The fate of The Woodlands’ Waterway cruisers is uncertain after The Woodlands Township board of directors voted to cease funding for the program’s operation during its budget meeting Aug. 5. By doing so, the decision on whether to retain the boats has fallen to the township’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The CVB will need to find alternate funding or move forward with alternative uses for the Waterway boathouse that better suit the community’s needs, CVB President Nick Wolda said.
“It’s a topic of conversation that is really being discussed by our [CVB] board of directors,” he said. “There are differences of opinions on the [boats], like what the functions are, what they mean to The Woodlands and what they don’t mean.”
The 35-foot-long cruisers have ferried passengers along a 1.4-mile stretch of the Waterway since 2010 and were gifted to the township at a value of $800,000 from The Woodlands Development Company in 2011.
The fleet of six cruisers is now owned by the CVB but are maintained and operated by the Brazos Transit District.
No property or sales tax revenue has been used to fund the cruiser program, but in December a five-year commitment of $500,000 from the township comes to an end. The boats will be fully operational through the end of the year, CVB Chairman and township director Gordy Bunch said. When the township board voted against additional funding for 2016, it allowed for about $120,000 to be reallocated within the CVB’s budget.
“The CVB went through a reorganization process and wants to be [focused] on the marketing of our community and our hotels and retail areas, and hyperfocused on our convention center and increasing sales tax revenue,” Bunch said at the budget workshop meeting. “I can see a much better purpose for these funds.”
The program’s lack of popularity among the township board—which unanimously voted to terminate funding—and low ridership among residents and visitors point to problems with the cruisers as a viable transit option for travelers in and around The Woodlands, Bunch said.
“The idea of the cruisers providing transit is complicated when you already have a free trolley system that runs the same route, but at a much faster rate,” he said. “To me, if we can replace it with something more exciting like paddle boards and other concepts, we could maintain the excitement the Waterway is deserving of and really service local residents and visitors.”
However, there are other entities that could step up and fund cruiser operations, Bunch said, including the original owners, the Development Company.
Other potential entities include the Howard Hughes Corporation or Brazos Transit District.
The boathouse, located on the eastern edge of Lake Robbins, could be turned over to the township for ownership and operation to be available for public use, Bunch said. The facility could then house a variety of activities available at other popular points along Lake Woodlands, such as kayaking, paddle boats and boards and canoes.
The CVB board will discuss its options at its upcoming meetings before making a final decision on what path it will pursue.
