lifc
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Post by lifc on Nov 27, 2010 10:23:13 GMT -8
On the surface pehaps, but not when you take into account the length of passage, crew,and fuel load cost. For example, the Keystone route runs about 1/4 the passage rate, for a 35 minute vs 6 minute trip. The Lummi Island Route runs with a crew of three, Keystone with 11 or 12, 4 times the fuel use with the SEII, 8 times with the Chetzy. The car per day passage rates of the two routes are also similar, it's just not all about the list price.
The County is illegally assigning Capital Costs as Expenses, has an unbelievable Ferry overhead cost, paying for non operating staff who mostly do other County work, out of the Ferry budget, this is why they claim to be losing money. The truth is the tax revenues are declining and they want to keep their bloated staffs on, here's a source of revenue.
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Post by Barnacle on Nov 27, 2010 22:50:15 GMT -8
On the surface pehaps, but not when you take into account the length of passage, crew,and fuel load cost. For example, the Keystone route runs about 1/4 the passage rate, for a 35 minute vs 6 minute trip. The Lummi Island Route runs with a crew of three, Keystone with 11 or 12, 4 times the fuel use with the SEII, 8 times with the Chetzy. The car per day passage rates of the two routes are also similar, it's just not all about the list price. The County is illegally assigning Capital Costs as Expenses, has an unbelievable Ferry overhead cost, paying for non operating staff who mostly do other County work, out of the Ferry budget, this is why they claim to be losing money. The truth is the tax revenues are declining and they want to keep their bloated staffs on, here's a source of revenue. Your observation of being the most expensive ride in the state was on the surface; so was my reply. If you want to start arguing cost per passenger-mile, I have no statistics to present. WSF has a mandate to achieve 80% recovery at the farebox as compared to Lummi's 55%. It just happens that WSF is able to spread it out over more routes. If your county is, as you state, illegally assigning costs, I suggest you pursue it with the proper authorities.
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lifc
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Post by lifc on Nov 28, 2010 12:54:52 GMT -8
There is a rate panel being formed, this will all come out in their report. The problem I think will happen is the loss of revenue and the impact to the residents that happens in the meantime before the findings are unveiled. There is also an effort to get this in front of the State Auditor for an initiative 900 based Audit where "Best Established" Business Practices have to be followed as well as proper categorization of expenses.
Many of us out here feel the County is categorizing Capital Expenses as common Maintenance. These include the Docks which for 70 years were in the Road/Bridge Fund (same as they are in Skagit and Pierce County) and reconstructive repairs to the Ferry, like the rebuilding of hull at the propeller ends after the stern tube failure of last June. The nominal definition of Capital Expense is not only for new items, but also anything that prolongs the use of the unit. Functionally the Boat was essentially scrap before the stern tube replacement, afterward, it was again valuable.
The County is double dipping on the Docks, they have Bridge numbers and as such are qualified for State Funds for bridges, which they are taking, while, at the same time assigning the repair costs to the Ferry budget. Further there are no other bridges on the 25 miles of roads on the Island, and the County has an average of one bridge every 7 miles, we qualify.
While imposing huge overhead costs to the run, they are also keeping the State Gas Tax allowance for Ferries, in the general budget of the Public Works Department and not targeting it to the Ferry budget.
There's more, might be a problem here?
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Post by EGfleet on Jan 18, 2011 12:07:51 GMT -8
POSTED: Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011 Lummi Island ferry back in service after electrical failure TuesdayISABELLE DILLS - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD The Lummi Island ferry is back up and running after a steering system failure put the boat out of service for about 90 minutes Tuesday morning, Jan. 18. A corroded fuse was found in the electrical system of the ferry's steering system, said Whatcom County Public Works Director Frank Abart. The problem was discovered around 6 a.m. and was fixed by 7:20 a.m., Abart said. The monthly maintenance and inspection of the Lummi Island and Gooseberry Point approach spans is still scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday. "This just gives us another item to add to our monthly review list," Abart said. Read more: www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/18/1822016/lummi-island-ferry-back-in-service.html#ixzz1BQ3maPGQ
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lifc
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Post by lifc on Jan 18, 2011 12:48:00 GMT -8
Today is the first meeting of the Ferry Rate Task Force. There are seven members. 5 from the Island and two from off Island, I am one of the appointed ones from the Island, we will see how it goes. The County seems to be at a loss of what to do now. They know that the draconian fare increase that happens next weekend will not fill the gap and are looking around for another solution including a Ferry District, sound familiar? They are now looking to the citizens to come up with ideas. If you have any please post them, we have some, but realize we do not know everything.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 18, 2011 14:09:17 GMT -8
For the sake of comparison:
The Lummi run is, from what I've read, about five minutes long. The discounted rate for car and driver is currently $6.40, increasing to $9.40 later this month.
