Page Twelve  

08 NOVEMBER 2004

Whew!  Some lucky break, eh?

U.S. government has determined that High-speed Lake Ontario can carry commercial trucks.   by The Toronto Star (September 24, 2004) Ferry gets approval for some trucks ASSOCIATED PRESS ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The U.S. government has determined that a high-speed Lake Ontario car ferry, now out of service and tied up at port, should be allowed to carry commercial trucks under certain conditions. A memo from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said trucks certified through two programs that investigate applicants ahead of time would be allowed on the ferry. Dubbed FAST and C-TPAT, the programs are designed to speed border inspections. Trucks not cleared through the programs would be directed to the Greater Rochester International Airport for examination and be subject to additional fees, Democratic Representative Louise Slaughter of Fairport, N.Y., told the Democrat & Chronicle of Rochester. The ferry, intended to provide service between Rochester and Toronto, was suspended two weeks ago after only three months of operation due to financial problems and government regulations. Contributing to those problems was the ferry's inability to carry commercial trucks, according to Canadian American Transportation Systems, which estimates it could make up to $18,000 US a day if it were allowed to transport trucks. CATS president Cornel Martin told the newspaper that few, if any, trucking companies are approved through the customs programs and that trucks should be able to use the ferry without restrictions. Still, there's some question of whether trucks would even use the ferry should it resume service. Senator Charles Schumer said CATS must figure out a way to make it financially viable to use the ship. Some companies, including Eastman Kodak Co., have told him the cost of using the ferry is prohibitive, he said. CP 1105ES 24-09-04 (link)

"Cost of using the ferry (for trucks) is prohibitive"?  How can that be??

CATS wouldn't gouge the trucking companies in a bid to boost its sagging revenue, would it?  I mean, for a single car and its driver, a round-trip cost US$120/ C$162 (link) - that seems reasonable to go All The Way to Toronto (Rochester) and back isn't it?

Never mind that a modestly fuel efficient car could easily make FIVE round trips between the cities for that money... even with record high gas prices.  Truck fares aboard the Breeze haven't been posted, but to make 'up to $18,000 a day' from commercial traffic, you can bet the one-way fare could buy several dozen gallons of diesel.  No time saved, no money saved.  Great business case to pitch to trucking firms.

Maybe CATS hopes the coffee, danish and a movie will convince the trucking execs that they should pamper their drivers more.  (Of course, a few on-board prostitutes might do the same thing, but this is a family-safe website and we won't go into the details..  "Take the Whore-Line Express to Toronto And Leave the Driving To Us!").

An 'exciting alternative to driving'?  Just what truckers are looking for, n'est-ce pas?  Can't maximize the Fun Factor enough, that's for sure.

'The Enron On The Lake'.  'The CATS-tastrophy of the New Millennium'.   'The White Elephant of the Great Lakes'.   The list is endless, but it all points to one thing... students??

"There aren't enough passengers to keep the Ferry profitable over the long term".

Truck this, CATS.  Have you guys figured out how you're going to repay the millions of tax dollars you just sent to the lake bottom feeders yet?  I mean, you failed to deliver what YOU promised; why should the taxpayers be forced to foot YOUR bill... to pay for YOUR mistake?  That tub's worth more in scrap to us than it is sitting collecting rust in the Port of Rochester.  At least we'd have more income than we're seeing now.

Funny thing about public financing of private companies: if the private company turns a healthy profit, a relative few benefit.  If the company goes under, the public's left holding the very empty bag and end up being the fall guys.  Somebody wanna tell me how the public benefited from this deal?  Somebody wanna explain how the public's supposed to be repaid?

No... didn't think so.

