Page Seventeen  

01 DECEMBER 2004

OK... back to reality...

Wednesday   December 01, 2004

Ferry Parties Appear In Court   by Seth Voorhees Published Dec 01, 2004 Several parties who are owed money by the operators of the troubled fast ferry were in federal court Wednesday. The project's two main lenders, EFIC and ABN AMRO, hope to join a lawsuit previously filed by Amerada-Hess. CATS, the company which owns the ferry, owes Hess close to $400,000 in unpaid fuel bills. A week ago, lenders began foreclosure proceedings against CATS, asking that the boat be condemned and sold. Lawyers for the two lenders, Hess, CATS and the city of Rochester were all in Federal Court Wednesday to meet with Judge Jonathan Feldman about progress in their talks. “There are ongoing discussions. They're of a delicate nature,” said Paul Nunes, attorney for EFIC. “We're hoping that something can be resolved soon.” An attorney for CATS says the ferry owner has yet to be served papers regarding foreclosure. CATS has failed to make more than $1 million dollars in payments. “We're still in a talking mode with the judge, with the other parties,” said Adam Michael, CATS attorney. “CATS remains committed to trying to work this thing through by sitting down with the city and sitting down with the lenders.” In court, attorneys for EFIC expressed concern that the ferry be properly winterized. CATS says that process is underway.

"No... wait.. we'll get Donald Trump and he's SURE to invest in this great service!!  And.. and... we're trying to get Bill Gates on the blower to bend HIS ear.... (anybody know how we can reach the Sultan of Brunei?) ...and, oh yeah... the Sate of New York is breathing heavy on us to accept tens of millions in State cash and...  wait!!... NO, REALLY!... we can do this!!"

Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Home > News > Local News	Rochester Time: 7:20 pm

The result of the meeting?  "Nice plans but we'll take the cash."

ABN AMRO Bank and EFIC aren't buying into the frantic scrambling by local concerns to resurrect the ferry service.  No surprise there.  Barely even worth mentioning as lenders with pockets deep enough to finance such an undertaking didn't get that way by caving in to some pathetic whining by a bunch of deadbeats.

Pay up or hand over the keys.  That's the choice at this point.

Mayor Johnson quips, "Until we hear loud and clear from the community that they don't want a ferry...".  Uhh, Bill?   Just what are you expecting from the community... billboards, protests and civil disobedience?  The tremendous lack of interest on both sides of the Lake should be sending a message 'loud and clear' to those who haven't got their eyes closed and fingers in their ears.

EFIC is worried about the ferry sitting around and rusting over the typical Rochester winter.  The City assures EFIC 'winterization precautions' are being undertaken, but somehow, unless there's some  V E R Y  large shrink-wrap about to encase the ferry, rest assured it will most definitely show signs of climatic wear over the next five months.  No way around that.  Ever see the ice buildup on any heated structure?   It's not unheard of to read about roofs collapsing under 18 to 24 inches of ice and wet snow just to give a mental image.

But what the hell, right?  It's only money and if the resale value of some winter beater of a boat doesn't fetch quite the figure CATS or -whoever- are looking for, guess who gets to eat the difference?  Taxpayers to the rescue.... again.

And you don't even want to know the reactions I heard while in Toronto.  There was the one reference to 'clueless Americans' but we won't dwell on that.  Let's just chalk that up to post-U.S. election Canadian dismay.  There's a lot of that going around the GTA these days.

The ferry service is toast and the sooner that's conceded, the more money, time and energy will be saved.

24 JANUARY 2005

Hi there...

So what's been going on with the ferry deal?  Frankly, all I know is the City of Rochester hopes to be the high bidder at the public auction of the boat in a few weeks.  CATS has long since been out of the picture and the NYS Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office has been looking into a class-action law suit against CATS for not refunding around 1000 passengers' tickets... totaling approximately $100,000.

In other words, not much has changed.  Except my attitude.

Frankly, I've lost interest in this whole sordid affair... not to mention the Rochester area in general.  I just plain don't give a damn anymore... a community with exceptional potential has chosen to hold on to its conventional and myopic frame of thought rather than explore the unconventional and reality-based assessment of what it COULD be... not what it's BEEN.  Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but as far as community development is concerned, the fat lady STILL isn't going to be attractive in a size 6 bikini.

The residents whine and moan about the $3 to $5 a week increase in property taxes, yet these clueless wallflowers sit back complacently watching their elected officials piss away in excess of $50 million and still do nothing to say, "Let the damn thing die, willya?

Metropolitan Rochester is a basket case of misplaced priorities, misguided visions of the future and misplaced systems of values.  It deserves every bump and bruise it has coming.

So this torrid tale of hopelessly inept 'planning', insanely myopic  'business assessment' and shockingly pompous self-image has finally come home to roost.  The Rochester area needs to haul this barge just off-shore with neon lights saying, "Smarten up and face reality.  You ain't no World Class city".

But nooooo.  The City Council refuses to admit the entire concept was a grandiose exercise in Theory versus Reality.  And now it's about to pay the price.  Again.

Fine.  Have at it.  The results will be the same IF the city comes out with the winning bid.  Yup; they'll re-start service again.... and just as quickly go under again.  We've been there before.

I've got far more interesting pursuits at this point than to fret about a prediction which has already been proven correct.  That's where I've been.

So Gentle Reader, I don't plan on doing much more than the occasional fly-by to update this sad diary of a community so mired in Provincialism, it can't read the writing on the wall.   The local buzz had died to a merely annoying chatter of how the Ferry Will Be Saved, yet there's nothing that's changed about the service except whose name appears on the title.  Everything else is the same.  Not enough passengers to sustain a venture of this magnitude.

If I get around to it, I'll cut 'n paste a few recent local blurbs about the Magnificent Phoenix of the Fast Ferry.  If not, as far as I (and tens of thousands of other locals) are concerned, the Fast Ferry Fiasco is over.  Those who wanted to take the ferry, have... and those who didn't, won't anyway regardless of who owns the barge.

Toronto knows the score and has ditched plans for a ferry terminal on their end.  That really should be about as clear to the locals as it gets, but there'll always be those who think their hometown rates right up there with Boston or Los Angeles in terms of worldly importance.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be."

02 FEBRUARY 2005

C'mon... Canadians are smarter than THIS:

OK... OK.  Let's not resort to tongue-in-cheek public humiliation of an erstwhile Canadian hovercraft operator who wants to join the Get Rich Quick Crowd who's thoroughly convinced that Doing It Our Way will somehow miraculously be a success where others have failed.

