Press Releases
HMS completes Gees Bend Ferry and Signs management agreement with Wilcox County
Gees Bend: The ferry to nowhere
by KAREN TOLKKINEN, The Mobile Register,
CAMDEN -- It was the boat that was supposed to herald a new day for Gees Bend.
Because of it, Gees Bend, one of the most isolated spots in the state, would again be linked to doctors, county offices and shops across the river.
But after nearly seven years, the $695,000 taxpayer-funded boat still hasn't carried a single paying passenger. Two months ago, it flunked a U.S. Coast Guard systems test. Designed to carry 20 cars and 149 people, it sits unused in a quiet nook off the Alabama River.
The boat has captured national attention -- not because of its cost or because its completion has been delayed so long, but because of Gees Bend's history.
During the civil rights days, members of the mostly black community rode the ferry to register to vote in Camden, the county seat. They soon lost ferry service and were forced to drive far out of their way to reach a bridge over the river.
In 1996, Congress set aside $695,000 for a new ferry, and national media such as The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times proclaimed that change was finally coming to Gees Bend.
If official estimates for a launch date had been even remotely accurate, the ferry would have been churning across the river multiple times a day for about six years now, saving drivers the 35 miles and 26 extra minutes they'd otherwise have to drive each way.
Instead, the only signs of life on a recent afternoon were mayflies struggling in a spider's web on the pilot house.
The builder, Hubert Bonner of Wetumpka, comes down occasionally to work on items that failed the Coast Guard's most recent test, county officials said. He could not be reached for comment for this story.
"They couldn't even pump" the bilges, said John Fredella, chief of the inspection division in the Coast Guard's Mobile office. "They spent all day up there, and they didn't accomplish anything. We take the time to help them, but we can't build the boat for them."
The boat was built in Wetumpka by Bonner, who specialized in fiberglass fishing boats and had never built a ferry. Nevertheless, he told state officials it would take just five months to complete, according to state records. The Alabama Department of Transportation never included a completion date in the contract with Bonner or required a performance bond.
In February 2004, he piloted the boat down the river to Camden. It broke down once when a transmission blew, then bogged down in too-shallow water at its docking place on the Camden side of the river.
Fredella said Bonner's son, Mike Bonner, told him Thursday that he was taking over the ferry project from his father.
Hubert Bonner told the Wilcox County Commission in February that the Coast Guard was responsible for the delays. They changed their requirements, he said, requiring accompanying alterations to the boat. Also, he said, the Coast Guard is inspecting this boat a lot more closely because of its high profile.
Fredella disputed both claims. Boat-building rules haven't change since 1996, he said -- before Bonner started his work on the ferry. And the Coast Guard is only being properly cautious in not granting approval, he said.
"I'd love to see that thing being completed," Fredella said. "We're not trying to impede anything. But I can't waive all the safety requirements. That's my job to ensure that the vessel is safe for the carriage of all the people up there."
Meanwhile, the ferry has become its own punchline. Just asking about it can bring wry laughter.
"It's kind of ridiculous," said Corine McKinley, who has lived near the ferry location for about eight years. "They've been working on it so long."
Congress allocated $2 million for operating expenses, which Wilcox County engineer Gary Grantham said could last eight to 10 years. But the county hasn't hired a captain or a crew or set a schedule -- all these things are waiting until the boat is deemed seaworthy, officials said.
Hornblower Marine Services commissions the Gees Bend Ferry
By: Greg Brown, Vice President of Marine Operations
If you read the article from the Mobile newspaper, then you already know what kind of challenges this project and the citizens of Wilcox County are up against. The ferry was supposed to ease burdens in the community. Unfortunately, it did not. It wound up being something else all together.
The Team at HMS is proud to announce that the construction and commissioning of the ferry is now complete. She has received her Certificate of Inspection from the United States Coast Guard and is standing by at our Mobile Bay Ferry operation ready to go to work.
Also, in a unanimous vote the Wilcox County Commission voted to award a two year management contract to Hornblower Marine Services to open and manage ferry operations on behalf of the county. HMS teams will begin this fall in establishing this new ferry service for the community. We anticipate hiring and training eight new HMS crew members from the area. We are excited to assist the citizens of Wilcox County with their new ferry service.
The newly commissioned Gees Bend was outfitted with…
- New propellers
- New generator
- New hydraulic system
- New channel coolers
- New engine room ventilation
- New fixed fire fighting systems
- New duplex strainers
- New fire hoses
- New pilothouse controls
- New pilothouse electronics
- New wiring
- New main engine mounts
- New struts and scags under the rudders
- And of course the new paint job!
©2000-2005 Hornblower Marine Services
