Madeline Island ferry sale ends in ‘best-case scenario’

DULUTH – The iconic ferry line connecting Lake Superior’s Madeline Island to mainland Bayfield in northwestern Wisconsin has a new, unusual owner in the island’s town of La Pointe, which went to great lengths to preserve its only public transportation.

This spring, the town closed on the sale of the Madeline Island Ferry Line for $17 million, buying it from the multigenerational Russell and Nelson families, who merged separate lines more than 50 years ago. It was a necessary move, leaders say, as the island of about 430 year-round residents and thousands of annual visitors stood to lose the service to an outside operator with no community roots.

“The idea of having a stranger operate our lifeline was just inconceivable,” said Michael Collins, an island resident and member of the newly minted town Harbor Commission.

Island businesses and residents have everything delivered by ferry, from prescriptions and food to building supplies and some emergency services. As climate change has made a winter ice road a sporadic treat, year-round residents increasingly rely on the fleet of ferries. A reliable ice road wasn’t possible the past two winters.

The La Pointe Town Board learned it needed to create a state-structured Harbor Commission to buy a ferry line, and it also had to gain approval of islanders. Meetings were held and the idea was popular, with many residents offering to increase property taxes to make it happen, said Glenn Carlson, chair of the Town Board.

In the end, a mix of bonds and loans from the state and residents locked in the purchase. The board expects that annual net income of up to $1.5 million should be enough to make payments, and hopes that eventually it will be profitable enough to lessen property tax costs. Except for frequent-use rates, crossing rates have increased by 7%. And the sellers remain the operators, managing the line for at least several more years.

Other offers were entertained, but choosing La Pointe was for the good of the community, said Robin Trinko-Russell, managing member of the Madeline Island Ferry Line. Her husband is a member of the Russell family, and his grandfather was once a boat captain who transported people between the island and nearby Washburn, Ashland and Bayfield.

The fleet of five ferries makes between 6,000 and 8,000 crossings per year. The boats carry about 120,000 people annually, many who visit the island’s state park and sandy beaches.

Town leaders expect to make few changes, but are considering the addition of a late route so people can attend concerts at Bayfield’s Big Top Chautauqua. They are also seeking grant money to add a later route during much of the school year so the island’s younger residents attending middle and high school in Bayfield can take part in afternoon activities. About 30 school-age kids live on the island full time, half still attending the island’s elementary school.

Carlson said this week the town applied for $34 million in federal Environmental Protection Agency funds for an all-electric icebreaking passenger vehicle ferry and other emission-reducing equipment.

The ferry line is critical for businesses and workers, those who work on and off the island, said Sharon Zanto, executive director of the island’s chamber of commerce.

Town ownership is “the best-case scenario,” she said.