Failure to launch: White’s Ferry service resumption sought two years after ending

• Long-term access to the access to the Rockland landing in return for a 50 cents per vehicle fee which would be adjusted annually for inflation.
• Rockland would purchase the Maryland landing at a profit to the Kuhns and work with an outside company to resume ferry operations.
• Agree to have an independent ferry operator that will pay each landing owner 75 cents per vehicle. Devlin said the operator has agreed to pay an additional fee to park a ferry on either side of the Potomac.
• Hire an independent arbitrator to choose the fairest offer if the Kuhns agrees to sell.

Devlin wrote that Rockland Farm has been owned by her family for seven generations — the family purchased the property in 1817, according to court documents — and the family doesn’t want to sell it. However, she said they do want to allow ferry use for a “small, volume-based fee” and are willing to commit to a long-term contract.

“We only ask for just compensation for the ferry traffic that will traverse our land,” Devlin wrote. “The fact that a different, independently owned ferry company is willing to step in and pay Rockland and the Maryland owners more than 50 cents per vehicle shows that our offers are reasonable.”

Ferry service between Loudoun and Montgomery counties began in 1786. White’s Ferry operated from 1947 until Dec. 28, 2020 when a cable snapped.

The ferry transported 600 to 800 vehicles per day, according to a 2021 study of restarting ferry service which was commissioned by Loudoun and Montgomery counties. Trips took about 15 minutes each way and reduced traffic on Route 15 in Loudoun.

In 2004, Rockland terminated the lease after the former White’s Ferry owners built a retaining wall on the Rockland property without obtaining the Rockland owner’s permission. In 2021 in Loudoun Circuit Court, Judge Stephen E. Sincavage ruled that the former owners had been trespassing and ordered them to pay Rockland $102,000 in damages.

In a written statement in November of 2021, Chuck Kuhn, who purchased White’s Ferry in February of that year, said the Devlin family rejected their offer of $13.5 million for Rockland Farm and said negotiations broke off due to a “lack of professionalism” by the Rockland owners. He criticized hedge fund owner Peter Brown, who he said owns the majority of the assets along with minority shareholders Harriet Dickerson and Devlin. Kuhn said he and his wife were under no illusions that the ferry service would be profitable when they purchased it.

“Our goal was to offer an affordable, safe product with pricing that is fair and predictable for riders while protecting a unique, historic, and valued transportation route. Unfortunately, we have encountered the same issues as the previous owner when trying to negotiate with the Rockland Farm organization,” Kuhn said. “Rockland Farm’s repeated demands for $2 million cash or 50 cents a car each way along with unacceptable deal terms made negotiations impossible. We further offered to donate the ferry and the land to the respective governments in an attempt to reopen the ferry for our region. Instead, we have been maligned through Rockland Farm’s aggressive and misleading online and signage campaigns and insulted in public by a Rockland Farm owner.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Devlin said Kuhn was being disingenuous. She said the farm offer occurred in 2019 before ferry service ended. The Kuhns also sought to have county and state leaders exercise eminent domain, which would give control of the landing to the respective governments. Rockland Farm owners oppose use of eminent domain.

Devlin said Kuhn told her recently that he was taking bids on the Maryland landing from Montgomery County officials and two other bidders. “He’s told us he will not sell to us,” she said.

On Dec. 29, a rally to restart ferry operations was held in Poolesville, Maryland, where he ferry landed and launched. The rally was broadcast in a YouTube video.

James Brown, Poolesville Town Commissioners president, told an interviewer that the closure has reduced foot and vehicle travel to the town and made it harder for residents to visit Virginia. “Two years, too long,” Brown told the crowd.

The rally was sponsored by the Poolesville Area Chamber of Commerce, which represents about 150 businesses in western Montgomery County. Tom Ketter, chamber president, said the ferry is a “historical resource” and businesses have been hurt by the shutdown.

“It’s something we’ve treasured for a long time,” he said. “There are so many reasons it needs to be re-opened.”

In a written statement through a spokeswoman on Wednesday, Chuck Kuhn said he appreciated the rally participants support for resumption of ferry service and sympathized with the disruption caused by service ending. “At this point, we await resolution between the Virginia landowners and local governments so we can open for business,” he said.

The study looked at public or private ownership to restart operations or a private-public combination. While resumption of service would save time and travel and reduce auto emissions, the study found without infrastructure improvements and increased ferry capacity, demand would exceed capacity by 2040. That would result in “untenable future crossing waits for much of the day.” Costs would include $12.5 million for a new ferry in 2028 and millions in improvements to the Maryland and Virginia landings.

The study said under the publicly-owned restoration model, the ferry would lose money for the first five years of service. Under a publicly-owned and contractor-operated model, a slight profit would be made after five years. Under the contractor-operated model, the study said a “significant profit” would be made annually compared to previous years.

“Overall, the contractor-operated service model produced lower deficits over the analysis period due to the lower unit operating and maintenance cost,” the study concluded. “Some sources of operating and capital funds that the ferry owner could potentially apply were also identified. Once all the eligibility and reporting requirements are met, the funding shortfalls could be offset and make operations more viable.”