Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version

   Starting Thursday you can start catching the ferry from New Bedford to Martha's Vineyard again. Ferry Schamonchi's seasonal opening more than two weeks ago was canceled over wharf access disputes.
   Its being made possible after an agreement between Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority and the owners of Billy Woods Wharf in New Bedford. Its also bringing an increase along with it. The Wharf owners increased the areas access ten-fold to 30-thousand dollars. It was after finding out they could no longer operate a city-owned parking lot across from the docks.
   Under the new agreement, the Steamship will operate the city's 350-car parking lot, as well as an adjoining 300-car lot owned by the Pimentel family. Its using the revenues to offset costs of a higher wharf lease. Steamship authority C-E-O Frederick Raskin says the authority will roughly break even.