Ferry cost under review

St. Mary Parish taxpayers have paid roughly $705,836 since 2005 for a vehicle ferry that totes passengers less than 580 feet from Morgan City’s coast to Avoca Island, a 16,000-acre private island.

Since October 2008, the island is home to only one resident.

Vessel reports show over the past three months, the ferry made 2,612 trips, carrying 3,536 vehicles – or 4,285 passengers. Based on those figures, one out of every three trips between October and December 2008 carried more than one vehicle.

St. Mary Parish Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange relayed that information last Wednesday to members of the Avoca Ferry Advisory Committee’s at its first meeting. The committee is comprised of the parish council and Parish President Paul Naquin.

The fate of the ferry is in question following Councilman Kevin Voisin’s inquiry into taxpayer spending. According to Voisin, the parish pays approximately $46 per passenger to keep the free cable ferry in operation. Because the island is home to only one resident, caretaker Jim Bodin, the parish is looking to pull the plug on the service.

Avoca Inc. owns the island. It’s representative, Robert Baird, who is an executive vice president for Whitney Bank in New Orleans, was not present at the committee meeting. However, Baird inked a letter to the council in November indicating that the group is willing to discuss development on the island.

Documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Com-mission show Avoca Inc. has owned the island since 1931 and that the group maintains over $1 million in assets from the island.

No decisions were made at last week’s meeting, and a follow-up meeting has yet to be announced.

However, the council was given a better understanding of the ferry service’s operational status.

According to LaGrange, unaudited figures indicate the ferry cost the parish $192,386 in 2008 to operate. The cost, however, does not include after-hour calls to repair the vessel or mechanic costs, he noted.

Two full-time operators – working eight hours shifts daily – shuttle the craft to and from Avoca Island. Payroll alone last year cost taxpayers $77,689.

LaGrange provided the following breakdown of last year’s trips:

• January through March: the ferry made 3,435 trips, carrying 4,984 vehicles or 5,862 passengers.

• April through June: 2,955 trips, carrying 4,341 vehicles or carrying 6,135 passengers.

• July through September: 3,374 trips, shuttling 4,849 vehicles or 7,138 passengers.

• October through December: 3,194 trips; 4,783 vehicles; 7,192 passengers.

LaGrange told the committee he is gathering Avoca Island property taxes, as well as any sales and use tax revenue generated by doing business with the island. A number of gas and oil-related industries are situated on the island, and the parish’s electric utility maintains lines on the property.

When Councilman Albert Foulcard suggested Avoca Inc. share a portion of the expense of keeping the ferry operations, LaGrange said, “I have had no agreements or conversations with anyone about absorbing some of this budget.”

Avoca Island’s caretaker, who was present at last week’s meeting, said he understood the ferry costs the parish to run, but argued it was needed. Bodin said the ferry regularly shuttles business workers as well as camp owners to the island.

Naquin has suggested the parish look into building a bridge to the island to curtail the ongoing ferry expense.

“I’d rather see a bridge (than the ferry service), but if this is all we have, then so be it,” Councilman Chuck Walters said.

The Avoca Island ferry cost St. Mary taxpayers over $900,000 to shuttle vehicles less than 580 feet between Morgan City’s coast and the island. * Photo by HOWARD CASTAY JR.