The Hornby Island run is ten minutes, and the discounted rate for car and driver is $16.25. Our Lummi member didn't respond to my query a few months back about the average income on the island, so I don't know if people are perhaps less able to cope with increases than they are on Hornby, where the average income is well below the provincial figure.
The Lummi ferry is smaller than Hornby's, and probably doesn't have five crew, but other costs in running the service might be similar.
The current discounted passenger rate for Lummi, which works out to about 85 cents each way, seems absurdly low in this day and age.
So are the increases 'draconian'? I've seen at least one of our American members suggest that laying off huge numbers of civil servants might be a good way to stabilize the state's finances, but that seems to define 'draconian' a lot more than fare increases that are perhaps not out of line with what islanders elsewhere have had to deal with.
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lifc
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Post by lifc on Jan 19, 2011 0:23:26 GMT -8
I must have missed your question, Lummi Islander's income is slightly lower than the County average.
I cannot speak for your rate structure, but, due to the fact of the horible economy here, almost any fare increase is unwaranted. The costs of our system have been escalating out of control for some time now with no attempt to contain them. Further there have been no attempts at achieving maximum fare box return by using market based methods. The program has been to increase the rates based on revenue shortfall which has resulted in an actual loss of revenue due to the riders changing from driving to walking on.
This is exactly what we on the Task Force will be looking at, something that Governments will not. I reject the idea that we are paying too little when in actuality our rates compared to others in the State are actually more expensive when compared in all aspects.
I am sorry for the high rates you are paying, perhaps you need to be looking into efficiencies that may reduce them. Simply the costs of Govenmental monopolies are no longer affordable and need to be reformed.
By the way, our first meeting went well, however, the task is daunting. Wish us luck.
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Post by EGfleet on Jan 19, 2011 7:44:55 GMT -8
I must have missed your question, Lummi Islander's income is slightly lower than the County average. I cannot speak for your rate structure, but, due to the fact of the horible economy here, almost any fare increase is unwaranted. The costs of our system have been escalating out of control for some time now with no attempt to contain them. Further there have been no attempts at achieving maximum fare box return by using market based methods. The program has been to increase the rates based on revenue shortfall which has resulted in an actual loss of revenue due to the riders changing from driving to walking on. This is exactly what we on the Task Force will be looking at, something that Governments will not. I reject the idea that we are paying too little when in actuality our rates compared to others in the State are actually more expensive when compared in all aspects. I am sorry for the high rates you are paying, perhaps you need to be looking into efficiencies that may reduce them. Simply the costs of Govenmental monopolies are no longer affordable and need to be reformed. By the way, our first meeting went well, however, the task is daunting. Wish us luck. According the preliminary 2010 census data: Median Income for Lummi Island: $49,133.00 (2009) Median Income for Whatcom County: $46,188.00www.city-data.com/city/Lummi-Island-Washington.htmlwww.ofm.wa.gov/economy/hhinc/medinc.pdf
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lifc
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Post by lifc on Jan 19, 2011 8:40:10 GMT -8
The Census income does include the cost of the Ferry which can be over $5000.00 per year for a family with working parents and driving teenagers. The minimum cost of a single working person is about $1500.00 if they walk-on. Therefore, we consider we are slightly less in income than those who live on the mainland who do not have to pay Ferry costs, or suffer the time lost in the commute.
Except for a very few services and formerly a few construction jobs, there is no way to make a living on the Island. We are a community of commuters to jobs on the mainland. As there are also only a few services, one Store, two Restaurants, not even a Gas Station, even the retiree's have to go off Island at least 2-3 times a week for Groceries, Medical, and other needs. No, we are not rich over here.
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Post by EGfleet on Jan 19, 2011 9:45:49 GMT -8
Lummi Island ferry surcharge takes effect Jan. 23JOHN STARK - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Round-trip tickets on the Lummi Island ferry will go up $3 for nearly all users beginning Sunday, Jan. 23. The only exception: Students aged 12-18 who attend school off the island will continue to ride free during the school year. Enrolled Lummi Nation members also ride free as foot passengers. The $3 surcharge on all ferry tickets, both vehicle and pedestrian, was approved Nov. 23, on a 4-3 vote by the Whatcom County Council. It means especially steep fare increases for island residents and other riders who have been buying discounted multi-ride punch cards. ferry rates A 25-trip pedestrian punch card that now costs $40 will rise to $115 under the new fare system. A 25-trip car-and-driver punch card that formerly cost $160 will go to $235 under the new system. Ferry riders who purchased those cards under the old prices still will have to pay an extra $3 per trip beginning Sunday. They may pay the surcharge in cash on the ferry, or purchase surcharge punch cards on the ferry or at Whatcom County Public Works, 322 N. Commercial St., Bellingham. A single round-trip car ticket will cost $13 with the surcharge in place. A single ticket for pedestrian or bicyclist will cost $7. The county hopes to raise the ferry's ticket sales income from an estimated $1 million for 2010 to about $1.5 million this year. That's what Public Works Director Frank Abart says is needed to recover 55 percent of system expenses from fares while replenishing ferry reserves. The 55 percent figure is set by county ordinance. The estimate of ferry system costs for 2011 assumes a $200,000 annual payment to Lummi Nation for the lease of tribal land at the mainland Gooseberry Point ferry dock. That is equivalent to the amount the county has been paying under an interim agreement with the tribe since the earlier 25-year lease expired in February 2010. So far, no long-term deal has been reached with the tribe, although several mediation sessions have taken place in recent months. The County Council recently named seven people to a ferry task force to make recommendations to the county by Aug. 1, 2011, on ferry issues: Kathy Berg of the Blaine area, Barbara Ryan of Bellingham, and island residents Jim Dickinson, Patricia Dunn, Diane Harper, John Chandler Johnson and Riley Starks Read more: www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/19/1822455/lummi-island-ferry-surcharge-takes.html#ixzz1BVKmAJxx
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Post by Barnacle on Jan 19, 2011 10:02:18 GMT -8
The Census income does include the cost of the Ferry which can be over $5000.00 per year for a family with working parents and driving teenagers. I'm a little confused by that sentence. How does it include the ferry cost? If you meant that it doesn't include cost, then I shall have to call foul as the census doesn't include any household operating costs for anybody. Median income is median income, no exceptions, no strings attached. Moreover, "can be" is not a valid statistic any more than "we feel."
