Town Will Wait to Join Ferry Lawsuit

Possible legal solutions to prevent the shutdown of the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry were discussed at the Town Council meeting Monday night.

Mayor Anthony LaRosa said that Rocky Hill could join the list of towns that are suing the state to stop the closure of the ferries. On Monday afternoon, Board of Selectmen in Lyme unanimously voted to sue the state to stop the ferries from shutting down.

However, LaRossa said he is waiting to see how much the lawsuit will cost the town.

“Unfortunately, we are not going to take the lead in this because every time we take the lead, it ends up costing us way too much money,” LaRosa said.

In Gov. Dannel Malloy's current plan to fix the $1.6 billion budget deficit, he would eliminate both ferry services and lay off the eight Department of Transportation workers who run them. 

Rep. Antonio Guerrera spoke to the council Monday night and said he is “working extremely hard” to save the oldest continuously operating ferry service.

The legal staff at the state capital is looking at two state statutes that will prohibit any legislative body or the governor from shutting down the ferries, Guerrera said.

The two statutes:

Sec. 13a-252. Certain ferries to be operated by state. Fees. Rocky Hill ferry deemed a state historic structure. (a) The ferries crossing the Connecticut River, known as the Rocky Hill ferry and the Chester and Hadlyme ferry, shall be maintained and operated by the Commissioner of Transportation at the expense of the state. The rates of toll or the charges to be made for travel upon said ferries shall be fixed by the commissioner with the approval of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. The commissioner may establish a discounted commuter rate for travel upon said ferries.

      (b) All expense of maintenance, repairs and operation of said ferries shall be paid by the Comptroller on vouchers of the commissioner. The commissioner shall include in his report to the General Assembly a report of the receipts and expenditures incidental to the control and maintenance of said ferries. Said Rocky Hill ferry shall be maintained as a state historic structure and shall be so marked with an appropriate plaque by the commissioner in cooperation with the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

Sec. 13b-31d. Alteration or improvement of scenic road. Prior to altering or improving a state highway or portion thereof that has been designated a scenic road, pursuant to section 13b-31c, the Commissioner of Transportation shall cause to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality or municipalities in which such scenic road is located, a notice describing the alteration or improvement. There shall be a comment period following the public notice during which interested persons may submit written comments.

“I thought it was my duty to come here to alert you on what is going on with the ferry,” Guerrera said. 

Another option that Guerra is exploring to save the ferries is increasing other types of fares like train and bus to help subsidize the ferries.

“Many of us don’t use trains that go into Fairfield County, but we all flip the bill for that,” Guerrera said.