For Immediate Release:

September 19, 2014

 

County & NY Waterway thank customers with morning treats

and reveal info about new ferry    

 

MIDDLETOWN, NJ – Commuters who take the NY Waterway Ferry service from the Monmouth County-owned Belford ferry terminal to Manhattan and Jersey City participated in Commuter Appreciation Day on Tuesday.

 

Belford Ferry Terminal customers were offered hot coffee or tea and baked goods provided by NY Waterway. Monmouth County staff members were on-hand to provide information about services of interest to commuters, such as evening and weekend passport application processing, Vote By Mail options and Park System programs.

 

Ferry customers also had the opportunity to enter two free drawings. NY Waterway offered one free 10-trip ferry ticket book for each of the morning’s nine departures. Monmouth County offered 14 items donated by Made In Monmouth vendors and an emergency storm preparation kit from the Monmouth County Health Department.      

 

As part of the early morning event, Monmouth County Freeholder Deputy Director Gary J. Rich, Sr., Freeholder Serena DiMaso and NY Waterway President & Founder Arthur E. Imperatore announced that “Molly Pitcher” will be the name of the new 400-passenger ferry that will serve Monmouth and Ocean County residents.

 

“It’s great news for Monmouth County commuters that a new boat will soon be calling the Belford Ferry Terminal her home port,” said Freeholder DiMaso. “More than 2,000 people use the ferry services each work day, so having a new boat named in honor of one of our local patriots is an honor.”

 

The “Molly Pitcher” is currently under construction at Yank Marine in Tuckahoe and is expected to begin service in January 2015. The 109 feet long, 32 feet wide vessel will draw six feet and have a service speed of 28 knots, about 33 mph, making it among the fastest boats operating in New York-area waters.

 

The new ferry is being completely financed by NY Waterway and is the first NY Waterway ferry built in the Garden State since the Weehawken-based ferry service started in 1986.  An identical second ferry is also being built and is expected to begin service in the third quarter of 2015. 

 

Molly Pitcher fought in the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War, delivering water to soldiers in the 100-degree heat and later operating a cannon after the collapse of her husband on the battlefield. 

 

“Molly Pitcher has captured the hearts of the people of New Jersey, especially Monmouth County, for 236 years.  Her courage and resilience inspires us today to stand by our guns, to prevail, no matter the conditions.  Our ferry crews capture that spirit, in some small measure, as they work every day to get our customers to work – and home again – in every type of weather,” said Mr. Imperatore.

 

The Belford Ferry Terminal, owned by Monmouth County and operated by NY Waterway, is a visually appealing building with all customer amenities and free parking for 1,000 cars.  Complimentary vans circulate through the parking lot to pick up passengers and bring them to the Belford Ferry Terminal.  Ferries operate Monday through Friday, carrying more than 2,000 passengers per day, with stops at Wall Street’s Pier 11 on the East River, the World Financial Center on the Hudson River, Paulus Hook in Jersey City and Manhattan’s West 39^th Street.

 

The Made In Monmouth vendors who participated in Customer Appreciation Day were Barlow’s Flower Farm of Sea Girt, Fleur de Lee of Matawan, Creative Life Publishing of Port Monmouth, Peppadew USA of Morganville, Jersey Girl Barefoot Sandals of Eatontown, StopSallyStop of Atlantic Highlands, Nancy Ellen Photography of Atlantic Highlands, Repurposeful Things of West Long Branch, Revere Picture Framing of Middletown, Hangover Pretzel Company of Freehold, To Be Me Jewelry of Neptune and Dove Hill Studios of Tinton Falls.

 

“Thank you to the commuters who pass through the terminal everyday on their way to Manhattan,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Rich. “Monmouth County is your home, and we wanted to let you know that we have services to help you and your family. We hope that you make use of our parks, libraries, passport and  election offices; we also hope you learn about the many other services available to you.” 

 

A complete list of the vendors who make and sell products that are Made In Monmouth County can be found on the County website at www.visitmonmouth.com. Or you can contact the County’s Division of Economic Development at 732-431-7470. 

 

For more information about the NY Waterway service to Call 1-800-53-FERRY or visit www.nywaterway.com for more information. Information is also available on the NY Waterway Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

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