The Port of Rochester is hereby closed to companies with less than US$1 billion in assets.  Those that have at least US$1 billion in assets are welcomed to apply... the rest of you Mom and Pop operations.... go sell worms and rent row boats to the folks at the campground.  Either you've got the cojones to lose in excess of US$100 million without getting nervous or you don't.  You small town ladies can't even afford to give away a decent PC to a Native webmaster, let alone toss away US$100 million in a proven loser of a ferry route.

Journalism Analysis:  Students, please note the subtle but oh-so-revealing use of the 'aside' within the context of sentence structure:

"City leaders could not be reached for comment. But they have said they are concentrating on resurrecting the ferry service first and would consider talking with HTS — which hasn't even bought its vessel — after the ferry is running."

Nope.  No editorial license there.  No hint of guffawing under one's breath either.  <snicker>

"Why aren't they talking to us?" asked Dale Wilson, vice president of Hover Transit Services of Bolton, Ontario. "Why aren't we sitting down at a table?"

Dale my Canadian brother, now is not the time to resort to rhetorical questions or absurdities.  Even Jack the Lad knows the City of Rochester isn't going to open up its market to a potential competitor to a project which has less of a chance of succeeding than a picnic at Charlotte in January.   If nothing else, let's try to keep the stupid questions to a minimum.

By the way, Dale.  Haven't seen much of you or the rest of the gang at HTS down here much lately (like... when WAS the last time you breezed into town?).  That, to me, says you don't particularly find much going on around here to warrant a drive down from Bolton.  And Bolton ain't that much of a drive, so why aren't YOU down in the cherished market you're trying to woo?

Yeah... just as I thought.  You can't seem to find a reason to drive down here either.  Join the crowd.

Mayor Bill:  Here's the deal.  We, as the taxpayers of this community, will allow you permission to enter a bid for the ferry at the auction later this month.

Prior to the auction, you and the Rochester City Council will each sign and attest to a document which states... unequivocally, indisputably and legally binding... that under absolutely NO circumstances and without regard to unforeseen events (either man-made or Divinely Induced)... will ANY tax dollars be used to fund, subsidize, repay, loan or given to ANY aspect or interest of the ferry operation.  Each of you will sign promissory notes which places all your personal assets as collateral in the event of the business not succeeding.

Sign here: X______________________________

C'MON BA-bee.  You're so supremely convinced this second iteration will succeed, there should be no hesitation to either put up or shut up.  Sign it.

The truth of the matter is: the taxpayer is about to be shafted again.  If the City of Rochester wins the bid, the taxpayer will AUTOMATICALLY be forced to come up with the cash to pay the debacle off.  'When' is the only unknown part of the equation.  I should think that will be answered very soon after (if?) the service restarts to a resounding THUD and the ferry supporters are proven wrong once again.

And let me also say, if the ferry service restarts only to be shut down again, I would be the first to welcome New York State officials to come into the Rochester metropolitan area and take over the running of local government.  Clearly, the local government is unquestionably incompetent and has no business managing the affairs and money of the public at large.

"Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."

Republicans?  Democrats?  It doesn't make an iota of difference; neither party will pull its nose out of pandering to big business at the expense of the public's interests.  That's been proven here in the Rochester metropolitan area.

Time for a change... a dramatic change from the old, tired business-as-usual politics.  God Forbid anyone even take a glimpse at third-party platforms.   Why... that... that would be so..

UnRochesterian.

These small-town folks can't handle THAT.  The big Bake Sale's coming up and it's my turn for carpooling the kids.  I just don't have TIME to read about political platforms which will affect me on a daily basis... all I can do is whine and complain about it.... then go ahead and vote the same people into office.

Nobody ever accused the locals of being overly sophisticated.  Complex, profound and onerous tasks such as being an informed citizen is just too much to ask.

Just wait until Rochester Police Chief Bob Duffy becomes mayor.  As Democrat Bill Johnson's reign as mayor draws to a close, the mayoral candidates will offer up their usual promises of What's Wrong And How I'll Fix It.   Hardly worth the bother.

With the ex-chief of police as commandant.. uh.. mayor around here, things will be different.  Good 'Ol Family Values crap (ie. "MY family and MY values") will be shoved down throats and the immediate response of outright rebellion should come as no surprise.   Things like a fast boats across the lake will seem pretty pedestrian compared to the Riot Potential gauge in July.   But I digress.

The City of Rochester's Grand Ferry Plan involves a high concentration on the tourist traveler as a primary support of the business.  We've been all through that 'Rochester-As-A-Tourist-Destination' thing so it follows any second attempt at success is doomed before it even gets of the ground.

And Dale Wilson of Bolton, that includes you as well.  Fast ferry, hovercraft or even the QEII isn't going to change the fact that tourists see little reason to sojourn to the Rochester area... regardless of method of transportation.  Here's a clue for the clueless: Starbucks and Victoria's Secrets look the same no matter whether they're in Rochester or Saskatoon.  A mall is a mall, a white hot dog isn't a huge drawing card and city busses suck no matter whether they're in Rochester or Miami.

Whatever the outcome of the auction, one thing is already determined: somebody's going to lose vast amounts of money.  CATS, now pretty much shoved off the sidelines and told to hit the showers, is hopeful that the boat will bring enough cash in to pay off their creditors.  Never mind the cost of building the ferry terminal was $18 million... which will be coming out of the taxpayers' pockets no matter WHO gets the winning bid... CATS thinks it's off the hook for liability and responsibility for this entire mess anyway.  If Dominick Delucia and his buddies had just pooled their money and bought a timeshare in the Bahamas instead of pitched such a ridiculous idea in the first place, the local area would be only grousing about the weather this February instead of how badly they're about to be soaked by this fiasco.

<sigh> But we've been THERE before as well, no?  See why this debacle has become so tedious?

The very best that can be hoped for at this point is the City of Rochester will be outbid in the auction.  That would put the lid on the coffin once and for all and we could bury the damn thing and be done with it.  The outright resentment and disgust generated by the fast ferry couldn't be more palpable and if support was lacking before, it'll be practically non-existent this time.

Hey, the Rochester area can blame me for all I care.  I've simply pointed out the obvious.  Those who don't care to listen to the truth sure aren't going to care about valid reasons anyway.  The Blame Game.

I would proudly claim the title as The Reason The Ferry Went Under.

At least a small voice of sanity would have been heard.

09 FEBRUARY 2005

Adventures in Idiocy - or - Geez, He's Right Again.

