Proposed ferry gets mixed reactions

The Cincinnati Post reported on the Wednesday night hearing before the Boone County Planning Commission in Burlington. They stated that the ferry proposal received "mixed reviews". The Rising Sun/Ohio County Port Authority is pushing for a zone change on a 4.2-acre lot in Belleview that would be developed as the dock and parking lot for the ferry, which would run between the Boone County hamlet and Rising Sun, Ind.
Supporters of the ferry stated that the plan was not designed to increase business at Grand Victoria Casino

The city and the Rising Sun Regional Foundation, an economic development organization funded mainly by assessments on Grand Victoria, would foot the $500,000 cost of establishing the ferry.

"That's the farthest thing from the truth," foundation's executive director Ed Sullivan said of the purported link between the casino and plans for the ferry.

Rising Sun official have long contended that the Ferry is help people who commute from Rising Sun to Boone County for jobs, doctor's visits and various other reasons.

Patricia Walton, of Rising Sun, supported the ferry.

She said she owned auto part stores in both Rising Sun and Burlington, and the ferry would shorten her commute. "I think it would be very helpful. I travel back and forth from both places. Lots of people do."

Mark Madden, of Bellevue, has commuted to Rising Sun for the past 10 years for work.

He said a ferry would be a welcome addition, particularly on days when traffic on Interstate 275 is congested after an accident.

"I don't buy much in Indiana. I buy my things in Kentucky," Madden said. "But there are a lot of people like me who make that drive every day. This sure would be a big help."

Proponents say the ferry is designed to carry about 200 vehicles per day at about $4 per ride. The ferry would operate from dawn to dusk and would not carry any large trucks or other vehicles over 20,000 pounds.

Many residents, though, particularly those who live near the ferry's proposed docking point in Kentucky, worried the plan would increase traffic and ruin the rural nature of the area.

Mark Goodridge, who lives on McVille Road adjacent to the proposed ferry landing, said cutting into the shoreline to create the space for the dock could increase erosion of his property.

"Every year, I lose property to the river," Goodridge said. "What happens if this plan doesn't work out and all my property starts slipping into the river.

"Who is going to be responsible for that?"

Sandra Jones, another resident on McVille Road, said noise from the ferry and the vehicles it carries would be burdensome to the community.

"As it is right now, we can hear the cops pulling people over in Indiana," Jones said. "Don't tell me I'm not going to be able to hear a riverboat."

The proposal will now go before the planning commission's zone change committee, then to the full planning commission.

The Boone County Fiscal Court will have the ultimate decision on the venture, although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also must approve it.

Kentucky Residents worry Ferry project won't help the county

The Cincinnati Post reports opposition to the Ferry Plan

A plan to open a ferry between Rising Sun, Ind., and Belleview, Ky., is drawing opposition from local residents who fear traffic generated by the operation would tax rural roads in western Boone County. . .


"There are a number of concerns, including the traffic the project is going to bring to the area," said Patrick Lense, a Petersburg, Ky., resident who opposes the project. "The main problem is simply that the ferry would only benefit Rising Sun and Indiana's riverboat casinos. There would be virtually no benefits for Boone County."

Jim Carmichael, a real estate agent with First Commercial Realty in Florence, is helping to broker the deal. He stressed that the ferry is being proposed to help people in Rising Sun commute to Boone County, not to improve access to Grand Victoria Casino & Resort, located one mile away from where the ferry would dock in Indiana.

"The gambling boats have absolutely nothing to do with this," Carmichael said. "We could care less about the gambling boats."

But many Boone County residents are dubious about that assertion because of the involvement in the process of the Rising Sun Regional Foundation, which is funded in part by the Grand Victoria Casino.

"We know that casino money is tied to the project," said Pat Raferty, of Burlington, Ky. "The project is very close to a residential area, and it is going to be cutting into a high bank in the Ohio River. It's just not a very well thought-out project."

Also troubling to residents is the ferry's potential for spurring growth.

As residential development has exploded in Boone County over the past few years, county planners and elected officials have tried to keep it contained to the eastern portion of the county, allowing much of western Boone County to retain its rural character.

Carmichael contends that the ferry would not bring a significant amount of traffic to western Boone County. He said a traffic study will be presented at a hearing Wednesday that he believes should put some of those fears to rest.

"We're talking about a maximum of eight cars every 30 minutes," Carmichael said. "The impact is going to be minimal, but we understand that for some people, minimal is just too much. We're trying to satisfy the people who are opposed to this as best as we can."

Wayne Fairchild, who lives in McVille near the proposed ferry landing, said while he has some concerns about the ferry bringing drunk drivers from the gambling boats, he thinks the project could be a benefit for the community.

The ferry would have really been beneficial 10 years ago before the Grand Victoria casino opened because many people commuted from Rising Sun to jobs at the East Bend power plant on Ky. 338 in Boone County, Fairchild said.

