The Port Authority will build a new permanent ferry terminal in Battery Park City in response to an increase in ferry service in the New York-New Jersey region. The Board of Commissioners approved a contract with Spearin, Preston and Burrows of Staten Island, N.Y., to build a larger, more comfortable ferry terminal that will offer additional seating, an expanded waiting area, restrooms and concessions. The terminal will replace a temporary facility used by more than 7,800 weekday commuters. New York Governor George E. Pataki said, “This new ferry terminal is a linchpin in the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan’s transportation network, and part of my administration’s ambitious timetable for the rebuilding of the downtown area. Timothy S.