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lifc
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Post by lifc on Jan 19, 2011 11:09:05 GMT -8
I would cede apoint to you if the average income on the Island was 70K, not 46. What this does not show is that resource based income is totally eliminated due to the load limits on the small Ferry. We can no longer sell logs due to the fact it takes three lightly loaded log truck passages to get on full load to the Mill. There is more to this than meets the eye.
Most people on the Island do not think the County is doing a good job of managing the service, neither do some of the elected representatives, that's why we now have our citizens group.
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Post by Barnacle on Jan 19, 2011 11:29:31 GMT -8
First, median income according to the census is $49k, not $46k. Second, the median income is what people are reporting. If they were making more than that, then the median is more than reported. If they were claiming they made more than they actually did, well... they deserve what they get. There's also more than one way to get logs off an island. I encounter log rafts on a regular basis out on the water. Log enough to get a barge in, perhaps. I'm sure there's more to this than meets the eye. There usually is. Washington State Ferries is subject to what meets the media's eye, but if they would tell the whole story then there really isn't much of a story to tell. So, I'm going to try to be different than the media here. Educate me. With cold, hard, provable facts. I will be asking for sources.
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lifc
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Post by lifc on Jan 19, 2011 11:59:28 GMT -8
Funny you should mention log rafts, that is what my Company does with our logs, we float them out. But, you can only do this if you have the rafting area, which we do, and if you can get them there. Our bay is effectively too isolated with bad roads to access the lower part of the Island, there are no other bays in single ownership that are available for this.
What I am talking about is occaisional loads of timber from farms and lowland stands. The high truck pricing, done to shift capacity from trucks to cars on a too little Ferry totally removes this option for smaller landowners. Further, only half loaded concrete trucks can be hauled across the too small boat, again raising costs.
I will keep you posted on the findings of the Task Force.
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Post by BreannaF on Jan 19, 2011 21:46:16 GMT -8
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lifc
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Post by lifc on Jan 20, 2011 13:28:01 GMT -8
No, I disagree, it's more than you ever wanted to know about the Lummi Island Ferry situation.
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Post by EGfleet on Feb 16, 2011 8:18:24 GMT -8
Lummi Nation sets 60-day deadline for end of ferry serviceJOHN STARK AND JARED PABEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Citing a stalemate in negotiations over a new lease for the Lummi Island ferry's Gooseberry Point terminal, Lummi Indian Business Council Chairman Clifford Cultee has asked Whatcom County to shut down its ferry operation there within 60 days. That would mean a major disruption for more than 700 island residents accustomed to frequent car ferry service to the mainland. The only immediate alternative would be unloading the county-operated Whatcom Chief ferry at the Port of Bellingham's Alaska ferry dock in Fairhaven, but that is a 50-minute trip compared to the five-minute runs to the Gooseberry Point site on the Lummi Reservation. In a Feb. 10, 2011, letter to Whatcom County Council Chairman Sam Crawford, Cultee noted that the county and tribe have been attempting to reach a new agreement to replace the 25-year lease that expired in February 2010, but those efforts have failed. The county has been paying the tribe $16,667 per month as an interim deal, but Cultee's letter said the tribe would send back the Feb. 8, 2011, payment to terminate that arrangement. "It is the expectation of the (Lummi) Nation that the county will terminate its ferry operations from Gooseberry Point within sixty days from today's date," Cultee’s letter said. Cultee did not immediately respond to a telephoned request for additional comment late on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 15. County officials said they aren't ready to give up trying to reach a deal with the tribe. "We're still pursuing a resolution to the matter," County Executive Pete Kremen said. The county's lead attorney on the ferry issue said the letter from Cultee didn’t come as a big surprise. "I don't think that this should be seen as a conclusion to discussion, but rather simply a reminder that this needs to be settled," said Dan Gibson, an assistant chief deputy prosecutor at the Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Gibson briefed the County Council on the situation during a closed session Tuesday morning. Crawford also tried to be upbeat. "The good news is that 60 days is a decent amount of time to hopefully have some constructive discussion with the chairman and council of the tribe," Crawford said. But he acknowledged that the county and tribe remained far apart on the terms of a new lease. Crawford said the tribe appears willing to accept $16,667 per month — or $200,000 per year — as a lease payment, but the tribe wants additional financial commitments that are deal breakers for the county. That includes