18 NOVEMBER 2004

Thursday   November 18, 2004

Ferry Fate Revealed Thursday?   by Seth Voorhees/Sarah Freligh Published Nov 17, 2004 Rochester Mayor William Johnson has called a news conference Thursday morning at City Hall to discuss the future of the fast ferry. The scheduled news conference comes one day after R News learned of a meeting between city leaders and the local state delegation to discuss a plan for the city to purchase the ferry service. As merchants decorated the ferry terminal at the Port of Rochester Wednesday, they hoped for a little holiday cheer themselves. The lunch crowd at Tom Beaman's sushi bar Wednesday totaled three. He and other merchants welcome the possibility of a city takeover of the idle ferry, “The Spirit of Ontario”.  (ed. Hey, swell party there, Tom.  Deck the halls and all that...) "I'm looking forward to the time the boat does run, whether or not anyone runs it,” said Beaman. “Without the boat the whole economic plan is not going on.” The ferry remains locked in port, two months after its owners, Canadian American Transportation System, shut down the struggling vessel. Sources tell us an announcement about the city's possible ownership role in the ferry could come in the next day or two. State senator Jim Alesi says he and other state lawmakers from the area will meet with city officials Friday. Alesi expects the city to outline its plans regarding the ferry. If the city of Rochester were to take over operations of the fast ferry, more taxpayer money would likely be needed. Given the ferry's financial difficulties already, Alesi says convincing lawmakers more public money was needed might be difficult. “I want to support the ferry,” said Alesi. “But it's gonna have to really look good for me to say yes to investing any taxpayer money in it now."  (ed. Oh, did 'we' neglect to report Jim A's on-camera declaration of, 'Now that the ferry's flopped...'.  s'OK guys... gotcha covered...) Alesi says he'd prefer a public partnership with substantial private investment. City officials would not comment, and CATS, the company which owns the ferry, did not return our calls. Meanwhile, at the Port of Rochester, antsy merchants hope for any good news, so their investment might start to pay dividends. “We're just sitting here waiting and ready for the port to take off,” said Beaman.

Somebody crack open that barrel of Lithium; we've got us some serious delusional cases here.

What... what can be said?  The 'city of Rochester' is now considering 'buying' a proven failure of a business?  Even more ludicrous, the 'city of Rochester' thinks private investors are going to be pushing and shoving to dump cash into a private venture which couldn't make a go of it even with the deep pockets of government support?

Oh... right.  This is the town where building ONE undomed $30 million sports venue hemorrhaging red ink just isn't enough; "Let's build another one!!" is the battle-cry of the Truly Reality-Challenged local pasty-faced Good 'Ol Boy Network.  Yeah... it would be reasonable to believe a few of the local Follow-The-'Leader' set would ante-up to toss some diesel in the tanks and 'prove' the Breeze can actually make a few crossings before scuttling once and for all.

You Go, Bill!   Do it.. do it.. do it!  "Jump!  Jump!  Jump!"  What a spectacular way to bury the city of Rochester in more debt!

Friday   November 19, 2004

The ship hasn't moved since Sept. Mayor: Buy Ferry Now, Or It's Gone by Seth Voorhees Published Nov 18, 2004 Mayor Bill Johnson says it was never his intention for the city to run the fast ferry. He changed his mind when it became clear that might be the only way to keep the service in Rochester. With the failure of ferry ownership to find private investors, and the boat’s Australian lenders seeing their loan for the ship going bad, the city has made an offer to purchase the ferry. “I can stand here and say to you with total truth and honesty that no other solution is apparently and presently available,” said Rochester mayor William Johnson. The mayor proposes the state create a port and ferry authority, which would sell nearly $40 million dollars in bonds to pay for operations. He says city residents would not foot the bill. “This is not a taxpayer subsidy,” said Johnson. “There is not one penny of taxpayer subsidy included in this plan.” The ferry still sits docked at the Port of Rochester. CATS, its debt-ridden owners pulled the plug on operations in September. Under the proposed deal, the city would not take over CATS, but merely buy the boat. “This is not a bailout of CATS,” said Linda Kingsley, city corporation counsel. Some representatives from CATS were present for the mayor’s announcement. “I think it's sad CATS has ended up the way it's going,” said Bob Mansfield, the man who oversees the technical end of the ferry. “But the main interest is that the ferry should stay in Charlotte and run between the routes. That's a great thing for the community.” One advantage the city has -- it can spread the ferry debt out over a longer period of time. Plus, the city is not obligated to make a profit, though that is possible.  (ed. SOUND financial rationale there.  A business either (a) makes a profit (b) breaks even or (c) loses money.  So far, the Ferry Fiasco has done only one of the three.  Given that, why would the city of Rochester be eager to take on a venture which is a proven loser?) Members of city council will look at the proposed ferry business plan. Council must sign off on any purchase of the ferry. Also, the state legislature would have to approve the setup of a port authority. The mayor hopes that will happen by the end of February. City officials will meet with Rochester's state legislative delegation Friday, to lay out the plan. They have some convincing to do. State Senator Jim Alesi (R) says he wants to support the ferry, but doesn’t want taxpayers to have to foot a large bill. “I am very, very cautious about creating an authority that the sole purpose of which is to create debt to help buy the ferry and operate the ferry,” said Alesi. Democratic Assemblyman Joe Morrelle also remains reluctant to support the ferry as a public venture. “This is not an essential service it seems to me. Not in the same way that police protection is. Not in the same way that running our education system is. So, the question to ask is the degree to which a non-essential service like this merits being run entirely by a public government,” said Morrelle. Any deal would take considerable negotiation with numerous parties involved, including those owed money by CATS. State leaders meet with the mayor and city leaders Friday morning. Mayor Johnson says if the chips fall into place, the ferry could restart service by April. “Our view is we have the opportunity to try to save this venture,” said Johnson. Fast Ferry

