Ferry plan to link parks

Quincy service set for spring

A waterfront park in Quincy will soon be connected by ferry to national park sites and other tourist venues stretching from the Boston Harbor Islands to Cape Cod.

Federal, state, and local officials say the pilot program, which is expected to launch next spring, will expand water transportation, take advantage of the coastline, attract tourists, and potentially bring more federal tourism spending to the South Shore and Boston.

Departing from Squantum Point Park, an underused 25-acre state park near Marina Bay in Quincy, the ferry service will serve as a "gateway to the national parks" in the New England coastal region, officials said.

The stops will include the Boston Harbor Islands, the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester, the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, and the National Seashore on Cape Cod.

On a peninsula that protrudes into the harbor from north Quincy, the park offers a view of the Boston skyline and proximity to waterbirds in a marsh. Backed by $350,000 in state funding through a recently approved state transportation bond bill and the favor of the National Park Service, the pilot project will upgrade the park's dock to bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ferry service to the Boston Harbor Islands will be run by Harbor Express, which will shift from its base on the Fore River Shipyard to the more northerly Squantum Point Park, cutting service time to the islands almost in half, to 13 minutes.

A "gateway ferry service" dovetails with the park service's agenda of adding attractions to a system that has been losing visitors in recent years to changing cultural mores - Internet "travel" versus the real thing, for example - and high fuel costs, said Kathy Melia, an aide to US Representative William Delahunt, a Democrat who represents Quincy. The service is also looking for a signature project for the event, city officials said, and a waterborne service taking thousands of tourists from park to park along the New England coast might be it.

At the end of Commander Shea Boulevard, Squantum Point Park includes a pier, a short, pebbled beach, picnic tables, grassy fields, a salt marsh, and plenty of free parking. The park has a "beautiful dock," Melia said. It has a storm-water drainage system, lighting, and "everything you need," she said. It could house a visitors center with an interactive board to find information on the harbor islands and the Adams Park sites, she said.

The Boston Harbor Islands National Park Recreation Area consists of 34 islands, including a Civil War fort on Georges Island and beaches and outdoor recreation sites on other islands.

Officials also envision the possibility of a network of ferry services linking Boston and South Shore sites to other tourist sites throughout New England, Melia said. A ferry service to Provincetown could go on to the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and attractions in Rhode Island.

Going north, ferry service could carry tourists to Acadia National Park, off the coast of Maine.

Ferry service from Boston and Quincy could also link to Plymouth, which completed a study last year on the feasibility of tourism and commuter ferry service from both Plymouth Harbor and the shipping pier at the Plymouth Cordage complex in North Plymouth.

"A ferry service to Plymouth could ease congestion on Route 3 and be good for tourism as well," said Denis Hanks, the town's economic development director. However, in discussions with ferry service companies, the operators raised questions about the practicality of regular service over the "open water" between Boston and Plymouth. A tourist seasonal service, avoiding winter weather, might be more practical, Hanks said.

Robert Knox can be contacted at rc.knox@gmail.com.