Let's rewind to the December 01, 2004 entry... just up this page a bit:

"...The City assures EFIC 'winterization precautions' are being undertaken, but somehow, unless there's some  V E R Y  large shrink-wrap about to encase the ferry, rest assured it will most definitely show signs of climatic wear over the next five months.  No way around that."

Then we move on to the following blurb:

"...reported that the vessel was damaged while sitting idle in the river. The ship bumped into a frozen rubber bumper at the dock because of high winds, causing a 24-inch crack in the "brittle" aluminum hull. It will cost about $10,000 to repair if the ship is taken to a "dry dock," or $15,000 if repaired here"

Let's examine this a little closer, shall we?

The ship, while being tied up at the dock and not even moving, bumps into a RUBBER bumper and sustains a two-foot gash in the hull which will cost upwards of $15,000 to repair.

And these guys want us to believe that while it's moving along at 40+ mph on the Lake in the dead of winter, if it encounters a "small" (400-500 pounds) chunk of ice that all will be fine?

If the boat sustains damage while not even moving, what sort of safety concerns might passengers have while it's 'gliding effortlessly' across an iceberg-strewn Lake?  HMMM?

"Brittle aluminum hull"?  Are we to believe that the cold climate * MIGHT * have the tiniest influence on the seaworthiness and integrity of the ship's structure?  Cold weather??  Gee.  Who could have imagined THAT?

Rage Against the Machine Time.

The sheer blindness of the local community leaders is truly astounding.  The sheer gullibility of the local population is even more staggering.

You lame-brained locals can't even ask the most basic of questions: "What has changed since the CATS failure?"

Answer?  "Nothing but the name of who owns the boat."

While local politicians mug and pose for great media shots scurrying around Important People And Places in an earnest and feverish bid to resurrect a dead project, the real reason the ferry went under is blithely ignored:

"Not enough passengers to support the business."

So all this busy-work to get the boat in motion is a grand exercise in futility.  Do the locals see that?  No, of course not.  All they see is Good Intentions spending millions upon millions of dollars to set up another authority which will inevitably arrive at the same conclusion:

"Not enough passengers to support the business."

City schools close because of not enough money in the budget, but dropping tens of millions of dollars into a proven dud of a project seems reasonable.  Does it get much more idiotic than this?  In a word, no.  The local population should be taking to the streets and demanding this fiasco be allowed to die without spending anymore of THEIR money.  Are they?  In a word, no.

The locals are eating up the political spin like trained seals on command.  Then when the ferry service bites the dust for a SECOND time, they'll be clamouring with great hue and cry about how their tax dollars are being wasted.

This area deserves every tax increase it has coming.  Stupidity has its price and the Rochester area community is about to pay up Big Time.

See why I've lost interest in this issue?  Sometimes you just have to throw up your hands and say, "Let the chips fall where they may".  Oh, I'll be following this debacle to its natural conclusion... that you can be assured.  When such a blatant disregard to reality has been thrown into the spotlight, that's too good of a screw-up to ignore.

Keep those emails coming in.  A year from now, when the Spirit of Ontario is nothing but an embarrassing memory, this whole chronicle is going to be encased in cyber-history for all to see.  The ultimate I-Told-You-So for the ages.

It will be glorious.  << Gloat >>

22 FEBRUARY 2005

Time for a checklist:

Mayor of Rochester pays a highly publicized trip to the folks in Toronto?  Check.

Mayor of Rochester pays a highly publicized trip to the folks in Ottawa?  Check.

Rochester media trots behind said Mayor for the all-important Free Publicity and Promotion Tour?  Check.

Rochester public squeals with delight at the prospect of winning the bid at the ferry auction and the ferry once again starting service?  Check.

Ferry supporters and organizers get the solid and overwhelming promise of widespread acceptance and use of the service once it restarts by the paying public?  ______

Uhhh.... the public steps up with promises to actually use the service once it restarts?? ______

HULL-oooo??

Oh dear.  There's that damn proverbial fly in the ointment.  And it's the same damn fly that was in the CATS ointment as well.

I'm really getting a lesson in hype and the gullible public here.  Seems the media and politicians are capable of playing the Great Unwashed for braindead saps who have as much common sense as the cork in their Chardonnay.  And considering the lack of public consternation over pissing away tens of millions of public dollars in a project which was doomed before the ink was dried on the ferry order, they may be right.

Rochester area residents will be forgiven for their stunning ignorance of All Things Canadian as the current trend in l'Etats Unis is to skip trying to understand foreign affairs and society and simply ram through the Good 'Ol US of A Way Of Doing Things.  After all, is there any country in the world who isn't wringing their wretched little hands in despair because they can't chow down on a Red, White and Blue McBeast Burger?  Or drive a gas-swilling, cup-holder laden AWD land yacht complete with a $1200 10" fold-down video screen so the little snot-nose crowd can watch the latest Disney confection?  Or be able to shell out tens of thousands of dollars in 'disposable' consumer items?

Ahh, the American Way.  We know what you want and it's a perfectly redundant, expensive, frivolous and totally unnecessary way to cross a lake.  We KNOW you want it because that's what WE want.  And everybody wants what WE want, no?

Well, actually... no.

See, Canadians have this very un-American trait of being... how shall I put it... pragmatic and sensible.  Canadians realize that while pretty much anything can be built, the overriding question is why build it?  If the only reason is to be able to say, "See, we knew we could build it" -- even though nobody NEEDS it -- then Canadians have a problem with something known as wretched excess.  It's tacky and gauche.  It's obnoxious and insulting.  It's... it's ... well... American.  What flies in the States does not necessarily mean it will even get off the ground outside the States.  Like the fast ferry project.

But does that stop our intrepid politicians?  Does that deter our business community who'd sell their first born daughter to the highest bidder if it could get them on the cover of Forbes?  No and no.

So what we have here is a massive PR campaign aimed at showing the local yee-haws that the ferry is going to rise again... like a Phoenix out of the flames of insolvency to a glorious flight of success and adulation.  Yup... it sure looks like the ferry will cast off for a second try at being a needed and desired way to cross the lake.

But on that checklist is a glaring omission which will either save or sink this second attempt and that would be the support of the public.  Without that support... without that interest... without those paying passengers... all the highly publicized hype isn't going to mean a thing.   The bottom line IS the bottom line.

The city of Rochester can sit and spin out all the 'Estimated' numbers of passengers it wants.  It's not going to attain those numbers... WHY, YOU ASK?  Because nobody NEEDS the Lake Ontario equivalent of some kiddy boat ride in the amusement park.  Where's the incentive?  What's the motivation?

Why should anybody take the damn thing if it costs more, is no faster and exists solely as 'an alternative to driving'?  That's a pretty weak business model if ever there was one.