Hate to say it, but I'm getting the feeling this ferry has seen it's last voyage from Rochester to Toronto. (File that one under 'Overstating The Obvious"). Even though there's been a packed schedule of backroom negotiation ('pleading'?) going on (ie. "Confidentiality statements prevent us from saying..."), to quote Dylan: "It doesn't take a weatherman to tell which way the wind's blowing".

Remember back on October 4 the headlines were "Area awaits ferry decision"?  That was when CATS had just kicked into Desperation Mode and was making a last ditch attempt to get EFIC to release the $1.7 million in escrow which would Save The Day.  Anybody ever hear how those talks went?  No?  Do we really need to read how it went in the papers?  Or may we safely assume EFIC was still on hands and knees in riotous laughter?

Step back from the local Rochester scene and this area looks pretty damn foolish.  It's one thing to have a private concern make an awesome blunder, but to have the mayor make a pathetic attempt to BUY the screwup just to have a fancy window dressing for the Port is humiliating.  Not only does the local business community appear totally clueless, but now the local political 'leaders' have lost any semblance of credibility as well.  That's a MAH-velous selling point to attract business and development to a backwater region which has decayed to the point of crumbling infrastructure, mass vacancies and layoffs in the tens of thousands.

Just spewing hot air here?  For your perusal:

Thursday, November 18, 2004
Home > Business	Rochester Time:  3:20 am

OK.  Let's take a look at the numbers.  The Rochester area drops in an economic performance rating from 93rd to 182nd out of the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.... in FOUR years.  Rochester is no longer able to manage a smug sneer in light of its western neighbours, Buffalo/Niagara Falls' rating (173) or the eastern folks in Syracuse (149).  The writing's definitely on the wall for Rochester.

Friday   November 19, 2004

Terminal's sub shop cut half its staff. Ferry Buyout Welcome At Port by Anthony Pascale photo by Helen Moore Published Nov 18, 2004 Several of the businesses inside the Port of Rochester terminal are welcoming news of a city buyout of the fast ferry. Ever since the ferry stopped service between Rochester and Toronto, many of the businesses have experienced a significant decline in traffic. The owner of Quiznos Subs says he has cut half of his workforce because things are so slow. He says he banked on ferry traffic but without it he may have to close. "Since it has been shut down, we have never had any information so I think this is positive information," owner Kiran Patel said of the city's plans. "The first chance to hear something coming back from officials saying there's a plan and that's something," Patel said. Several business owners inside the terminal have formed a merchants association and have written a letter to CATS, the ferry operator. The association asked for several things including a reduction in rent because business is so slow.

Oh my g'dness.  Who coulda seen THAT coming?   A ferry terminal 'Merchants Association'?  Think that group needs to rent the Grand Ballroom for its meetings?

Yeah... SURE!  I mean, all commercial landlords and mortgage holders will cut the monthly payment if 'business is slow', don't they?  Talk about the blind relying on the blind for help...

Just when I thought I could settle my brain for a long winter's nap, the D&C comes out with its definitive in-depth journalist exposé on "Why the ferry foundered".  DO tell, my local scandalmeisters...