as much as $10 million in traffic and safety improvements around the ferry dock over the next 25 years, plus a potential cost of $10 million to $12 million if the tribe moves ahead with a marina plan that forces the relocation of the ferry dock. Crawford said the county can’t commit to those expenses without unacceptable cuts to repair and maintenance of other county roads. "We're talking about numbers that would require a substantial amount of state and federal subsidy for Whatcom County to achieve," Crawford said. Kremen said he met with U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, on Jan. 28. Larsen told Kremen he would work with Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell for a solution at the federal level. That could involve federal funding but not necessarily, Kremen said. Larsen also told Kremen that federal money would be difficult to obtain. Crawford said he realizes how stressful the situation is for island residents. "All of these decisions are very much impacting the lives of the people that live on Lummi Island," Crawford said. Read more: www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/02/16/1869867/lummi-nation-sets-60-day-deadline.html#ixzz1E8h7Lk7t
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Post by EGfleet on Feb 28, 2011 6:00:42 GMT -8
I have to kind of agree with the statement about you can't go back and sign something 25 years after the fact, especially given that it has expired. Whatcom County seeks U.S. senators' help to renew dock lease for Lummi Island ferryJOHN STARK - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen has written to Washington state's two U.S. senators in hopes of getting their help in breaking the deadlock with Lummi Nation over a new lease for the Lummi Island ferry dock at Gooseberry Point. A copy of the letter was also sent to President Barack Obama. In his letter, Kremen asks Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray to urge the Bureau of Indian Affairs to approve and sign the 1988 lease agreement between the tribe and the county. While that agreement's first 25-year lease period expired in February 2010, the 1988 document also contained a 25-year lease renewal option, with both the tribe and county agreeing to submit to binding arbitration if they failed to negotiate an agreement on the terms of the 25-year renewal. For reasons nobody can determine, the Bureau of Indian Affairs never signed the 1988 document, and the tribe contends the 25-year renewal option is unenforceable without the BIA signature. The county now hopes to get around that problem by getting belated BIA approval. Judith Joseph, superintendent of the BIA's Puget Sound agency, said she doesn't think that's going to happen. "You can't go back and sign things afterwards," she said. "It doesn't work that way. I don't know where they are coming from." Joseph said she had no way of knowing why her agency never signed the deal at the time county and tribal officials affixed their own signatures. She said she will review and sign any new lease agreement submitted by the two parties. At this point, the county and more than 900 Lummi Island residents face an April 10, 2011, deadline for a new lease deal with Lummi Nation. That deadline was set in a Feb. 10, 2011, letter from Lummi Indian Business Council Chairman Clifford Cultee to the county, saying the county's final offer of $200,000 a year was unacceptable. "It is the expectation of the (Lummi) Nation that the county will terminate its ferry operations from Gooseberry Point within sixty days from today's date," Cultee's letter said. Cultee has so far not responded to the question of whether the tribe would take steps to stop the Whatcom Chief car ferry from serving Lummi Island after the deadline. Assistant Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Gibson said legal authority to stop ferry operations rests with the BIA, not the tribe. He said the BIA is the trustee of the tribal tidelands, and the right of way across the tidelands is the key issue. The BIA's Joseph acknowledged her agency does act as trustee of tribal tidelands. Asked if the BIA would use its authority to block the county's crossing of the tribal tidelands, she said the agency's only role would be to review and approve any new lease between the tribe and county. Kremen said he is trying to remain in communication with Lummi Nation, but he is not in a position to negotiate. "The County Council has rendered its final offer," Kremen said. "I really don't have the latitude to negotiate anything more than what they have offered. ... We certainly are taking this seriously and we are exhausting every avenue possible to get to yes." Larry Roteman, one of the island's volunteer firefighters, said he and many of his neighbors remain hopeful the crisis can be resolved without disrupting their access to the mainland. At times, having that access is a matter of life and death; the ferry gets emergency patients off the island and gets paramedics onto the island. "As EMTs, we can't administer intravenous stuff," Roteman said. "We really depend on meeting up with the paramedics as soon as possible." Many island residents say they are growing increasingly fearful about the future. In a series of e-mail messages, many emphasize that not everyone on the island is rich. "We keep hoping that some common sense can rise to the surface between the warring parties and indeed it may if both sides realize that they are dealing with ordinary folks and that every island family does not drive a his-and-hers Mercedes," wrote Jim Strong, a retired South Puget Sound