Now.. if the City of Rochester happens to be outbid in the auction, well... Mayor Bill walks away the hero for his valiant attempt to save some hometown effort.  Brav-O, Bill.  Now how about doing something about the hideous homicide rate in your city which is better known across the lake than some goofy ferry idea?

How about tossing the tens of millions of dollars that would be spent of a doomed project into the City of Rochester school system so schools won't have to close?  You want tourists to come to Rochester?  How about making Rochester a place tourists want to come to?  As it is, tourists avoid Rochester like the plague because there really isn't a major drawing card to entice them to come here.  It would be as if Utica expected Rochesterians to flock to its community because "there's a lot to do there".  Same thing in Toronto; "Rochester?  Why?  What's there?"  I should know.  I've been asked that by Toronto area residents who really couldn't care less about some doll museum or the mansion of some guy who shot himself because "My work is done.  Why wait?"  A thrill a minute.... NOT.

A casino?  Ever notice that casinos have a host of other diversions to go along with them?  Like some world-famous waterfalls?  Or spas, hotels, amusement parks, water parks, golf courses, RV campgrounds, natural scenic beauty or other tourist attractions?  A casino plopped down in some ex-department store in the middle of some dangerous tourist desert?  Oh yeah... THAT'LL work.... NOT.

Acts of Desperation.  It's a sad thing to hear local residents of some sixty years say, "This USED to be a good community" (as they dutifully re-elect the same conservative politicians who got this community in the shape it is today).

Leaving the ugliness off a checklist doesn't make the checklist look any better.  It only means the ugliness is delayed.   And in this case, the ugliness of not enough passengers to float this boat -- even through the first summer of 2005 -- is going to come home to roost at a most inopportune time.

Sit and wait.  And ask yourself this:

"Has this Mohawk guy been very far off the mark so far?"

Pompous twits beware.  You're about to be inducted in the Local Douche Bag Hall of Fame.  Last year's winners were the entire Board of Directors of CATS.  This year?  Well, Mayor Bill is the frontrunner but we expect some heavy competition from the local media who sally forth with their hometown crapola which says more about their provincial, insular world than it does about in-depth journalistic prowess.  Actually taking a position critical of the local town is akin to career suicide... so we concentrate on 'happy thoughts' instead of reality.

And we bristle and chafe at any less-than-glowing assessment by non-local journalists.  See Jan Wong of the Globe and Mail for details.

As for the Grand Re-Launching Gala, any bets on there being a big hoopla to toast our 'success' at saving the ferry?  A laudable fete it will indeed be.  Balloons galore, local corporate-types and Good 'Ol Boys hopping on board for some back-slapping, booze-swilling and unfettered pretentious trip over to Toronto long enough to say they were there, then beat a hasty retreat back to home.

Just like last time.  Then a stunning no-show of the REAL paying public.

Just like last time.  Think THAT'S on the checklist as well?

Didn't think so.

28 FEBRUARY 2005

Wisdom courtesy of Turkey.

Monday   February 28, 2005

Ahmet Paksoy, Istanbul Fast Ferries Turks: Fast Ferry Here Not Feasible by Seth Voorhees and Judy Mendoza photo by Todd Krupa Published Feb 28, 2005 Though it wished Rochester well, a Turkish company that operates fast ferries believes the city's newly-purchased ferry business will fail. At one point, Istanbul Fast Ferries appeared poised to bid on the Spirit of Ontario. It chose not to bid on the ferry because moving the ship back to Turkey would have been cost prohibitive. Istanbul Fast Ferry representatives attended the auction Monday. The city of Rochester won the auction for the ferry in federal court for $32 milion. Istanbul Fast Ferries Company General Manager Ahmet Paksoy said that he believes the ferry's Rochester-Toronto route isn't "financially feasible". Still, Paksoy wished the city well in its endeavor. "I would like to say the operation of the vessel is more difficult and challenging than buying ships. This is very important," said Paksoy.

The locals are dancing with wild abandon tonight; the City of Rochester won the bid for the barge today.

And Mr. Paksoy hit it straight on; buying a boat is hardly cause to start celebrating a successful ferry service.  As a matter of fact, all that's been accomplished has been the City of Rochester has just written a cheque for $32 million. 

Like... yeah?  So what?  The addle-brained old dowager just bought a 2005 Jaguar XJ even though she doesn't know how to drive.  Big woo.  NOW what's she gonna do with it?

I dunno.  Maybe it's me expecting too much from some Upstate backwater burg or maybe I spend too much time in Toronto and Montréal... you know, REAL cities.. not just some homicide-infested town which appears to think it has some magical draw for tourists.

The proof, my dears, is in the pudding.  Acquiring the boat is one thing but successfully operating a service which is capable of self-sustainability is quite another.   Some questions coming up, like:

• How long does the City of Rochester intend to allow the service to operate at a deficit?  One year? Two years?  Ten years?
• How much taxpayer money will be sunk into this dud of a deal?  The $32 million came from somewhere; can you guess where?  Why yes, of course!  The public's coffers!  It'll be totally repaid?  Only if the ferry is successful -- and if it's not, then what?  Does the public just say "Oh well..." and pay up anyway?  That certainly appears to be what the community 'leaders' and ferry supporters are saying.

Monroe County Executive Maggie 'Jowls' Brooks stepped up gamely and bravely implored her adoring constituency to use the damn service.  Get bent, Maggie.  YOU use the service.  You've evidently got the generous disposable income which allows you to piss away cash on some adult version of Thomas the Tugboat.  The rest of us want to get to Toronto fast, cheap and hassle-free.  And that sure as hell doesn't describe using the ferry.

Now, by this time the Gentle Reader will have no doubts the ferry service will bite the dust for a final time.  All that remains is to determine the level and extent of the sheer stupidity of the new owners... since the public's money has now been made available, conceivably the service could operate indefinitely without ever turning a profit.  That's prudent use of taxpayer money, isn't it?  Governments can operate in the red for years as the taxpayer always keeps providing the needed cash to prop up any fiscal hemorrhage.

For those loyal readers outside of the States wondering about the concept of 'Return On Investment', in the United States that doesn't apply to the form of government here.  Witness the hundreds of billions of dollars that are now being spent in Iraq... think there'll ever be equity achieved there either in lives lost (on all sides) or financially?  Not a chance... and the government knows it (and frankly, my dears, doesn't give a half a shit either).

Same theory applies in the City of Rochester's purchase of today.  If the thing NEVER operates in the black, the city government is legally permitted to keep operating as long as its creditors get paid and get paid they will.

