Sandusky signs long-term deal with Pelee Islander

SANDUSKY — The Pelee Islander might not visit Sandusky at all in 2020. But it hasn't stopped city officials from ensuring the ferry can remain a mainstay at Jackson Street Pier for years to come. During a recent public meeting, city commissioners extended a contract with the Owen Sound Transportation Co. to continue passenger boating services, between Canada and the U.S., through April 2027. The contract includes two renewals, which, if picked up by Sandusky's government, could continue this agreement an additional six years, through April 2033. For the past two decades, city officials renewed this contract on a year-by-year basis. So why the change and confidence in a long-term agreement? "It makes sense to enter into a new multiyear lease," city chief development officer Matt Lasko said. "The annual lease payment increased drastically, as this is being done to allow (Owen) to pay back certain capital costs the city incurred as part of the Jackson Street Pier redevelopment." Jackson Street Pier's transformation, which included an overhaul in the area where passengers board and depart the Pelee Islander, totaled $8.1 million. Owen must pay $800,000 over a seven-year period, which breaks down to about $114,300 annually. It's a substantial increase from the past amounts, which averaged out to about $11,000 annually in recent years. Owen agreed to fully reimburse Sandusky for upgrades in the pier's Pelee Islander docking area, which caused a significant uptick in costs. "The benefits of entering into a multiyear lease are both beneficial to (Owen) in that they can pay back those costs over seven years but also of major benefit to the city as it reaffirms the Pelee Islander's commitment to providing service to the island hubbed out of Sandusky," Lasko said. Sandusky's lease arrangement with Owen mandates the company must make yearly payments even if the boat doesn't stop in the U.S. On a related note, commissioners also executed a new lease agreement with the federal government. Basically, the deal allows the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, often shortened to as Border Patrol, to manage this docking facility. No money exchanged on either side. When will the Pelee Islander return? Nobody knows when the Pelee Islander, a common summertime sight at Jackson Street Pier, could return to Sandusky. It hasn't made a single stop in Sandusky this year. "It's really a crystal ball sort of thing," Susan Schrempf, the president and CEO of the Owen Sound Transportation Co., previously said. "It's all iffy." International travel restrictions, in place due to COVID-19, prohibit the Pelee Islander from crossing over the Canadian border and stopping in Sandusky, the company's lone U.S. stop. In August, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced most citizens of other countries, which include the U.S., cannot travel into Canada unless they're exempt by very few, and very specific, guidelines. Anyone entering Canada, then, must also complete a quarantine plan, showing how one will stay isolated for 14 days upon entry into the country. And when the travel restrictions do get lifted, "We don't know what the federal government requirements (U.S. and Canadian) will be as far as operating ferries," Schrempf said. Meanwhile, the Owen Sound Transportation Co. continues serving passengers in and not leaving Canada. For several weeks now, they've mandated all passengers must wear masks among other safety precautions. "It's been difficult operating any ferry in a COVID environment," Schrempf said. Sandusky officials do welcome the Pelee Islander's eventual return "As a city, we are optimistic that service will return by next spring," city ex officio mayor Dick Brady said. "The area has been vastly improved, but those improvements were both dictated by the Canadian and federal governments."