Community College instructor who lives on the island with his wife, Tammy. Carole Petralli said she and her Pembroke Welsh corgi, Sophie, live in a rented condo on the island, and together make a four-day-a-week commute to Petralli's job with a legal firm in Ferndale, where she works a 10-hour shift. "If the Gooseberry Point ferry landing is gone, we will have to move off of the island," she wrote. "I am not set up for living off the grid and most of all I have to have a reliable source of transportation to get to and from my job. It will be absolutely devastating if we are forced to leave our home here." Robert Brownlee, a 76-year-old retired oncologist who has lived on the island for 12 years, said his own medical problems require weekly doctor visits that would be impossible without the regular ferry service that island residents have enjoyed for decades. "It would force me to move, which would be horrible," Brownlee said, adding that he likely would lose most of his investment in his home in that doomsday scenario. He said island residents are devastated to find themselves put in the position by county officials and their Lummi Nation neighbors. "It's despicable," Brownlee said. "They're both guilty." www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/02/27/1886339/whatcom-county-seeks-us-senators.html
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Post by EGfleet on Mar 4, 2011 12:38:33 GMT -8
Senators join Larsen, show concern over Lummi Island ferry dispute JOHN STARK; THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Published: 03/03/11 4:31 pm
Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen's effort to get federal help in resolving the Lummi Island ferry stalemate appears to be bearing fruit.
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, and U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell signed a March 2 letter to U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs regional director Stanley Speaks in Portland, Ore. In the letter, the three say they are "concerned about this matter," and ask the BIA to respond to the county and provide "guidance and clarification on the BIA's role as it relates to the lease of the tidelands held in trust."
In an accompanying press release, Larsen used stronger language:
"The bottom line is, we cannot cut off access to the island for residents who depend on the ferry to go to school, shop for groceries or commute to work. Shutting down the ferry is not a solution to this problem. Negotiations on this issue must resume so a productive solution to this issue can be reached without hurting the local community."
By coincidence, both Kremen and Lummi Indian Business Council Chairman Clifford Cultee are in Washington, D.C., and Kremen said he expects to meet with Cultee on Friday, March 4, to discuss the ferry situation.
More than 900 island residents rely on the county-run car ferry as their link to the mainland.
Up to now, the BIA has shown no inclination to get involved in the ferry issue. Agency officials have said their only role would be to review any new lease agreement between Lummi Nation and the county before it is approved.
In response to the BIA letter from Larsen and the state's two Democratic senators, Lummi Nation released a written statement. The statement reiterates tribal concerns about traffic safety and the need for a hefty county expenditure on safety improvements in the area as part of any new lease deal.
But the statement does not address the question of whether the tribe would take steps to stop ferry service after April 10. In an earlier letter to the county, tribal officials said they expected ferry operations to cease on that day because efforts to hammer out a new lease deal were at a standstill.
"At the Lummi Nation's request Whatcom County has studied traffic safety and boat safety related to the side of the Gooseberry Point ferry dock, and these studies identified simple solutions that improve safety for everyone," Cultee said in the written statement. "The Lummi Nation has participated in negotiations with Whatcom County for 10 years. The county need only review the findings in its own studies to understand our safety concerns."
Cultee's statement is an apparent reference to a 2009 reservation traffic study prepared for both the county and tribe. In general, the study tends to downplay safety issues arising from ferry operations.
In a chronology of ferry history released along with the statement, the tribe says that on May 10, 2010, its negotiators reached a "tentative three-part agreement" with the county on a 35-year lease that called for a $200,000 annual payment to the tribe, with annual inflation adjustments, plus $110,000 a year for lease of adjoining uplands. But that agreement also reportedly gave the county the opportunity to avoid the upland lease cost by agreeing to $8 million worth of traffic safety projects.
The tribal statement said the tentative deal included an additional $4 million payment to the tribe if the tribe's planned marina project had to be designed to accommodate the ferry.
On Aug. 12, the tribe says the County Council wrote to the tribe to reject the May 2010 deal and to offer no more than $200,000 per year for 25 years, with no inflation adjustments. That counteroffer, which the county labeled its final one, was rejected by the tribe.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Mar 4, 2011 13:58:05 GMT -8
From an earlier post:
Would the ferry be able to use the slip at the Fairhaven dock as is or would modifications have to be made to the ferry or another loading slip have to be made?