So where does all this Great News leave the public?  In a very VERY potent position, that's where.

See... if the public turns its collective back on the service, it won't be long before the local media knobs start hopping on board for one of their Pulitzer Prize-winning exposés on the paucity of passengers on the boat.  Filming a handful of passengers on an enormous boat makes a great visual and some reporter will have another line item on the resumé to go along with the uncompromising piece of journalism on Mrs. Featherby's 4th grade class trip to the Charlotte Lighthouse.  It's the Talk of the Town.

No, when the public takes a big yawn at the big boat and jumps in the car to get to Toronto, that's when the rubber meets the road and the ferry supporters will get a bitch-slap of reality.  Couldn't happen to a finer bunch of nimrods either.

Speaking to those ferry supporters who might actually have the cojones to be reading this; a few questions:

How many times have you been to Toronto since CATS halted service last year?  Two, three times?  (None?)  Now ask yourself this: you think one or two trips every six months or so is going to keep your boat afloat?

If you HAVEN'T traveled to T.O. since then, you're a seething pile of Pure American Hypocrisy.  If the only reason you travel to Toronto is to be able to brag to your Wine Club about using the ferry, your intentions are highly suspect.

You ferry supporters are certainly welcomed to pay THIS Rochester area resident's share of the cost of a doomed project.  I live in Wayne County.  We hicks and hayseeds may be slow, but we know dumping $50 million into a business which will never recoup the cost isn't a winning formula being taught at the Wharton School of Business.  For that matter, it flies in the face of rational thought -- but what the hell do we know?  We have this archaic belief that fiscal prudence should be both a personal and governmental endeavour.

Oh, yes my fine ferry supporter.  Your boat will once again move... no question about that.

One of these days... much sooner than you expect, I might add... your beloved ferry will be moving up the St.Lawrence for a final time.

And you ferry supporters will be left holding a very expensive and empty bag. 

Who'll be laughing then, sport??

Monday   February 28, 2005

Toronto leaders in court for the auction Toronto Shows Support For Ferry by Rocco Vertuccio photo by Andrew Heinze Published Feb 28, 2005 Toronto city leaders say they are 100 percent behind the City of Rochester's ferry operation. Representatives from the Toronto Port Authority and the tourism industry in Toronto made the trip to Rochester for the ferry auction Monday. Toronto city leaders were among those who cheered in federal court Monday when the ferry auction ended. They call it a victory for both Rochester and Toronto. "The tourism industry in Toronto is excited about this. Nothing but great things are going to be happening. At this point we're excited she's going to be back in the water," says Duncan Ross, Director of Toronto Tourism. The Toronto Port Authority says construction on the terminal building in Toronto will continue, now that Rochester has the boat. The terminal is 85% complete, work on the interior is all that's left. The port authority promises the building will be ready when ferry service starts up again. "It's covered, it's heated, everything is working inside. The tiling is happening. The dry walling is happening, the elevators are in, we're ready to go," says Lisa Raitt, Toronto Port Authority. Toronto's tourism industry will spend more money this time around promoting the ferry in Ontario. It will be part of a campaign promoting the Great Lakes. "Quite frankly you have a good product here, and it's the sort of thing like us. You can't hide under a bushel, you got to get out and tell the world about it, " says Kyle Benham, Toronto Culture and Tourism. As for any doubts on whether people in Toronto will ride the ferry, Toronto city leaders say those doubters were proven wrong last year, when more people from Toronto rode the ferry than people from Rochester. "It's a determined route, It's marine transportation. It's going to work," says Raitt.

Oh my God!!  Can this be real??  Is this journalism or what??!!

The obligatory photo-op of Rochester's Mayor glad-handing some Toronto Suit with the headline:

Toronto Shows Support For Ferry

The teaser having been set, the article dives headfirst into the small print:

Toronto city leaders say they are 100 percent behind the City of Rochester's ferry operation.

That's nice.  Rochester's city leaders say they are 100 percent behind the City of Rochester's ferry operation as well.  Your point, Mr. Vertuccio?

Notice the careful exclusion of the only factor which is germane to this entire project, namely, the paying public.  You know, the Great Unwashed.  Us huddled masses.  We Worker Bees.  The piddlin' insignificant slack-jawed inbred let-them-eat-cake public.  We disgusting trolls who dutifully fill the cash chests, but are too dull and ignorant to understand the World of Big Business.

I love these moments.  The opportunity doesn't present itself too often, but when it does the public has a lovely and touching way of shoving a steel-toed Size 12 up the proverbial butts of public officials.  And this is one of those rare times when public figures will be publicly humiliated by the public.   When the public doesn't waddle down in their minivans to hop aboard the ferry in anywhere near the 'projected' numbers the City of Rochester has dreamed up, perhaps the eminent Ms. Brooks will have a word or two to say about the petulance of the public.  Perhaps the fine art of mooning should be carefully practiced prior to any further exhortation to use the service.  It's the most appropriate response I can think of at the moment.

Actually, it expresses my ferry sentiment very well.

Monday   February 28, 2005

Many In Toronto Glad of Ferry Buy by Cristina Domingues Published Feb 28, 2005 When the fast ferry first started, many in Toronto had never heard of it. That's no longer the case. The initial story of the ferry's demise and Monday's auction court date made the local news. Torontonians say they know of the vessel and would ride it if service started back up. "I've never personally had to go to Rochester, but if it would cut time off on my drive to New York City, or say some place else in upstate New York, maybe then I would do it. It depends on the price," said Ryan Murray, Toronto resident. Toronto's mayor said that he was pleased that Rochester was able to buy the ferry. Mayor David Miller Mayor David Miller said he called to congratulate Mayor Bill Johnson after the auction. He said the city's ownership of the vessel would help make it successful. "The key is…running the ferry publicly. They are able to amortize the cost over a much longer period. They don't have to make profits. So, it gives the business time to grow and mature," said Miller. "Like Rochester, we are very proud to be a Great Lakes city. It's important to us to have these links with our friends in the United States.” Mayor Miller said Toronto's ferry terminal would be open and functioning when the ferry returns in service. There are plans to have transportation from the terminal to the city of Toronto. Tourism groups said the ferry would be part of their next marketing campaigns, both in Toronto and in lake cities like Rochester.

Many In Toronto Glad of Ferry Buy

"Many"?  Uhh, Ms. Domigues, what constitutes 'many"?  Surely you can't assume we readers would think the one Torontonian you interviewed led you to believe that 'many' in Toronto are 'glad' of the ferry purchase?