Thursday, November 18, 2004
Home > News > Local News	Rochester Time:  3:54 am

Why the fast ferry foundered ... Wave of bad decisions, bad luck, plus lack of cash gave The Breeze its sinking feeling Will Yurman, staff photographer Ferry founder and co-owner Dominick Delucia Related articles: Ferry's money woes   Poor planning for ferry project   Customer disservice and the ferry   Ferry's lousy luck   Political pressure on the ferry   Canada and the ferry   Was due diligence done on the ferry's business plan?   Ferry's triumphs lighten up the gloom   2 dealmakers sold a vision of ferry dark with flaws   Transcript of interview with CATS founder Related files: (PDF Files) Correspondence regarding pilotage fees   Letter from the FDA following inspection of the fast ferry   Description of failed promises Rick Armon Staff writer (November 14, 2004) — The Spirit of Ontario cruised into the Port of Rochester in late April riding a wave of popularity. One of Rochester's most anticipated projects was finally here after many fits and starts. Supporters expected the vessel to put the region on the world map. But after operating for less than three months, the ship, funded with millions in public assistance, abruptly shut down. The ferry, nicknamed The Breeze, sailed between Rochester and Toronto for the last time on Sept. 7, leaving many bewildered. After all, it had carried about 140,000 passengers. The ferry sits idle in the Genesee River and draws comparisons to the downtown Hyatt Regency Rochester. That hotel project was a major source of community embarrassment in the late 1980s and early '90s because it sat half-built for three years when a developer's financing fell apart. It was rescued only after civic leaders banded together. CATS, its investors and political leaders are now trying to resurrect the ferry service — under a self-imposed gag order. But interviews with dozens of sources and examination of scores of documents reveal what went wrong — a combination of questionable business decisions, bad luck and a lack of cash. Ferry supporters believe the service will resume and that the painful lessons won't be repeated. "Clearly, the fact that they were able to get tens of thousands of people to go on the ferry is indicative that there was the market there and it says to me that it's possible that it could work," Rochester Councilman Brian Curran said. "That doesn't mean it will, but it's possible."

Click on the links above and use your browser's Back button to get back to this page.

Where to begin?  I'll get back with a gentle analysis of the Dominick Delucia interview.  Need to let the Niceness meds kick in a bit first. (Actually, there's a lesson to be learned here about losing five hours worth of writing by not doing a backup.  It was superb, if I do say so myself.)

All right.  Let's try this again, shall we?

Ever the tenacious journalists, the D&C sets out to interview the rarely-seen CEO of this whole shebang, Dominick Delucia who decides it's time to emerge from his suburban enclave to offer the sage words of corporate propagand ....uhhh.. 'leadership' at work.  We Great Unwashed are truly honoured by this rare audience.

"...all of what you see in the port of Rochester would not have existed if it weren't for the arrival of the ferry. I think it's almost an understatement to say that the Port of Rochester or the Port of Charlotte, which it was called at the time, was tired and lifeless.... Now you have a very vibrant area, particularly when the weather is halfway decent. Thousands of people were down here every day and there were many, many days that that parking lot was filled to the brim with cars and we couldn't fit another one in. It certainly has revitalized this area."

Oh my YES!  Let's see 'all' we have now in the Port of Rochester, shall we?  We have a five-story boat collecting rust with a $16 million ferry terminal which has businesses trumpeting a lunch-hour crush of three patrons along with a new parking lot generating zip-nada-no revenue and indeed will incur even higher per diem costs now that the snow removal season is upon us.  We have a vacant spruced-up Port replacing a vacant unspruced-up Port with no more patronage than prior to spending tens of millions of dollars.  We have the ridicule of Toronto, the anger of consumers and the predictable loss of jobs and tourists.

Call me a cynic, but I think 'we' could do without 'all' of that.

"..I don't know. It could be that Toronto is a very big city and even though this project was endorsed by city council it didn't have the right champion at the city of Toronto at the time." 

Buzz Word Alert!!  Now where would we be without 'champions' 'championing' our initiatives?  I mean, it takes a 'champion' to 'champion' a cause so that we can see examples of true 'leadership' which is an inherent feature of a 'champion'.  Americans need 'champions' to keep track of their 'leaders'... it's a known 'fact' that minus 'champions' and 'leaders', solutions would be arrived at by general consensus and collaborative effort which is just  W A Y  too close to the dreaded Socialism. Americans need to be directed and told what to do and think.  Much like a flock of sheep and with about as much originality.

"It could be that Canadian government assistance just doesn't flow like U.S. government assistance."

