Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority is currently seeking construction bids for work which will subdivide a portion of its boat terminal on the east bayfront of the city into office space.
The Port Authority accepts bids through September 8. A part of the lobby area of the terminal is to be transformed into 6,000ft2 of office space for the new tenant, actuarial and retirement plan services firm Erie’s Boetger & Associates Inc., now at 1030 State St.
The 16,000ft2 terminal is located at 1 Holland St., adjacent to Blasco Library and the Intermodal Transportation Center of the Port Authority (which uses the remaining 10,000ft2 at the terminal for its operations). There are no other tenants of the building.
Completed in 2002, the cruise boat terminal cost almost US$5 million.
The Port Authority envisioned the terminal as one that would accommodate the biggest Great Lakes ships, and serve as a base to high-speed ferry service which would offer round-trip passengers & vehicles service to Canada during the spring, summer and fall.
Unfortunately, “there hasn’t been the demand” for Great Lakes cruises in Erie Lake, and the ferry service was not materialized.