Steamship Authority general manager previews Woods Hole terminal finish, vows community forums and traffic mitigation

The Select Board heard an update from Alex Kriska, general manager of the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, on the agency’s capital and operational plans and community outreach.

Kriska, who said he had passed 100 days on the job, described repairs to a fast boat taken out of service earlier that day and said the authority is close to taking ownership of the new Woods Hole terminal building. “We’re getting furniture delivered this week,” he said, and the glass canopies needed for the facility have been manufactured overseas and are expected in the coming weeks. Kriska said the terminal project is a multi‑phase effort with berths, the building, and later landscaping to follow.

Kriska told the board the authority carries about “3,000,000 passengers a year,” and stressed the agency is fare‑box reliant; he said that makes careful financial planning essential as the authority plans new hybrid or cleaner vessels to replace aging boats. He described recent capital moves including purchases of hybrid buses and converted freight vessels and said the authority is reviewing a prior offshore supply vessel project to learn what can be done better in future builds.

On local concerns, Kriska said he is meeting regularly with Falmouth’s DPW, police and fire and is attending the town traffic advisory committee to coordinate traffic flow and enforcement around the terminal. He committed to holding a public forum before the summer season and to another at the end of the season: “I will commit to having one before the official summer starts,” Kriska told the board, adding he would bring staff and communications personnel to the meetings.

Board members welcomed the pledge for community meetings and asked whether the authority had a port liaison for ongoing neighborhood communications; Kriska said he would explore creating a formal community liaison role but noted many existing board and port council members already serve that outreach purpose. He also said the authority is actively exploring a New Bedford freight route and has held discussions with operators and dock owners there.

The board did not take action on the update but thanked Kriska and encouraged the authority to continue coordinating with town departments on traffic, civil works and public outreach.