Farewell, Seattle ferry -- but Port Townsend leaders want you back

Peninsula Daily News – January 7, 2007

By Jeff Chew,

PORT TOWNSEND - Service between Seattle and Port Townsend stops today, but not the protests and plans.

A grass-roots group has gathered about 2,300 signatures on a petition supporting passenger-only Seattle-Port Townsend runs.

Two comical passenger-ferry videos have been produced, which are linked on www.seattle2pt.com to YouTube.

Or click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5W2EYMEue8&feature=related .

Business and civic leaders are busy with plans to make the route a permanent convenience.

Washington State Ferries has no plans to reinstate the run to Seattle.

The Seattle passenger ferry was a way to get more foot traffic to Port Townsend business during the holiday shopping season after vehicle-ferry runs were halted between Port Townsend and Keystone on Whidbey Island.

State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond idled the last of the four 65-car Steel Electrics for safety reasons on Nov. 20.

The 80-year-old boats were the only ferries in the state system that could negotiate Keystone's narrow, shallow harbor.

Passenger-ferry service to Keystone began on Nov. 25.

Once the Seattle route ends today, the Snohomish, which is permitted to carry 149-passengers, will take over the Port Townsend-Keystone route.

Car ferry service on that route will begin in early February at the latest, when the MV Steilacoom II, a 54-car ferry, is leased by the state from Pierce County.

"The community has survived a catastrophe, but now we need to survive the recovery," said Tim Caldwell, general manager of the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce, in an interview.

"In order to do that, we need an auto ferry that's going to be able to run effectively - and no one's really sure yet if the Pierce County boat can do that."

He and others think the best answer is two ferry options away.

Create a temporary Edmonds-to-Port Townsend car ferry run.

Later, establish a weekend passenger-ferry service from Port Townsend to downtown Seattle, which the Port of Kingston hopes to offer in two years.

Legislative issues

Hopes for smoother sailing could meet with political obstacles when ferry-related issues are addressed during the 60-day state legislative session that will convene Jan. 14.

Gov. Chris Gregoire in November laid out a fast-track proposal, budgeting $100 million to build three new 54-car ferries to replace the Steel Electrics.

The governor calls for building at least one ferry in the next 14 months at Todd Shipyards in Seattle.

What to do in the meantime will be discussed sometime this month during a Port Townsend-Keystone Ferry Partnership meeting that has yet to be scheduled with state ferries officials.

"The preferred option would be an Edmonds-to-Port Townsend auto ferry, primarily because that could happen right now, just by shifting boats around," Caldwell said.

"It would be in place only until we have boats to Keystone. That would be the easiest thing to happen."

At the last Ferry Partnership meeting in November, Hammond said she would take an Edmonds-Port Townsend option under consideration.

Port Townsend officials want part of the $10 million earmarked to mitigate the east-half Hood Canal Bridge replacement closure in spring 2009 redirected to establish temporary ferry service to Port Townsend until the bridge project is completed.

"The benefit of this is, it can run at least a year before the Hood Canal Bridge closure" in spring 2009," Caldwell said.

"And it would not take too much promotion to say this is how you get to the Olympic Peninsula."

Hadley Greene, State Ferries communications manager, said Friday that she doubted if the proposal could be permanently established.

"I think we're not going to run it regularly, but anything is on the table to deal with the mitigation this summer," Greene said.

She added that any passenger ferry service would require legislative direction and funding.

"We will be working at the partnership meeting to come up with all options to see what gets us through the next 20 months," she said.

Kingston group

The chamber supports a Port of Kingston plan for fast-ferry service between Kingston and Seattle.

The Port of Kingston landed a $3.5 million federal grant from the Federal Transit Administration in August after applying for it on behalf of grassroots group, The Kingston Express Association.

The group is made up of former riders of Aqua Express, a private ferry operation that launched out of Kingston in 2005, but was unable to support itself.

The Port of Kingston is asking the state for $900,000 more to help pay for operations and maintenance over the first four years of service.

As proposed, two ferries of 100 passengers or less, running at 25-30 knots, would be launched off the Port of Kingston's dock next to the state's existing car-ferry terminal.

If the state denies the grant, Mike Bookey, Port of Kingston manager, said other sources would have to be considered, including Jefferson County and the city of Port Townsend.

"We looked at this business plan as a regional asset for Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson counties," Bookey said.

City Manager David Timmons and city Planning Director Rick Sepler are in the process of identifying what the state needs to provide the city to support future ferries.

"We trying to coordinate it so we're all on same page," Timmons said.

"It's a 60-day session so things are going to happen fast and furiously, so we've got to work fast and get our proposal down there," he said.

"There won't be a whole lot of time for public process, but this is just to get something preliminary in place."

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