discussed, but no specific action was taken on the topic.

Johnson said the town is “mindful” of the state’s budget problems, but added the longest continuously operating ferry in the United States is important for all of Connecticut, not just Glastonbury.

“We think this is an historical asset for the state,” Johnson said. He added that the ferry provides economical, recreational and educational value to the state and surrounding towns.

On July 15, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy submitted if an agreement couldn’t be reached with the unions. Part of that plan included eliminating the ferry services and laying off all eight ferry employees.

In a close vote Monday, the Rocky Hill Town Council approved a motion, which stated,

Last week, the Rocky Hill Town Council in the against the DOT and the state comptroller to stop the closure of the Hadlyme-Chester Ferry.  However, the town of Rocky Hill was never allowed to intervene and Judge Henry Cohn

Kevin Nursick, DOT spokesman, has stated in , "under ideal circumstances," the DOT would like to keep the ferries. However, the "circumstances are far from ideal."

He added the ferries are only one of the “painful decisions“ that the DOT made, which included major rail and bus fare increases, canceling some weekend train services and over 500 employee layoffs.

The on the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry at the , at 761 Old Main St., on Aug. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be a brief presentation followed by public comment.