Waitta minute... is that... no, I think it's... yup, here it comes... "Blame Canada, Blame Canada...."

"It could be that we weren't politically savvy enough in Canada. I don't know."

The judges award no points here.  Through the power of probability and in time, Dom was bound to get one right anyway.

"And if you recall the prime minister, Paul Martin, choose as a backdrop to his announcement of funding for the Toronto waterfront our boat to stand in front of and talk glowingly about it....That's a source of pride. When was the last time a G8 leader of the world stood around talking about a project in Rochester, New York? It hasn't happened in a long time, I think."

Well I know  *I*  fairly wet myself with giddy excitement about it and I have no doubt The Honourable Prime Minister Martin had several sleepless nights prior to the photo-op as well.  As for 'standing around talking about a project in Rochester New York' which sent the local bumpkins into a state of rapture over hearing a national leader utter the name of their town, I'd think the more pressing concern would be about the humiliation of a project which had a shelf life of less than three months.

"Why? It's the same reason that no outside developers generally want to come and do real estate projects in Rochester. They don't understand the market. They think Rochester is a second- or third-tier city. The cost of coming up to speed on these projects is a high cost. We were the only guys who had enough local knowledge and had enough incentive, both financial and social incentive to get it done."

Oh... OK  Dom.  Whatever you say.   Looks like all your 'understanding of the market' combined with your 'local knowledge' and 'financial and social incentive' actually DIDN'T 'get the job done'.  A more callous observer might even claim you're a bit of an overbearing egomaniac who doesn't know the difference between the Real Thing and Shinola.  But not here.  No, you're actually just more irritating than overbearing.

"Fuel prices. Think about that. General economic conditions would affect us. Weather affects us. Because you are subject to so many things that most other businesses are not susceptible to, because we were so susceptible to all of them, there was an undeniable risk in the project.."

Wow.  A transportation company embarking on a venture which sails across some of the the most treacherous waterways in the world NOT taking fuel costs and weather into consideration.  What are the chances of THAT happening?  Lissen Dom, let's add up the number of airlines which have gone under in the past four years due to escalating fuel and operating costs... airlines I might add, with operating budgets that make CATS look like Merle dusting off the K-Car to go for a spin down to the local 7-11.

"Weather affects us"?  What kinda idiotic pantywaist excuse is THAT??  Weather here in the northern climates affects even the paperboy's business... what makes the 'weather' any more of an impediment to CATS than any other business?  That's not called a 'business risk'; that's called 'Life In Southern Ontario and Upstate New York'.... something 'local knowledge' has prepared us to manage in a very efficient and relatively pain-free manner.  Don't like the 'business risk'?

Move south.  Please.

"You start a project before 9/11 and you have to bring it to fruition after 9/11. You start a project before anybody had a clue that an illness called SARS existed and then it's thrown in your face."

Buzz Word Alert!!  Now, in order to bring a project to 'fruition', it's imperative to ensure 'fruitless' endeavours are reduced to a point where a 'fruitful' experience will deliver the proper 'fruits' of one's labours.  To achieve 'fruition' is hardly a 'fruitless' exercise for the 'fruits' of labour are often the Just Desserts themselves.  'Fruition' is a far more 'fruity' way of saying 'accomplish' and eminently more hip among the Trendy Corporate Set who are unquestionably 'bananas' anyway.

"...why would somebody want to go to Rochester. Well, I already know those all those reasons. So I had some specialized information. I also had some individual information because I had been going to Toronto for a long time and I know how difficult that trip can be and I would bet that other people would feel the same."

"Specialized information"?  "Individual information"?  Dom, you wanna compared YOUR trip logs to and from Toronto  with MY trip logs to and from Toronto??  You wanna compare YOUR miles spent on the Lake Ontario Parkway/Thruway/QEW/Gardiner/400/401/403/404/405/406/407 (from the beginning to the end of EACH) with MINE??   Try driving from Toronto to Rochester at the beginning of the Blizzard of 1993... THEN tell me how 'difficult' the trip to Toronto is.  Whiny twit.  You know nothing.  I've been travelling the QEW since the Garden City Skyway was a toll bridge... you DO know where that is, don't you??

"During the (request for proposal) process, there was a study provided to us by the four parties (Rochester, Toronto, Monroe County and Toronto Port Authority) and the study was done by a group out of Virginia. And they had the core of the business model in there.