He believes, though, that the number of workers coming from Rising Sun has dwindled over the years.

"I'm a member of a farming club in Indiana, so I would probably use the ferry a couple of times a year," Fairchild said. "I'm not a fan of gambling, but a lot of people need to get across the river and it takes a while to go up to Interstate 275, so I think it could be beneficial."

By Luke E. Saladin
Cincinnati Post staff reporter

CHAMBER IS HOSTING PRIMARY MEET THE CANDIDATES FORUM

The Rising Sun - Ohio County Chamber of Commerce is extending an invitation to all Ohio County candidates seeking an elected position in the 2006 primary election to participate in a Meet the Candidates Forum. The forum will allow candidates to introduce themselves and address members of the RSOC Chamber of Commerce concerning their stance on community issues in an informal panel discussion. Those attending will have the opportunity to write down questions to be addressed by the candidates. Candidates will then be able to read the questions prior to answering.

The forum will take place Monday, April 10, 2006 in the Commissioner’s Room of the Ohio County Courthouse following the RSOC Chamber of Commerce membership meeting. A chamber of commerce membership meeting will begin at 6:30PM and the forum will begin at 7:00PM and conclude no later than 8:00PM.

The Rising Sun Ohio County Chamber of Commerce currently has 48 members and is growing every day. We hope this evening will be an opportunity for candidates to meet our members and discuss community issues that are important to us all.

Link to Chamber Calendar

Post Legislative Luncheon

Post Legislative Luncheon
Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce

Governmental Affairs Committee

Sponsored by

Ewbank, Kramer & Dornette

Bob Ewbank, Jeff Dornette, Pat Coghill & David King
Attorneys At Law

Presents

The 2006 Post Legislative Wrap-Up

Learn first hand the effects of the 2006 General Assembly on Dearborn County

Invited Guests

Senator Johnny Nugent

Representative Bob Bischoff

Jewell DeBonis, Lobbyist

Thursday, March 30, 2006

11:30 a.m. - Lunch

12:00 Noon-Presentation

Delany's

US 50 & State Line Road

$15.00 - Chamber Members

$25.00 - Non-Chamber Member

RSVP: 812-537-0814

Forum to discuss Belleview ferry

BELLEVIEW -- To help educate the public about a proposed ferry from Rising Sun, Ind., to Boone County, the project's proponents will host a public forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at Kelly Elementary School in Belleview.

"We understand that the residents of that area have some concerns and we'd like to be able to basically present what the (Rising Sun/Ohio County) Port Authority intends on doing," said Jim Carmichael, a real estate agent with First Commercial Realty in Florence who is working on the project.

Carmichael said the forum would address the purpose and reasoning behind the proposed ferry and address any of concerns residents have in Belleview.

The port authority is proposing a ferry that would run from East Belleview Lane in Rising Sun to property on McVille Road (Ky. 18) near Waterloo Road in rural Belleview. In Indiana, the ferry would leave people about one mile east of the Grand Victoria Casino & Resort.

The site would include a public boat ramp where people can launch their boats. Carmichael said it would have parking for about eight cars and trailers.

The port authority is seeking to change the zoning from agricultural estate to recreation on a 4.32-acre site for the ferry's Belleview dock. The port authority is also seeking a conditional use permit to allow for a ferry boat landing.

The Boone County Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing about the project at 6:30 p.m. March 29 in Courtroom Room 3A of the Boone County Administration Building, Burlington.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to give the project final approval.

The port authority would contract out the ferry's operations but own the land used for docking on both sides of the river.

Gary Brett, the port authority's chairman, said the ferry "has a lot to do with traffic convenience for us to be able to go to doctors, schools, hospitals and shopping in Florence."

Currently, the trip from Rising Sun to Florence takes 50 to 55 minutes. With heavy traffic, it can take more than an hour, Brett said.

By taking the ferry, residents would be able to get to Florence in 15 minutes, Brett said.

Belleview resident Barbara Valentour said the ferry would only benefit Rising Sun. She said the ferry would lead to more development.

"You've got beautiful horse farms down here," she said.

Carmichael said the project has positive aspects for Belleview as residents would have access to stores and restaurants in Indiana.

The maximum goal for traffic is 200 cars per day with eight to 10 cars every 30 minutes, according to Carmichael said. He also said the ferry would be open from dawn to dusk.

"We're not talking high traffic," he said. "We're not talking multiple barges."

ADVANTAGES SEEN

Belleview resident Marilyn Newton and her friends travel to southern Indiana for its riverboat gambling and sees some advantages with the ferry.

"To us ... it'll save time. It'll save gas and it's convenient if you have relatives living over there which I do," said Newton who has an aunt and uncle in Rising Sun.

The ferry could begin operations in early 2007, according to Brett.

The only ferry currently in Boone County is Anderson Ferry takes residents from the Constance area to western Hamilton County, Ohio.