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FNS
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The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
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Post by FNS on Mar 4, 2011 16:33:54 GMT -8
From an earlier post: Would the ferry be able to use the slip at the Fairhaven dock as is or would modifications have to be made to the ferry or another loading slip have to be made? The WHATCOM CHIEF did practice landings at Fairhaven a while ago and pictures showed a decent fit. However, in an email sent to our Lummi forum friend, the folks there need to start negotiations on a lease of either the HIYU or CHRISTINE ANDERSON if Fairhaven is to be used. The dock at LI needs a little work to be done to handle the beams of those ferries. The CA has better seating than the WC. Bench seats with tables. School kids can study for tests on their way to school and do homework on their way home. A school bus takes up car spaces on the WC. Add WIFI aboard the CA as well. Fridays are of concern for vehicle traffic going to and from LI. An Alaska ferry is in the dock at Fairhaven between 0800PT and 1800PT. So, a passenger ferry needs to be set up for runs during those times. While the CA is out of service during these hours on Fridays, weekly maintenance on machinery, elevator, passenger and bridge spaces could be done as well as quick paint touch-ups. A lot of proper planning with a proper ferry in hand needs to be done now before the islanders are shifted over to the major transit/train hub of Fairhaven, if that occurs.
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Post by EGfleet on Mar 8, 2011 9:18:34 GMT -8
Dispute may end Lummi Island ferry service
A dispute over a contract between the Lummi Tribal Nation and Whatcom County could end decades of ferry service for the 900 or so residents of small Lummi Island.
By Susan Gilmore Seattle Times staff reporter
LUMMI ISLAND —
In the western corner of Whatcom County lies a small island accessible only by a six-minute ferry that crosses Hale's Passage.
About 900 people who live on Lummi Island depend on the ferry to get to school, work and medical appointments. Without the ferry, many say they would be forced to move off the island.
The ferry service could be history sometime in April.
The problem is that the Lummi Island ferry — the 20-car Whatcom Chief — lands at Gooseberry Point and crosses tidelands and other land owned by the Lummi Tribal Nation.
For 25 years, Whatcom County has had an agreement with the tribe to allow it to use Gooseberry Point, which is on tribal land. In exchange, the county gave the tribe other nearby land. Then, when the 25-year lease expired last year, the county started paying the tribe about $17,000 a month.
But the agreement has expired, and the tribe is demanding not only $200,000 a year from the county but another $10 million for transportation improvements along the 7-mile road that those who ride the ferry must pass through the Lummi reservation.
The county says it can't afford it and the Lummis have given the county until April 11, or ferry service might end.
For those who live on the 9-square-mile island — mostly all nontribal members — the thought of losing their ferry is very troubling.
"It's a disaster," said resident Robert Brownlee, a retired physician who moved to Lummi to be closer to his sister who lives in British Columbia. "What will we do for food, fuel, and medical services? We're completely dependent on the ferry."
Brownlee, 76, said he'll probably have to move off the island if it loses its ferry.
Without Gooseberry Point, the ferry would have to travel to Bellingham, about an hourlong trip through rough seas that could be impassible some winter days.
Duncan McLane, the Lummi Island fire chief, said he, too, is worried if the ferry service to Gooseberry Point is dropped. The island has mutual-aid agreements with towns on the mainland. Without the ferry, it could take two to three hours for help to arrive.
"I'm trying not to be nervous," McLane said. "This is the third time we've had a deadline thrown at us. We're going to do the best we can, but this does seem the most serious."
Complicating matters, the agreement signed in 1988 by the county and the tribe didn't have the signature of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as was required. Without that signature, the tribe claims the agreement was invalid.
Stanley Speaks, the regional director of the BIA in Portland, can't explain why the BIA didn't sign the agreement, but he said it's up to the Lummis to work with Whatcom County on the ferry issue.
"This is the tribe's responsibility," he said. "We don't negotiate these agreements for the tribe, although we can encourage them. I hope there's some way to get it worked out."
Last week, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Rick Larsen sent a letter to Speaks urging him to help resolve the issue.
"Termination of ferry operations would mean a major disruption for close to 900 Lummi Island residents who rely on the ferry to commute to the mainland for school, work and essential services," the elected officials said in the letter.
"The bottom line is, we cannot cut off access to the island for residents who depend on the ferry to go to school, shop for groceries or commute to work," the letter said.
Diana Bob, attorney for the Lummi Nation, said in a statement that the county has not seriously addressed safety concerns.
"There is little Lummi community support to continue serving as the drive-through community for Island residents," she wrote.
The tribe wants sidewalks, streetlights and other safety improvements.
"We're at an impasse, but the conversation hasn't stopped," she said Friday. "We understand the island residents' concerns. They are our neighbors."
She reiterated the tribe's offer of $200,000 a year, with an inflation adjustment, and $10 million over 10 years for traffic-safety projects. She noted that the $10 million is negotiable.
Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen noted that there have been deadlines since 1978 "and this is the second or third ultimatum in this round. We're ... taking it seriously and we'll try to resolve the issue."
County Council Chairman Sam Crawford, who worries the whole issue may end up in court, said the county is offering the tribe three times the amount of money a Lummi appraisal said the land was worth.
