Business & Tech

Narragansett Chamber Opposes B.I. Ferry Service From Quonset

Cites possible reduction in business at the Port of Galilee in a letter to the state Public Utilities Commission.

By Elizabeth McNamara

The Narragansett Chamber of Commerce has written a letter opposing Rhode Island Fast Ferry's application with the state to expand ferry service to Block Island. RI Fast Ferry, which operates ferry service to Martha's Vineyard out of Quonset and wants to add Block Island ferry service from the same location, cannot proceed without approval from the state Public Utilities Commission. 

"The Board voted unanimously to oppose the project based on the financial ramifications to the businesses operating in the Town of Narragansett and specifically along the Route 108 corridor and ultimately in the Port of Galilee. Any reduction in visitors to the Port of Galilee will cause certain financial harm to existing businesses that rely on the summer swell of commercial trade to sustain their ventures through the off-season," the letter reads. 

The letter also suggests the state could lose revenue from any decrease in traffic at the port: "Parking fees paid to the State of Rhode Island from the state-owned lots, local food and beverage taxes, local hotel taxes and retail tax sales will all diminish when the traffic heading to the Port of Galilee lessens." 

The chamber board argued the RI Fast Ferry is not in a location to attract new visitors to Block Island. "The RI Fast Ferry to Block Island at the Quonset Industrial Park option will only siphon travelers who otherwise would be headed to Galilee. There is not enough of a geographical distance to attract new travelers from a new market. Currently, no one is opting not to travel to Block Island … because Galilee is 18 miles south of the Quonset Industrial Park." 

"I'm baffled," said RI Fast Ferry owner Charles Donadio. "How can a chamber of commerce take one chamber member over another?" 

Both RI Fast Ferry and Interstate Navigation (operator of the ferry service from Point Judith to Block Island) belong to the Narragansett Chamber of Commerce. "Interstate Navigation just started a Newport fast ferry and there was no opposition," Donadio said, referring to the new ferry service from Newport to Block Island. "Deborah Kelso didn't object to that." 

Kelso is executive director of the Narragansett Chamber of Commerce. Donadio lives in Narragansett and was owner of the first fast ferry service to operate from Galilee. He sold his stake in that company in 2001 and established RIFF in Quonset in 2003, operating ferry service to Martha's Vineyard. He said he's been a member of the Narragansett chamber for 18 years, and served on the board up until last year. 

"Deb Kelso is saying, 'It's not in my town so I don't support it.' She's going beyond the scope of what the chamber of commerce's mission is," said Donadio.

Kelso disagreed.

"This is not a stand against a particular business," said Kelso. "This is a stand for protecting the businesses in Galilee."

She said the chamber would "be his biggest cheerleader" if Donadio decided to open up ferry service in Narragansett. "Charlie has been a very, very valuable member of this chamber. It's not anything other than the board feeling the need to protect the businesses that exist in Narragansett that are dependent on the ferry traffic," Kelso said. "That's why we are the Narragansett Chamber of Commerce and not the Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce." 

The Southern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce has not taken a position and, according to the chamber's Elizabeth Berman, it's not clear it will. Both Interstate Navigation and RI Fast Ferry are members of that chamber as well.

"As a general practice, we do promote the free market. Competition is healthy in business," Berman said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here