Hundreds Sign Letters to the Governor to Save the Ferries

It was a typical market day at the Chester Sunday Farmers' Market in Chester. Hundreds of patrons milled around the streets of downtown, poking through the wares of the unique local shops and picking up fresh food at market vendors lining the sidewalks. This week, however, there was an additional tent set up with pre-written letters to Governor Dannel Malloy (see attached letter) for patrons to sign in an effort to help save the Connecticut ferries.

Wendy Dow Miller, East Haddam resident and President of North Plain Consulting Company, manned the tent where she said "over 300 letters were signed."

Throughout the day, visitors to the tent streamed in from places as far away as New York, New Jersey and Vermont. There was even a woman from Switzerland, according to Miller, who spoke on the beauty of the Connecticut River and the Chester-Hadlyme ferry. A large percentage of the patrons at the market took the Chester-Hadlyme ferry across the river via car, foot, motorcycle and bicycle to get to the market.

Jill Matthew of Lyme expressed her concern over the possible loss of the Chester-Hadlyme and Rocky Hill-Glastonbury ferries. 

"I recognize that in times of economic hardships, we have to cut back. But, my fear is that once the ferries are removed from service, they will be gone forever," she said.

"It would be a huge impact to lose a part of Connecticut's history. Not only that, the ferry is a big tourist draw to the Connecticut River Valley and by bringing people to this area, [it] helps out the local economy in a big way."

Old Lyme business owner, Linda Improte of Lemon and Lyme agrees.

"I believe the economic development of this town [Chester] and the other neighboring towns along the river is in part due to the ferry service," she said. "I bring people here on a regular basis to take the ferry and enjoy the beauty of the Connecticut River and its surrounding towns. The ferry is a big part of this area; it is even all over the tourism brochures for the state. It would be a shame to lose a historical landmark and a service that aids in the economy of the state."

Both Matthew and Improte signed the letters.

The discontinuation of the state's ferries are part of Malloy's broader effort to close a $1.6 billion shortfall in his two-year budget if an agreement can not be reached with the unions. The possibility of the ferries closing down has angered officials, businesses and residents in the towns served by the ferries. They argue the ferries are essential to public safety, because they transport patients across the Connecticut River when local bridges are impassable.  The ferries, they say, are also historcally important and are a significant part of local tourism.

Even with the ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement between the Governor and the unions, ferry supporters are not taking any chances with their efforts to help save the state's ferries from being cut now or in the future.