Because as a Southern Ontarian, I can tell you the overwhelming majority of Ontarians couldn't give a rat's patootey whether Rochester bought a ferry or the Spruce Goose.  We just don't care.  How many damn ways do we have to say it?  I would have thought the resounding lack of paying Canadian passengers the last time would have told you something, you dim-wit.  Rochester is Nowheresville with a monopoly on the business of offering tourists nothing.

"I've never personally had to go to Rochester, but if it would cut time off on my drive to New York City, or say some place else in upstate New York, maybe then I would do it. It depends on the price," said Ryan Murray, Toronto resident.

Our Ms. Domingues interviewed Mr. Murray on camera and he looked solidly thiryish.  In thirty-some years, Ryan Murray has 'never personally HAD to go to Rochester' as if it were some excruciating experience to be avoided like the plague.  Nice choice of words as it pretty much sums up the sentiment of Ontarians with respect to their desire to visit the Flower City.  Torontonians want to visit New York City... a city with even more -- not less - to offer than their own city.  Why in the name of all that's reasonable would a Torontonian want to go to a city that's less than their own?  Or are we to believe watching some 90-foot urban waterfall is more enticing than a trip up in the world's tallest free standing structure?  The respective tourist numbers do not lie.

Oh, and since Mr. Murray has no conception of what the hell the fuss is all about, he obviously is unaware that he'll save no time to get to NYC by using the ferry and he'll indeed spend one HELLUVA lot more in fares than he would in gas and tolls.  Once he learns that, he's be on the QEW heading for the Queenston-Lewiston bridge.  Count on it.

And using Rochester as a mere connecting point to get somewhere else doesn't exactly translate into scads of Canadian loonies staying in the local economy.  Which was sort of the whole idea behind the ferry -- that borders on logic which is in short supply  locally.  Oh well.

A few more blurbs to give the readers an idea of the excitement of the community leaders and the media:

Tuesday   March 01, 2005

Rochester Buys Fast Ferry by R News Staff Published Feb 27, 2005 The city of Rochester is the new owner of the fast ferry. At an auction held in federal court Monday morning, the city placed the winning bid of $32 million. The only other bidder, EFIC, the Australian lender. It placed the first bid of more than $29 million. The final pricetag surprised Rochester's mayor who anticipated the ships engine maker, M-T-U, would get in on the bidding. And just prior to the auction another potential bidder exercised it's right to bid independently of EFIC. But in the end neither placed a bid and the ship went to the city. "I'm just elated that it worked out for us, that it worked out for this community," said Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson. "I think there are a lot of people who have faith that this is gonna work. There's still some cynics and some doubters, but I think in the long run we will prove them wrong." Also in the courtroom, representatives from CATS, the ferry's previous operators. "It's a bitter sweet day for CATS. CATS founders and CATS employees pioneered this project with a lot of heart and a lot of soul," said former CATS chairman Dominick DeLucia. "While we'd like it to have ended slightly differently the fact is we ultimately get what we wanted was to have this boat moving back and forth between Rochester and Toronto."  (ed. Dom, will you ever stop being so damned premature in your statements?  I would have thought you would have learned something by now.) The next step in the process is to choose an operating team. Mayor Johnson says a decision should be made by the end of the week. Stay with R News throughout the day for continuing coverage.

I think I'm gonna hurl....

Tuesday   March 01, 2005

Mayor Johnson toasts ferry's future. Glasses Raised to Fast Ferry by Dan Smith and Judy Mendoza photo by Tim Keegan Published Feb 28, 2005 A celebration followed the city of Rochester's successful bid to buy the ferry at auction. Terminal merchants, and many people in the community, breathed a sigh of relief as the city bought the fast ferry at auction for $32 million. The city of Rochester hosted a reception for community and government leaders and those who helped make the purchase of the ferry happen. The celebration included a light lunch and a sparkling juice toast. However, some critics have said that the venture is doomed to fail. So, how does the city respond to that? "Well, they said the same thing about the Erie Canal. That's what made Rochester was the Erie Canal. Rochester was the original boomtown in the country," said Bob Stevenson (D), Rochester City Counsel. “There's always naysayers. Life's a gamble. There's no sure thing. So, it's a gamble." Merchants in the terminal did their own toast hoping that gamble pays off. “In the very near future, we're going to have a lot of people coming through the terminal, back through the community. This is good for everyone,” said Glenn Gardner, Charlotte Community Association. “We have had an opportunity before to see what the ferry could do and the kind of response we could get from a traveler's standpoint back and forth to Toronto and we're going to be seeing that again." The city said the ferry would start service again sometime in May.

Bob Stevenson is comparing the purchase of a boat with a canal that changed the history of New York State?  Hell Bob, why don't you just compare it to the landing of the Eagle on the moon?  I mean, if this is the sort of perspective that led to the City of Rochester getting into the ferry business, is it any wonder socialism is starting to sound much more reasonable?

"Life's a gamble. There's no sure thing. So, it's a gamble."

My God man!!  You're a guru and philosopher with an uncanny penchant towards the trite.  How many fat balding corporate execs are running around spewing forth the same tired Pablum as you are?  "Life's a gamble."?  If that isn't the smelliest crock I've been exposed to in a long time, I sure hope it's my last.

Lissen up Bob.  You brain-dead local community 'leaders' needs a refresher in Civics 101 (with a lab in Ethics).  The public's money is NOT simply Bingo change to be wagered on proven failed projects.  This ain't no casino we're running here, you pompous twit; we're talking about tens of millions of dollars which are being given the Royal Flush.  I've met my share of obnoxious and pathetic business and community 'leaders' in my time, but this guy ranks up there as a real classic.  "There's no sure thing."?

I disagree.  I'd say it's about as sure as it gets that one year from now that tub's gonna be called the Rochester Albatross and people will be begging for the chance to play Scuttling For Dollars.  Old ladies will be on their knees begging to end this sorry ass fiasco.  Teary-eyed babes will peer out appealing to use the ferry money on education.

And what will Bob Stevenson's sage advice be then?  "Life's a gamble."  Heavy and profound stuff there.

Any question on why Rochester has become the favourite punchline around Lake Ontario?  The folks over in Central New York are cracking jokes about this travesty; in Oneida, people asked me why Rochester wants to buy a failed business?

My reply?

"Don't get me started."

06 MARCH 2005

Rah-cha-cha.

"There must be something good about this place" writes a reader.  And so there is.  Plenty of good, depending on one's priorities and lifestyle.

