Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced hiring for the first of 200 new jobs to be created by the soon to be launched Citywide Ferry Service.
All boats will now be docked, fueled and maintained out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where an additional passenger stop also will be added starting in 2018.
The new jobs include captains and deckhands. Jobseekers can apply through the City Department of Small Business Services’ WorkForce1 Centers, or at CitywideFerry.NYC, or through the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Employment Center. All jobs will pay the City’s Living Wage or higher, and provide comprehensive benefits.
The new service will launch this summer with three new routes to the Rockaways, South Brooklyn and Astoria, connected to the existing East River Ferry route.
“For the price of a subway ride, Citywide Ferry service will connect millions of riders to jobs and homes all along New York City’s waterfront. As we prepare to launch this summer, we are focused on the finishing touches, and hiring captains, deckhands, engineers and maintenance workers who will operate these boats,” de Blasio said.
Construction is now underway on the Navy Yard ‘homeport.’ The 56,000 square-foot maintenance and storage facility will include berthing space for 25 boats, supplies and parts, and utilities, including a 40,000-gallon diesel fueling system. It will provide routine maintenance including exterior and interior cleaning, restocking of food and beverage items, fueling and basic repairs. The homeport pier is being elevated to comply with the newest FEMA flood standards. It will be fully outfitted by early 2018, enabling passenger service to an additional stop on the East River route between South Williamsburg and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
De Blasio’s FY2018 capital budget includes funding for an additional boat to provide for service to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is undergoing its largest expansion in nearly 60 years. More than 7,000 people work at the Yard today, with that number expected to increase to 17,000 by 2020. Tenants at the Brooklyn Navy Yard are covering the majority of costs associated with constructing the new landing.
With 20 vessels operating at 21 landings across New York City, Citywide Ferry will carry an estimated 4.6 million trips per year across six routes – providing a new and easily accessible transit option for traditionally underserved communities and where jobs and housing are growing rapidly. Several of those landings, including the Rockaways, are already being installed and the first of the new vessels being built at shipyards in Louisiana and Alabama are set to arrive in New York Harbor this month.
The Navy Yard will provide free shuttle service for area residents to the new ferry landing from its Cumberland gate, putting the service in reach of thousands of NYCHA residents at Ingersoll, Farragut Houses, and Walt Whitman Houses.
Workforce1 Career Centers will be accepting applicants for captain and deckhand jobs throughout the spring and summer. The first interviews will be March 24 at the downtown Brooklyn Workforce1 Career Center. The next round of hiring will take place in early summer for positions ranging from concessions to deckhands and operations. For a list of all Workforce1 locations, click here. Applicant may also apply through the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Employment Center, here.
“Public transportation is such a vital service for New Yorkers and I am happy to see the Mayor expanding ferry service. Our water ways are a huge resource and there are so many opportunities that can be realized by making greater use of them. I look forward to continuing to support working waterfronts that serve as hubs for industry, innovation and job creation in our city,” said State Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Boerum Hill) .
“More jobs, more ferries, and more local investment make for a trifecta of ‘ferry’ good news,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron (D-Northern Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan). “As a long-time advocate of expanded ferry service and investing in the Navy Yard, I look forward to the increased transportation options and job investment across the city.”
“A more connected city – and the jobs that come along with it – are just on the horizon,” said City Council Member Stephen Levin (Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Williamsburg) “I applaud the Mayor taking the challenge of transportation and turning it into an opportunity. The new homeport at the Brooklyn Navy Yard continues the trajectory of Brooklyn as a leader in innovation and inclusive economic development. Whether it’s more jobs or better transportation options, Citywide Ferry has the potential to substantially improve our community.”
“Today is another fine example of how our city uses its resources to support the economic needs of our residents. The Brooklyn Navy Yard’s vision and mission for this ferry system not only creates alternative transportation methods for thousands of New Yorkers but it also provides much needed employment opportunities for residents of Central Brooklyn through the Workforce One Centers managed by NYC’s Small Business Services. I want to congratulate all involved with seeing this project to fruition and look forward to continued prosperity throughout our great city,” said Council Member Robert Cornegy (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights).
“We are excited to see the first wave of jobs being created with the launch of Citywide Ferry Service. We applaud the Mayor for taking the helm when it comes to waterfront development and the need for connecting millions of people to jobs across Brooklyn,” said Andrew Hoan, President and CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
Thus far, the sops slated for Brooklyn include Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Red Hook and Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 and Pier 6 – all connexting to Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. Routes from Coney Island and Stapleton on Staten Island are in the planning stages for future expansion.