"It's not clear what legal action they can do to stop the ferry," Crawford said, adding that he is frustrated by the inaction of the BIA on the ferry issue. "We can't see the federal officials sitting by and allowing the closure of a ferry that endangers public health and safety."
Deborah O'Malley, who owns a small island store called the Islander, doesn't know if her store could survive a ferry shut down.
"For us it could be the nail in the coffin," she said. "The ferry is our road. They (the tribe) have nailed us to the wall."
Dan Gibson, a Whatcom County prosecutor who has been working on the ferry issue, said the arrangements for transportation to Lummi Island date back to the 1920s when the county applied for right of way across the Lummi reservation.
He said the county has fulfilled its obligations to the tribe under the now-expired lease signed in 1988. The county gave the tribe property in exchange for access to tidelands and the road through Lummi reservation land.
The lease called for a 25-year renewal, with another 25-year extension, but the tribe claims the lease wasn't enforceable because it wasn't signed by the BIA.
Since the lease expired a year ago February, the county is paying the tribe $16,667 a month. The tribe turned the latest payment back.
"In no way do we want to convey an attitude of hostility," Gibson said. "I understand the tribe has carved out its position. Hopefully this is a small bump in the road."
In a letter from Clifford Cultee, chairman of the Lummi Indian Business Council to Crawford, he said in returning the February payment from the county that efforts to reach a settlement have reached a stalemate. "It is the expectation of the Nation that the county will terminate its ferry operations from Gooseberry Point within sixty days," he wrote.
Cultee said he met last week with Cantwell, Murray and Larsen and is hopeful a resolution can be reached.
"We think it is up to the county to come to the table with a plan that works for both sides," Cultee said."We know how dangerous the traffic can be when people are rushing to and from a ferry."
Stuart Rich, president of the Protect Lummi Island Community, contends the BIA has the authority and duty to review the lease and approve it because it was accepted by the Lummis 25 years ago.
"Our community would be endangered. There's a lot of frustration and anxiety between the Lummi Nation and the county and we, the people of Lummi Island, are caught in the middle. We are being put in jeopardy through no fault of our own."
John May, who moved to the island full time in 1991 and is self-employed, said he has it better than most because both he and his wife work on Lummi.
"But if people I care about leave, then I'm out off here," he said. "This is what makes a community."
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Post by rusty on Mar 8, 2011 11:25:37 GMT -8
Bummer.
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Post by EGfleet on Mar 10, 2011 19:33:20 GMT -8
Lummi Nation: Ferry's fate lies with Whatcom CountyJOHN STARK - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Lummi Nation officials say Whatcom County officials must address their traffic safety concerns if they are serious about a long-term renewal of a lease for the Lummi Island car ferry dock. That dock, at Gooseberry Point on the Lummi Reservation, is the link to the mainland for the island's approximately 900 residents. Those residents fear they will find themselves isolated after April 10, when the tribe's 60-day deadline for action on the lease expires. That deadline was set in a Feb. 10 letter from Lummi Indian Business Council Chairman Clifford Cultee to the county, saying that the county's final offer of $200,000 per year was not acceptable. The tribe wants the county to add $8 million worth of street and sidewalk improvements for pedestrian safety in and around the dock as part of the new lease deal. During an hour-long discussion of the situation with The Bellingham Herald's editorial board, Lummi officials stressed that the next move is up to Whatcom County. "There's still time to come up with a solution," said Diana Bob, staff attorney for Lummi Nation. "Lummi does not have a plan right now for day 61. We hope the county can come up with a solution." A 2009 traffic study, prepared for the county and the tribe, contained an analysis of accident data that downplayed ferry traffic as a factor in safety. "The data shows that while the ferry certainly accounts for a significant amount of traffic and congestion both on the roads and in the waiting-line areas, there is no clear evidence that the vehicles involved in the crashes were predominantly bound for or coming from the ferry," the study said. "Several of the accidents occurred late at night or in the early morning after the ferry had stopped its operations for the day." But Bob, Cultee and Lummi Planning Director Richard Jefferson said the 4,000 residents of the Lummi Reservation remain convinced that ferry traffic poses real dangers. For Lummi Nation members, ferry traffic means delays getting out onto Haxton Way from cross streets, risks for pedestrians trying to get to the Fisherman's Cove grocery, and difficulties for tribal fishermen trying to use the boat launch near the ferry dock. Jefferson said well over 90 percent of tribe members would prefer to see the ferry dock eliminated, and the Lummi Indian Business Council will be risking the wrath of its own constituents on any new lease deal with the county. "That's why we can't have a deal if they don't address the safety issues," Jefferson said. Tribal leaders said county officials had been aware of the tribe's safety concerns for many years but had failed to take those issues seriously. Jefferson said state Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, had offered to try to get state funding for sidewalks and other safety improvements in and around the ferry dock, but the county proved unwilling to put those projects on the six-year Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, which would have made state funding far more likely. "We were just looking for a good-faith gesture from the county," Jefferson said. "We asked, 'Put it on the TIP.' They wouldn't do