Passenger-only ferry ideas still sailing uncertain waters

By Annie Tietje - North Kitsap Herald

March 7, 2007

With the failure of Proposition 1 in February, dreams of a Kitsap Transit run passenger-only ferry have sunk into the abyss.

Other organizations, such as the Kingston Express Association, have sailed in, potentially filling the gap Aqua Express left

in October 2005, and a bill authored by 23rd District state Sen. Phil Rockefeller could keep dreams alive a little longer.

Senate Bill 5862, could prolong the possibility of a public organization, such as Kitsap Transit, to provide such a service

from Kingston to Seattle, Rockefeller said.

“The original bill had a timeframe to provide the funding assistance by Nov. 1, 2006,” he said. “We also set up that the

group must be able to develop a viable business plan. That was Gov. (Christine Gregoire’s) requirement. She said this should

not be a permanent subsidy. The group has to have a business plan that makes sense.”

A good example would be Kitsap Transit’s plan to raise sales tax in Kitsap County by 3/10ths of a cent, Rockefeller said.

With that idea sunk by voters, Rockefeller helped write SB 5862, which would effectively extend the date from November 2006

to November 2007.

It was passed from the Ways and Means Committee to the Rules Committee Monday, and now has to make it through that committee

before it can be discussed on the Senate floor. It also has a sister House Bill 2273, which Rockefeller said is dead in the

water.

If approved, SB 5862 would not help the Kingston Express Association, Rockefeller said, or the Suquamish Tribe, which has

whispered about plans in the past to create a passenger-only ferry geared toward taking patrons to and from Clearwater

Casino. That idea will probably not come to fruition, said Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman.

“It’s a big impact on our community, one I don’t think we’re ready for,” he said. “It didn’t pencil out. We’re looking at

other options now.”

The Poulsbo City Council had discussed working with the tribe if such a ferry came into being, said Councilman Jim Henry. He

stressed the plan seemed to be purely for the casino goers, and not commuters.

“It’s definitely not a live idea, but it’s definitely not a dead idea,” Henry said. “The tribe did not seem opposed to

piggybacking with us.”

Forsman said he feels Suquamish is not ready for a ferry yet, even for the casino. The dock down by the slab, in downtown

Suquamish, could accommodate a charter boat, and it may be used for to that purpose in the future, but not a passenger-only

ferry, he said.

The Kingston Express Association is moving ahead with its own ideas and plans, hoping to get something going in Kingston

soon.

“We’re busy, we were down in Olympia last week talking with (23rd District representatives Christine Rolfes and Sherry

Appleton),” said KEA manager Nels Sultan. “We’re working on getting a delegation bill passed that will help us.”

So far, the commuter run organization hasn’t received a definitive answer from Rolfes or Appleton, but it will continue to

work with them, and the district representatives have shown interest in the KEA, Sultan said.

“We’re trying to get something set up, something that won't die trying to get set up,” Henry said of getting a passenger-only

ferry service started in the North End.

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