Despite Financial Woes, Ferry Was Set To Resume Service

Despite mounting financial worries, the Ste. Genevieve-Modoc Ferry was expected to resume service at the beginning of this week.

Ron Inman, chairman of the New Bourbon Regional Port Authority board, announced the resumption of service during the February 26 board meeting.

The ferry will have shorter hours through March, operating from 6 a.m, to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

In April, it will resume its normal hours.

The ferry, however, has already used its annual fiscal year stipend of $88,000 from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), with the next year’s funds not expected to actually be available until sometime in August.

This fiscal year, running from July 2019 through June 2020, has been a rough one so far, with the ferry out of operation all of July, 26 days during September, 23 days in January and all of February.

The board voted to approve Inman’s request that it borrow $5,000 from the port authority.

“It’s not been a good year for us at all, by losing all summer,” Inman said. “We tried to hang on without borrowing any more money, or asking to borrow any more money before we got our $88,000.”

The ferry shut down on January 8 and was closed for the entire month of February. During the abbreviated January operation, it took in $1,423, with expenses of $15,855, for a total loss of $14,432.

See complete story in the March 4 edition of the Herald.