In Mayor Bill Johnson’s ferry plan, city council would approve establishing a public authority to take ownership of the ferry in December, and the state legislature would approve it in early February. The authority might handle the operation itself, or it might hire a company to do it. The authority would be appointed immediately so […]
fast ferry
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Restoring The Spirit
We may learn, soon, whether The Spirit of Ontario will be back in operation, and if so, whether it’ll be in service this fall. Critics and the media are still speculating on the causes of the ferry fiasco — and, despite its terrific start-up bookings, on whether Spirit is viable. Sellouts in August aren’t a […]
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Ferry tales
It struck a pier in New York City and survived. It faced early delays and scheduling snafus. But it overcame those problems and was able to thumb its nose at skeptics, serving 73,000 riders in the month of August and making fans of many Torontonians. And then last week, The Breeze suspended service. Its […]
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Interview regarding the Fast Ferry
City: CATS CEO Cornel Martin has listed the issues that have to be resolved before ferry service can resume. And on a couple of them, at least, we seem to be fairly close to a resolution. Are we close to resolving all these issues? What stands in the way? Johnson: I don’t know. It […]
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Interview regarding the Fast Ferry
City: You’ve mentioned that one of the major issues that must be resolved before resuming ferry service is the construction of a permanent Toronto terminal. The mayor says that still stands as the largest hurdle. What’s going on with that? Martin: When we closed on the vessel, this was an outstanding issue. And at […]
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Interview regarding the Fast Ferry
City: A year ago, a representative from the Port Authority was here in Rochester… Lundy: That would be Henry Pankratz [chairman] and Lisa Raitt [CEO]. City: And we understand they signed a memorandum of understanding to start construction on the Toronto terminal. Lundy: This goes back to adequate funding from the north […]
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Cool ship!
The Spirit of Ontario, Rochester’s zippy new link to Toronto, pulled into the Genesee right on schedule Tuesday morning, and this is one big babe. Towering over everything in sight, Spirit is now docked on the river’s west side in Charlotte, waiting for final inspections. Ignoring naysayers and showers, thousands of area residents lined both […]
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The XX files
I don’t care how fast the frickin’ ferry is — it can’t be fast enough for me. LakeOntario is a killer. I’ve developed a fear of it since learning about the thousands of ships that have sunk in the Great Lakes. And that’s if the thing makes it safely out of port. Last week’s accident […]
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Shuffleboard on ice
Perhaps you’ve seen it on TV: a giant rock sliding across the ice as two folks with squeegees maniacally sweep and scrub the ice in its path. Some 500 years ago, the Scottish, lamenting the Highlands’ golf-less winters, played this game with rocks and standard-issue kitchen brooms on frozen rivers. They called it “curling,” deriving […]
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Fast ferry, past and future
The Rochester-Toronto fast ferry has faced its fair share of controversy. But if fast-ferry service between Toronto and Rochester starts in May 2004, something sweeter may fill the air. And it won’t be the smell of Pennsylvania coal. It’ll be nostalgia. In March of 1954, four years after the last voyage of the car […]
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Reader feedback 12.03.03
More election talk, Scott Wallace raves, ferry fantasy
Posted inNews & Opinion
News briefs 8.6.03
Pursuing human perfection Dwain Wilder gently handles an unfinished dulcimer and tries to explain his passion for building them. “Our world is full of a kind of perfection that has no soul,” he says. “It’s mechanical. It can be beautiful… look at these cars pouring off assembly lines. But they don’t win your heart in […]