The Rochester area is actually a big town masquerading as a city and while the locals are busy deluding themselves into thinking otherwise, the fact still remains that it's not a bad place to play out The American Dream.  Provided that's your game, of course.

Lots of 'family' activities and initiatives inundate the scene at the expense of 'non-family' units where singles and empty-nesters are pretty much given second-class citizen treatment.  This is most notable within the workplace... employees with growing children are granted more latitude than those without as in the case where overtime is concerned.  No kids means personal time is company time whereas the big soccer tournament is considered a perfectly valid reason for begging off that Saturday request for additional time.

The Rochester area is a consumer junky's paradise.  Malls and retail outlets are slapped up at an astonishing rate in the name of 'progress' and 'development'.  Nevermind that sprawl is the cancer which has been proven time and time again to be the death knell for a community's economic future; new shopping venues are good for the tax base of towns.  In the Rochester area, Money Equals Success Equals Money.  Anything else is merely marginally important.

The Rochester area is a haven for those with a need for conspicuous consumption, superficially pretentious prestige and the ability to purchase self-affirmation.  Feeling uncertain of self-identity?  Buy a Chevy Avalanche and REALLY make a statement of who you are.  The Rochester area is rife with devotees of You Are What You Drive.  Locals define themselves by what they do to earn a living; lose a job and they become Mr./Ms.Nobody in short order.  "It's what I do... not who I am" is a very foreign concept indeed.

The Rochester area is a wonderful place to forget about worldly events and troubles and concentrate on those REALLY important things like a weed-free lawn, Saturday garage sales and a mailbox that's the toast of the neighbourhood.  Gas-swilling SUVs and trucks, more often than not used as single-passenger commuter vehicles, are not associated with U.S. dependence on foreign oil and the subsequent international backlash as a result.  Rochester area residents don't need to make that association because -- as we all know -- "OUR gas comes from the green Hess trucks... not the Middle East".

Rochester is a fine place to mimic and codify the American Dream as seen on TV and in Better Homes & Gardens.  The perfect summer barbeque.  The perfect American Country kitchen.  The perfect holiday punch.  Just perfect.  Not realistic, but who needs realism when we have designers, planners and consultants doing our thinking for us?  Just follow the instructions and you too can have the Perfect American Life as detailed in the ads and Home Shopping Network.

Rochester is one of the finest areas in the country to experience provincialism personified.  The locals think nothing about blowing away five hours of carousing around garage and yard sales on a weekend, but suggest they drive for an hour to another country and they look at you like you've just mainlined heroin.  Driving in excess of twenty minutes to ANYWHERE is reason to moan... employees routinely brag that they have six minutes less of a commute than their coworker.  And they're visibly proud to say as much.

No, Rochester is a good place with plenty going for it.  Unfortunately, the demand for such a place is dwindling as more and more people begin to realize the world is growing smaller and the interconnectiveness  touches each of us to a greater degree by each passing year.  Small town, insular regionalism is Out; expanding horizons and opening our lives to greater possibilities is In.  Crowing about the wonderful aspects of one's hometown may be a source of civic pride, but when that pride clouds the view of ourselves and others, it turns into a self-defeating effort.

So, yes, Rochester is a great place.  For some.  And for some, it's the only place.

As the Fast Ferry begins it's final months bobbing around Lake Ontario before sailing out a final time, it bears considering whether Rochester really knows what it needs to turn its obvious decline around.  Decades have passed since the heyday of this area, yet for all the superficial and pretentious affectations heaped upon the local landscape, there's still no goal or direction other than a stubborn death grip on the past.  As the world around this area sweeps past and further in sight, Rochester mires itself in antiquated thought, word and deed at the household level.

Is there any wonder why an unrealistic local business venture would bite the dust in the face of international reality?

Keep buying those Chevy Avalanches.  Some day the reality will sink in.

Probably by year's end, I might add.

19 APRIL 2005

The Science of Illusion.