it." Asked to comment, Ericksen said he had contacted the tribe after the 60-day deadline was announced, to caution tribal leaders that a shutdown of the Lummi Island ferry would reduce the chances of getting state help with raising Slater Road for flood-proofing purposes. Slater Road is the prime access route for the tribe's Silver Reef Casino, as well as for the ConocoPhillips refinery, but it is prone to closure when the Nooksack River runs high. Ericksen said Slater Road is also an access route for the ferry, meaning that the ferry is part of the rationale for devoting state funds to its improvement, as well as for the improvement of northern stretches of Haxton Way that the tribe also seeks. "If they decide to shut down the ferry, those projects become less pressing," Ericksen said. Ericksen also acknowledged discussing state aid for safety improvements around the ferry terminal, but he declined to criticize the county's handling of that situation. "I think the county is working as well as they can with the tribe," Ericksen said. County Engineer Joe Rutan said he could not recall any communications from the tribe about getting Gooseberry Point projects onto the six-year transportation plan. He said there was nothing to stop the County Council from adding those projects to the plan when it comes up for its regular revision in the next few months. He also noted that putting a project on the plan does not guarantee it will be funded and built. As Lummi leaders see it, the county missed a chance to end the ferry lease stalemate on May 10, 2010, when county and tribal negotiators came up with a proposal that offered a 35-year lease in exchange for a $200,000 annual payment to the tribe, with annual inflation adjustments, plus $110,000 per year for lease of adjoining uplands. That agreement also gave the county the opportunity to avoid the upland lease cost by agreeing to $8 million worth of traffic safety projects. The deal also included an additional $4 million payment to the tribe if the tribe's planned marina project had to be designed to accommodate the ferry. But the Whatcom County Council rejected that proposal. County Council member Sam Crawford was on the county's negotiating team. In an earlier interview, Crawford said he told Lummi leaders that he could not guarantee approval of the May 2010 deal by the full council, and that in fact it was likely to be rejected because it was far beyond the cost of the county's own proposal for a flat $200,000-a-year payment. Lummi leaders expressed frustration that the county's response to the current stalemate has been to seek intervention from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. "We're obviously upset that they think that's the solution," Jefferson said. "It's real clear that the BIA is not going to interfere with a tribal negotiation." Jefferson added that he warned the county more than 10 years ago that a 1988 lease deal, with its provision for a 25-year renewal option, had not been approved by BIA and was not valid. But instead of working with the tribe to come up with a new agreement, the county stalled. "They spent six years trying to prove that it was valid," Jefferson said. "People think we're being jerks? We could have kicked them out then." www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/03/10/1907617/lummi-nation-ferrys-fate-lies.html
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Post by EGfleet on Mar 25, 2011 13:55:13 GMT -8
Tribe, Whatcom County head back to the table on Lummi Island ferryJOHN STARK - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Bookmark and Share email this story to a friend E-Mail print story Print Reprint Text Size: After a closed-door discussion that lasted more than an hour Tuesday, March 22, Whatcom County officials were mostly tight-lipped about the state of Lummi Island ferry negotiations with Lummi Nation. County Executive Pete Kremen said he didn't want to say anything to jeopardize their next session with tribal officials, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at Silver Reef Casino. The ferry is the mainland connection for more than 900 island residents, and the mainland dock is at Gooseberry Point on the Lummi Reservation. Island residents could find themselves cut off after April 10 - the deadline for a shutdown of the county's ferry operation set in a Feb. 10 letter from tribal Chairman Clifford Cultee. ferry rates As of Feb. 10, the tribe and the county were far apart in ferry lease negotiations. The Whatcom County Council has offered a flat $200,000 a year for 25 years. The tribe has proposed $200,000 per year over 35 years, with annual inflation adjustments, plus an additional $110,000 per year with inflation adjustments for upland acreage. The tribal proposal would eliminate the $110,000 upland lease payments if the county agrees to provide an additional $8 million for traffic safety improvements. The tribe's most recent proposal also calls for a $4 million payment from the county if a proposed tribal marina project must be designed to accommodate the county ferry. Tribal officials say the ferry operation will increase the cost of the marina project by more than $4 million. County Council Chairman Sam Crawford, speaking before Tuesday's closed-door meeting, said he hopes the tribe will consider the possibility of settling simmering traffic safety issues around the ferry dock, in the short term, with relatively low-cost improvements that can be put in place quickly. Crawford added that the county doesn't have a lot of financial leeway to put more money on the table. The county had a 25-year lease with the tribe that was signed in 1988 but retroactive to 1985. That deal included no cash payments. Instead, it compensated the tribe by transferring some parcels of county-owned real estate on the reservation to the tribe. But that lease expired in February 2010, and a 25-year lease renewal option is apparently unenforceable because the original lease never got approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Read more: www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/03/23/1930158/tribe-whatcom-county-head-back.html#ixzz1HePdDNSk
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