Further studies were done as this project progressed, but every other study projected higher ridership than this original one. So what CATS did was to take this lowest study in terms of ridership and build the model around that, using the pricing methodology that was gathered in this study, using the cost structure that was produced and augmenting it with our real world examples. And using their market sector approach because he had done some significant studies."

My, weren't WE studious??  When listeners hear a pitch with "Studies have shown...", "recent studies...", "expert studies..." the very first question which should spring forth is "WHAT studies?" followed by "WHO did these studies"?

MY 'studies' have shown the ferry project was doomed from Day One.  Do I expect people to believe that on face value alone?  Of course not.  I could be running around LimeRidge Mall in Hamilton collecting comments and opinions slamming the ferry project while ignoring those which supported the venture.   How MANY respondents were questioned?  What were the ages and incomes of the respondents?  How frequently did the respondents travel to and from Toronto/Rochester?  Which was more of a motivating factor for the respondent: avoiding driving or a 'novel and exciting' method of transportation?

How a question is phrased is more important than the answered received... a fact pollsters and market 'studies' organizations are all too familiar with.

Example: "I can see A USE for fast ferry service across Lake Ontario from Rochester to Toronto" would garner more positive responses than "I can see ME USING fast ferry service across Lake Ontario from Rochester to Toronto".   And let's be blunt (as if you'd expect any differently from your local Native Canadian), companies which are looking for validation of their initiatives and are shelling out big bucks to consulting and market analysis firms are going to expect some value for their dollar.  As in... "phrase those questions carefully".

Example: "Driving to and from Toronto is too hectic" [Strongly Agree - Agree - Disagree - Strongly Disagree] as opposed to "I don't like driving on busy freeways" [Strongly Agree - Agree - Disagree - Strongly Disagree] would substantiate a theory that driving to and from Toronto is worse than any other high speed roadway when the truth is: local bumpkins aren't at ease driving much beyond their own local expressways at 55-60 mph.

The LOCATION of the market analysis is equally important.  Strolling around a suburban shopping mall does not represent a broad socio-economic cross-representation of a population... which is fine *PROVIDED* a company isn't depending on a broad socio-economic cross-representation of the population to patronize and support its business.  Since CATS made no overtures at a select clientele  -  they were all too eager to grab the cash from anyone able to come up with the fare for a ticket -   the 'studies' are suspect.  A roving pollster in Midtown Plaza in downtown Rochester will undoubtedly come up with a much different conclusion based on responses than one at the suburban Pittsford Wegman's.

"and the study was done by a group out of Virginia".  Yeah?  What would a Virginian know about standing next to Lake Ontario in the dead of winter with temps around 20°F, winds from the north at 20mph and enough salt and slush on the ground to encase a small animal?  What mitigating factors could some Southerner take into consideration when evaluating a project which would call upon an entire community's resources and money?  Southerners flee in terror if wind chills drop below 15°F; and we're supposed to take their 'expert' - and uncredited - analysis to heart?  I think not.

"When people say that the business model was flawed, I still do not believe that. We carried 140,000 passengers in essentially 80 days from a dead standstill."

Good Gravy, hasn't that tired old rationale been beaten to death already??  Owing to the novelty of the service combined with radically slashed fares, let's see 1,750 passengers per day use the service from here on out.  The fact of the matter is:

"The measuring stick for whether or not CATS is capable of operating this ferry or worthy of operating this ferry is did the ferry run well, did it run on time and were people happy with the service along with that, did CATS do what it could do to reasonably control its costs and manage its revenue streams."

"Did the ferry run well?"  Evidently not.  "Did it run on time?"  Occasionally. "Were people happy with the service?"  Not if you have protesters picketing City Hall and ticket-holders pissed off by not being able to get a timely refund.  "Did CATS do what it could do to reasonably control its costs and manage its revenue streams?"  Obviously, CATS' effort fell far short of doing either.  Verdict according to CATS CEO Delucia's 'measuring stick'?

A resounding failure.  Any question why the lineup for investors is a short one indeed?

"I don't know (why the Toronto Port Authority didn't have a permanent ferry facility constructed to begin with). Part of their reason is they ran into their own customs bureaucracy up there. Customs was working hard to design the right facility and the proper facility and that bogged them down. That's the only reason I can think of."

