CITY OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS Kimberley Driscoll Mayor Dear Derby Street Area Resident, As you may know, the City has been working diligently for the last several years to build and reactivate Salem Wharf at Blaney Street. In addition, we have been working closely with Footprint Power, the new owners of Salem Harbor Station, to advance plans for use of the current pier on their adjacent facility for cruise ships and other vessels. To that end, this July we filed a MEPA application for proposed upgrades to the pier at the power plant site, including proposed construction of a walkway that will connect the power plant pier to the Salem Wharf Terminal. The notion of expanded waterfront and pier access at the power plant site has been part of the planning process and many of the public presentations related to the power plant and the Blaney Street site. We are fortunate to have a deep water port and view the power plant pier, located directly off the Federal Channel as a tremendous asset in our plans to boost the local economy, retool our waterfront and enhance public access along the harbor edge. As the City seeks state permitting and funding for the build-out of the Blaney Street Wharf, as well as the opportunity to utilize the deep water berth at Footprint, we want to make sure nearby residents are fully apprised of the project. With that in mind, and in order to accommodate the level of interest shown in this matter by residents, Salem businesses, and others in our community, we have requested and DEP has granted a two-week extension on the public comment period for the MEPA filing the City recently made. The deadline to submit comments is now August 27. Port development is a high priority for the City as both an economic development and tourism initiative. We look forward to additional cruise ships visiting our City to help support our restaurants, retail establishments, and attractions, which, in turn, add to our tax base and provide local jobs. Industry estimates from 2011 are that 50% of passengers return to a destination to visit again. A standard ship can generate close to $285,000 in spending at a destination during a single stop. In general, most cruise ships visiting Salem will be under 500 passengers. While the berth at Footprint can support vessels carrying over 1,000 people, we do not anticipate that many ships of this size would be visiting during the course of a year. We would have plenty of advance notice of any cruise ship docking in Salem, as these port of call dates would be scheduled a minimum of a year in advance. When berthed, typically only a fraction of cruise ship passengers disembark at a destination. As a port- of-call, the cruise ships would only stop for the day (arrive early and leave the same day) and usually would occur during the middle of the week. The Salem facility is not being proposed as a point for cruise ship origination, meaning fewer cars, turn around services, and supplies. As you can imagine, given Salem’s strong tourism market and the attractiveness of a port so close to downtown, we have strong interest from cruise ships to visit Salem. With the close proximity of the Wharf to the downtown and historic sites, there are numerous options for low-impact transportation. Passengers will be directed from the Footprint site via the proposed pathway to the City’s Blaney Street property where they have a myriad of options to get downtown, from trolleys, to walking, to pedicabs and bicycles – all of which are already available to visitors who come to Salem on the ferry. In addition, it’s important to note that not every cruise passenger will disembark from the boat and certainly not all passengers disembarking leave at the same time. Many stay on board, others may bypass Salem altogether in favor of a cruise-sponsored excursion off site. In that instance, buses would be staged at the Footprint property, and would be directed to and from the wharf via Webb Street to Route 1A. Supplying cruise ships by trucks is normally done at the start or end of a cruise and would likely not occur in Salem in any large quantity or at all. Traffic estimates are contained in the City’s filings for the Salem Port Expansion Project at salem/Pages/SalemMA_DPCD/studies. Based on initial reviews we don’t anticipate traffic volume to increase tremendously. Keep in mind, the cruise season is short in New England; if we had a dozen port-of-calls a season that would be on the high end. Also note that while a ship with 2,000 passengers is large, we routinely manage events in Salem that attract much larger crowds. The Maritime Festival and July 4 come to mind as recent one-day events that occurred within the neighborhood. The Salem Farmers Market routinely serves over 2,000 patrons in Derby Square every Thursday from 2pm to 7pm, to give some context to the potential maximum number of passengers that might be aboard a larger cruise ship. Lastly, we are also attuned to the need to make sure the boats while at berth do not negatively impact air quality. This is a new priority in the cruise industry and many ships are being retrofitted to allow for shore side power. As we plan for upgrades at the pier, we are incorporating the need for this amenity to be included in the project. We also expect that upgrades to sidewalks and roads on and around Derby Street will be a key part of mitigation efforts for the utility projects happening in the area. When I appeared before the Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association last year I was happy to share the City’s vision for the expanded use of the Blaney Street Wharf and the extension of public access to the Footprint dock. While we didn’t have detailed plans at that time, we outlined the key parts of the proposal to promote the site for cruise ships and other watercraft. We are excited that these long- planned improvements are now closer to becoming a reality and welcome your thoughts and comments. Please let me know if you have additional questions or concerns. I look forward to meeting with the Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association at your meeting in September. Very truly yours, Kim Driscoll Mayor City of Salem festivities CC: Robert McCarthy, Ward 1 Councilor Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 20:00:25 +0000
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