Winthrop is moving forward with plans to start a municipal boat ferry service with the help of $950,000 in federal money recently allocated to purchase the vessel.
Town Manager Jim McKenna said that within the next few months, the town plans to issue a request for proposals from firms interested in operating the ferry, which would be based at the town landing on Shirley Street.
The $950,000 grant was part of $42 million in local funding awards recently announced by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood under a program that supports ferry services and facilities. The Winthrop project was one of three in Massachusetts to receive funding.
Some of the funds, including the money for Winthrop, were allocated based on congressional earmarks in the fiscal 2010 federal budget, which took effect Oct. 1, with the rest awarded through discretionary grants. The overall program budget for the year is $67 million.
“Only a few communities were successful in securing these funds. We were very grateful to be one of them,’’ said McKenna, adding that the town is thankful to US Representative Edward J. Markey for securing the earmark. “He was key in the effort.’’
Winthrop has been working toward offering a ferry service for several years, part of its overall effort to bring new vitality to its waterfront. That effort has also included a $2.2 million project to construct a new pier and upgrade the adjacent public landing area. The project has been funded largely by state money, most of it from the Seaport Advisory Council.
The pier was built in 2007 and the town recently began making initial upgrades to the public landing, which involves repaving the parking area and adding landscaping, benches, and pathways. In a later phase, the town plans to construct a waterside building to provide an office for the harbormaster and space for other municipal uses.
McKenna said the ferry would offer an alternative means of transportation to and from Boston for commuters, and an opportunity to boost tourism.
One option for the town is to acquire the boat itself. The other is to loan the money to the selected operator to purchase the boat.