ess

KARIN VON VOIGTLANDER  staff photographer Toronto's new $8 million ferry terminal will be an improvement over the temporary facility. It offers panoramic views and many changes from last year. Toronto catches the Spirit; now saying, 'Go, ferry, go' Rick Armon Staff writer (April 17, 2005) — TORONTO — When Monique Cooke sat down earlier this year to map out financial projections for her wine shop, Rochester's high-speed ferry played a part. The ship, it turns out, brought new business into Vineyards Estate Wines in the emerging and tony Queens Quay West neighborhood last year. At least it did for the three short months the ferry plied Lake Ontario. "We were disappointed it kind of crashed down," said Cooke. So she was delighted to see that Rochester bought the massive Spirit of Ontario this year for $32 million and plans to resume the ferry service this spring. She isn't the only one. As opposed to last year, when the launch of the international service piqued little interest in Canada, the atmosphere surrounding the ferry this year is markedly attentive. Construction workers are feverishly completing a permanent, $8 million (Canadian) ferry terminal. More Toronto residents are aware of the service — thanks in large part to media coverage on its problematic start. A joint Rochester-Toronto task force has been formed with hopes of making sure that the re-launch is successful. And city leaders are expressing more trust in the project, mainly because Rochester bought the ship and an experienced Canadian company has been hired to operate the service. Background Canadian American Transportation Systems, a Rochester-based company, started ferry service to Toronto last June after years of planning. But the ferry was shut down after less than three months because of financial problems. The city of Rochester bought the ship for $32 million at a Feb. 28 federal foreclosure auction and is now re-launching the service. "Now I think there's a lot more confidence about how the ferry is being run," said Bruce MacMillan, president and chief executive of Tourism Toronto. "I think people are much more confident that it's here for the long term. Governments on both sides have stepped up and said, 'Hey, this is going to work. We're committed to it.' And that gives a sense of confidence to people." Here's a look at the major differences between last year in Toronto and this year. Ferry terminal Last year: The Toronto Port Authority opted not to build a permanent ferry terminal. Instead, it built temporary facilities. Think prefabricated one-story mobile homes slapped together. It made for ugly, boxy accommodations for incoming walk-on passengers, who had to stand in long customs lines that trailed outdoors. If it rained, you got rained on. If it was sunny, you got a tan. Anyone buying a ticket had to stand in line outside, too. The difference between Rochester's $16 million terminal in Charlotte and Toronto's was more than glaring. It was, for many Torontonians, an embarrassment. (Surprisingly, the Toronto facility won a 2004 Award of Distinction from the Modular Building Institute.) This year: The new two-story terminal is 35,000 square feet and designed to address the flaws of its predecessor. The gray, corrugated metal exterior — with a dash of red in one area — likely won't end up on the cover of Architectural Digest, but port officials point out that the attraction is Toronto and not the terminal. The ticket counter is inside the building, sheltered from the sometimes harsh Lake Ontario weather. The interior is more spacious, with room for retail shops. A large waiting area is available for departing passengers, and more space is dedicated for customs, so incoming passengers can be cleared to enter the country more quickly. Huge windows offer panoramic views of both Toronto's Inner Harbour and the city skyline. "Very light. Very airy," said Port Authority construction manager Eric Piitz in describing the terminal. "They certainly tried to make the most of the views." The terminal also has an escalator and elevator that lead to the second floor, where walk-on passengers will get on and off the ship. That's a major change from last year when they either marched out the back of the vessel and down a vehicle ramp or down a flight of wooden steps attached to one of the lower decks. Now, walk-on passengers will enter and leave through the main entrance on the side of the ship, as they do in Rochester. Customs Last year: Former ferry operator Canadian American Transportation Systems complained that it had to pay $2,500 (Canadian) a day to the Canada Border Services Agency for customs fees. The company claimed those fees were one of the reasons it had to shut down the service. This year: Rochester has negotiated a deal with Canadian customs. But CBSA spokeswoman Patrizia Giolti declined to release the details. Rochester officials said they are still working out the final agreement. The city's business plan calls for $400,000 a year going toward Canadian customs fees. Regular folks Last year: The ferry received scant coverage from the Toronto media in advance of the launch of the service. And when the story was covered, reporters and columnists trashed the venture and Rochester. Sometimes Toronto residents didn't even know about the ferry. This year: Thanks to a fitful start, then the highly publicized demise of CATS, everyone seems to know about the project. "It was a pretty hot topic when the plug was pulled," said Nick Rossin, 41, of Toronto while sitting on a bench in Cherry Beach park near the ferry terminal. "Bad news draws attention." He had planned to ride the ship, but then the service shut down. "There's better awareness of it," said David Amborski, a professor in Ryerson University's Urban and Regional Planning Department. "Part of it is because people see that ... the government is spending money." Granted, awareness doesn't necessarily translate into sales or excitement about the project. "I heard that someone in Rochester bought it," said Nickisha Hinds, 25, of Mississauga when asked if she was keeping up with news about the ferry. Would she ride it? She shrugged and gave a typical Toronto reaction: "Why not? It's an easier way to go back and forth." What's next The Rochester Ferry Co. — the limited liability company created by the city to oversee the service — still has not said when the ferry will restart. City officials, who had hoped the ferry would be re-launched by Memorial Day weekend, said there could be an announcement later this month. Government leaders Last year: Toronto leaders said the right things: We can't wait until it gets here. Toronto is excited about the ferry. But when the rubber hit the road (i.e., financial backing and organized marketing), there was no substantial help in advance of the service. City leaders also were feuding with the Port Authority. "Last year, when the ferry finally arrived, people sat up and took notice because it's a very impressive vessel," said Duncan Ross, the Toronto executive director of tourism. The ferry carried about 133,000 passengers in the brief time it ran, convincing Toronto leaders that the vessel was a viable business venture that deserved support. This year: A joint Rochester-Toronto task force was formed to make sure the mistakes of the past weren't repeated. For example, the task force — comprising representatives from Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Port Authority and the province of Ontario — has focused on issues such as Canadian customs and publicity for the ferry. The task force has also reached out to Tourism Toronto and the Greater Rochester Visitors Association. Officials declined to provide details about upcoming marketing campaigns, but said the strategies would be announced soon. Rochester also has benefited because CATS — which engaged in some tough negotiating in its effort to make a profit — is out of the way. "I am not saying that CATS was necessarily wrong in their stance, but as private sector people, they had little patience for the style and pace of governmental deliberations," Rochester Mayor William A. Johnson Jr. said. "The city was able to capitalize on that frustration, and immediately establish good working relations with all of the key government players." Another major advantage in the eyes of Canadian leaders was the hiring of Bay Ferries Ltd., an experienced Canadian company that runs three ferries in eastern Canada and Maine. CATS had no experience operating a vessel. "The hiring of Bay Ferries was the single most important thing they could do for the stabilization of the service," said Lisa Raitt, president and chief executive of the Toronto Port Authority. "This is a company that has a track record." Signage Last year: Finding the ferry terminal in Toronto was near impossible if you weren't familiar with the city waterfront and Port Authority property in particular. Why? Unlike Rochester, where green "Ferry" signs dot the highways, there are no signs pointing people in the right direction in Toronto. This year: The signs still aren't there. But city and Port Authority officials say they will be this time. "We're going to be making major improvements for directional signage off of the major highways," Ross said. RARMON@DemocratandChronicle.com

"Toronto catches the Spirit; now saying, 'Go, ferry, go'"

"...Would she ride it? She shrugged and gave a typical Toronto reaction: "Why not? It's an easier way to go back and forth."..."

That's not exactly what might be described as a wildly enthusiastic response.  And it's definitely not a promising indicator that the re-launch of the service is going to receive much more of a patronage than the last time.  Delightful.  Just what the Rochester community needs to hear.

<sigh> Oh well.  At least the media and ferry supporters have had plenty of previous experience with spin and the 'reporting' of ferry news.  Or should that be 'marketing' of ferry news?  Either way, it's falling on deaf ears and there's an extremely generous supply of apathy and disinterest by the public.  Remember them?  You know -- the people who'll have the final say on whether the project flops for a final time.  Not the politicians, not the business leaders and not even the ferry supporters; the paying public will be the deciding factor in the success or failure of Ferry Follies, the Sequel.

Building a ferry terminal is no indicator of success... the city of Rochester has a new US$16 million facility which proves that point.  Throwing a pile of new proposals in the air is no sign that anything has changed since the last iteration either.  Talk is cheap and in this case, will result in greater losses than were seen previously.  Just because it's tens of millions of dollars of the public's tax dollars which will be squandered doesn't make it any less of a business disaster.  Indeed, the number of those affected by this loss has been multiplied directly in proportion to the number of tax payers in Monroe County and to a lesser extent, the people of the state of New York.   Ouch.

Perhaps the D&C reporter misunderstood the meaning of 'Go, ferry, go'.  Perhaps 'Go away, ferry, go away' might be another interpretation of the phrase.  The whole thing has become more of an irritant and nuisance than the much-hyped 'exciting alternative to driving' to and from Toronto.

And sooner than some may think, it may be 'Gone, ferry, gone'.

Again.  And this time, it will be gone for good... which just might be the silver lining in this embarrassing cloud after all. 

Maybe there's some good news after all...