Bay Ferries will lease part of the Bar Harbor ferry terminal for at least C$264,000 annually for the next five years as part of its Yarmouth-Maine ferry service.
The lease agreement with the town of Bar Harbor comes as Bay Ferries embarks on a major renovation of the ferry terminal, with the Nova Scotia government footing the bill.
The work will include the demolition and rebuilding of the Customs Plaza area and the renovation of several outbuildings and portions of the interior of the ferry terminal building, Bay Ferries said in a news release Tuesday.
The renovation of the Customs Plaza area will include installing equipment and technology required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “repairs to the existing pier, installation of a new fixed bridge section adjacent to the pier, and transfer of the floating ferry ramp structure from Portland to Bar Harbor,” the release said.
Nova Scotia also will fund a contribution to the cost of the border services operations at the ferry terminal.
The provincial government has spent $32 million in subsidies since the ferry service resumed in 2015.
“As various negotiations and pricing processes are underway with a number of contractors, Bay Ferries does not wish to publicly comment on anticipated project costs at this time and has requested that the Province of Nova Scotia not do so as it could negatively impact the final cost borne by taxpayers,” the company said.
Bay Ferries said the ferry terminal renovation will reduce operating costs for the service.
Ticket sales for the Yarmouth-Maine ferry service will begin next Monday, with a gradual ramp up of marketing campaigns through late winter and spring.
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