Ferry struggling to stay afloat
A effort is being made to save the Ste. Genevieve-Modoc Ferry from ceasing operations at the end of this month.
According to the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center Facebook page VisitSteGen, the ferry will shutter at the end of June unless lawmakers agree on providing funding.“After that, the ferry will be split and sold off,” VisitSteGen posted Thursday on Facebook.
The ferry, which can be accessed on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River at 3482 Levee Road in Modoc, is operated by the New Bourbon Port Authority of Perryville, Mo., and “survives on patrons crossing the river and an $88,000 budget allocation from the state of Missouri,” VisitSteGen posted.
“Illinois does not allocate any money, and before Missouri will raise (its) allocation, they want to see Illinois provide funding,” the post states.
VisitSteGen states that State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) has a bill currently in committee proposing $250,000 be allocated by Illinois for the ferry.
“It’s not going anywhere, but she is also proposing a one-year budget stipend for the same amount that she’s hopeful will go through,” the Facebook post states. “We’ll still need to push that bill across next year to assure lasting funding, but we have a good start.”
The ferry operates on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, carrying passengers across the river between the French heritage communities of Ste. Genevieve and Prairie du Rocher. It was first petitioned for in 1798 and began operating soon after.
“Back then, the Mississippi River was not a divider but a route of connection between two settlements in a thriving French territory, long before the United States was even imagined,” VisitSteGen stated in its Facebook post.
To contact the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center regarding the ferry, call 573-883-7097.
The Welcome Center suggests those interested in making their voices heard in the ongoing effort to save the ferry should email Sen. Bryant at senterribryant58@gmail.com or call her office at 217-782-8137 to show support for the bill and the one-time budget allocation from Illinois.