BRAV-o.  Succinct analysis by the company CEO  on one of the key reasons given why the ferry service rolled over and choked.  Building a ferry terminal isn't exactly the pinnacle of the architecture profession, so designing the 'right' and 'proper' facility is hardly a major hurdle.  Perhaps proactively paying attention to advance preparations in a foreign country is a bit of a stretch for some local boys.  Possibly ironing out ALL the details in Toronto BEFORE starting the service is too much nitpicking for some rank amateur who's never had any previous personal experience with such an endeavour.  But it would appear the only 'bogging down' was a direct result of the inattention on THIS side of the Lake... the strains are getting louder... "Blame Canada... Blame Canada..."

Once again, the office cliché comes to mind: "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part".

"I am confident that if there has been any (consumer confidence) lost we can restore it. Particularly when you write this story, if they give you enough inches, people who read this story are going to say, "Yeah I understand." And the people who have ridden the boat are going to say, "Yeah, now I understand the finances more and I can't wait to get back on."

It's A-MAAAZ-ing!!  Not only do we have a real live local business 'leader' in our midst, he's also a mind-reader and capable of predicting the future!!  What CAN'T he do??!!  "...people who read this story are going to say, "Yeah I understand."

The problem is: He's wrong.

What people DO understand is there's been tens of millions of tax dollars dumped into the laps of a private company which has failed to deliver on its promises.

What people DO understand is their community is now the Laughing-Stock of the Lake, their community's business credibility has sunk to new lows at a time when it's desperately needed and there's a glorious monument to inept planning which sits at the Port of Rochester about to be plastered with 'For Rent' signs.

The residents of this area DO understand they are saps conned by ostensible corporate and political 'experts' who were proven wrong by some insignificant Canadian Mohawk sitting behind a keyboard for the past three years.

What the people DON'T understand is how the gross assumptions and generalisations of some egotistical corporate simpletons were able to override reason and common sense which was evident from the inception and how such a misguided and naïve proposal was able to get as far as it did.

And no, I freely admit I'm no prognosticator.  I'm a Canadian living in the Rochester area who's evidently more in tune with life's realities than the local Good 'Ol Boys who're off living in some dream world of their own creation.

And so it goes.

Friday   November 19, 2004

file photo CATS Comments on Mayor's Plan by Stephanie Dusek and Judy Mendoza Published Nov 18, 2004 Mayor Bill Johnson’s plan can only be put into motion, if CATS, the ferry company, agrees to sell the boat. Its founders invested plenty of blood, sweat and millions of dollars in the Spirit of Ontario. (ed. Chump change compared to how much New York State residents have already dumped into this travesty.) The ferry’s lenders have so far rejected CATS’ restart proposals, including one, which includes plans for gaming. The people who brought the fast ferry to Rochester may not be the ones who get the chance to restore the service. CATS president Cornell Martin says he’s anxious to see the details of the mayor’s plan. A plan that could cut the ferry operator out of the ferry project. “You know, a lot of people worked very hard to get us where we are today,” said Cornell Martin, CATS. “I have no idea what role CATS will play going forward because we haven’t seen their plan yet.” Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson’s plan for the city to buy the ferry has come as CATS and its lenders have spent two months reworking the ferry’s business plan, a process that’s taken much longer than expected. “I don’t know where our plan fell short,” said Martin. Johnson says that CATS could not find private investors. Lenders will ultimately decide the ferry’s future. Mayor Johnson’s plan gives them a new option to consider. “It’s important that we pick a plan that has the ferry in Rochester for the long-term,” said Martin. “And that it addresses all the needs and the long-term viability of the ferry.” Cornell Martin adds that he will have more to say about this once he is able to look at the details of the mayor’s plan. He says that he is curious to see how he addresses some of the issues that CATS has been working on the past couple of months, things like getting the commercial truck traffic on board to generate more revenue. The Breeze

The truth creeps out.  What happened to the 'Rump Group' of local pasty balding investors who waddled around musing about dumping their cash into the effort to Save The Breeze?  Looks like when it comes to putting their money where their mouths are, suddenly all goes silent.  Not that any rational individual ever expected a fat cheque to be forthcoming anyway.  The hot air that emanates from these windbags could be a major contributor to global warming.