City still getting its ducks in a row

Philadelphia’s managing director said Thursday it’s not a done deal that the “Ride the Ducks” attraction is headed to the Schuylkill River.

Proposals from tour operators are due next week.

Many residents showed up at a public meeting to oppose the duck boats coming to the Schuylkill River. But Managing Director Richard Negrin said residents don’t have the facts. Until bidders respond to the “request for proposal” or RFP, no one has the facts, he said.

“We specifically wrote the RFP out of my office in a manner that was broad enough not to hamper creativity. We think both in terms of the routes, both in terms of the potential entry points into the river,” he said. “It was not specific as to how that would occur. We didn’t want to limit the creativity of companies to come up with a solution that really made sense.”

Proposals are due on Dec. 22. From there, said Negrin, he hopes to find a solution that is workable for everyone involved. He said the city is paying attention to resolving both environmental and neighborhood concerns.