Bigger ferry worth the wait?www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55&ArticleID=19923&TM=51606.9By Barney Burke, Leader Staff Writer
It ain't over until the Legislature sings, so to speak. And a delegation of Port Townsend representatives is in Olympia today, hoping to convince legislators of the virtues of a ferry larger than the type planned by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
"Obviously, we want a ferry," said Tim Caldwell, general manager of the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce. "The long-term solution is the proper size ferry. It's all about level of service."
The chamber believes that building three 50-car ferries based on Steilacoom II as proposed by the governor is not as good a solution as building 76-car ferries (60 drive-ons plus 16 more using decks with hydraulic lifts) based on Island Home, a Massachusetts ferry.
The Port Townsend City Council has not called for a specific ferry type. However, it endorsed a recommendation drafted by the local ferry partnership group, which suggested new ferries should hold from 65 to 100 cars. That's bigger than the retired Steel Electrics (59- and 64-car capacity) but not big enough to clog streets or require enlargement of either ferry terminal on the PT-Keystone route.
House Bill 3218, sponsored by Reps. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, and Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, would provide $100 million for three 50-car ferries to replace the four Steel Electrics. In addition, the governor has requested $10 million to modify the Port Townsend ferry terminal to allow mooring of a third ferry.
Meanwhile, vehicle service from Port Townsend to Keystone could resume as early as Feb. 9, pending sea trials and crew training.
Option adds time, money
While the first new Steilacoom-designed ferry could be operational by Mother's Day 2009, scrapping that plan altogether would add at least a year to the delivery date, Caldwell and WSF officials agree. Building one Steilacoom-designed ferry followed by two Island Home-designed boats might not create as much of an impact on resuming normal service.
"We will bite the bullet for additional time," Caldwell said. "That, to us, is a worthwhile investment."
It takes 18 months, not 12, to build an Island Home-designed ferry, said Steve Reinmuth, WSF acting executive director. That's on top of extra time needed to prepare plans and specifications for a boat that has not been built by Washington shipyards, he said Tuesday.
It's unclear how vehicle ferry service would be maintained with a longer build time. WSF has leased Steilacoom II for 14 months, ending in January 2009, and no other ferries have been identified as possible substitutes.
It would also cost more money, Reinmuth said. The Steilacoom-designed ferries are expected to cost $20 million each, while the Island Home design could cost $30 million.
Another option?
"We're building three Pierce County boats," Reinmuth affirmed. "That's what's in the governor's budget." Reinmuth said WSF plans to call for bids on Feb. 15, with a March 15 deadline.
"Our goal is to get vehicle service restored quickly and safely," said Reinmuth.
Rep. Kessler said she will recommend that the Steilacoom design be tweaked to suit this route but not changed so significantly that it would cause further delays.
"I think they ought to go forward," Kessler said of the plan to build Steilacoom-designed boats for PT-Keystone.
Kessler also suggested there would be a shakeup within WSF as early as this week. She said state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond wants to hire people who are answerable to her. Kessler said she would seek a hearing to inquire why the hull rust on the Steel Electrics deteriorated to the point that they had to be quickly pulled from service. She does, however, agree with that decision by Hammond.
Rep. Van De Wege said transportation officials have questioned whether the Steilacoom II could maneuver in this route's rough waters.
"I'm sure we'll all be watching to see. We need this ferry to work for that run," Van De Wege said. "Everybody really has sacrificed to help Port Townsend and Keystone and the Olympic Peninsula. I'm amazed at what's happened," the legislator said.
Although Kessler and Van De Wege are cosponsors of HB 3218, they do differ on the future of the passenger-only boat Snohomish, which is currently serving the run.
Kessler said the boat should be kept as a backup, while Van De Wege says the decision to sell the boat already has been made.
Change of plan?
Although WSF officials and local legislators seem to favor building a modified Steilacoom-designed boat for this route, Reinmuth said WSF is preparing information now on Island Home in case the Legislature decides to scrap the Steilacoom plan.
The Steilacoom design could also be scrapped if sea trials, scheduled here next week, demonstrate that it is not a suitable vessel for the often-difficult crossing of Admiralty Inlet, Reinmuth said.
Another possibility, Reinmuth added, is that after the first new Steilacoom-designed ferry is built, it is decided, based on more experience with the leased boat, that the Island Home would work better.
Island Home was launched in 2007 and serves the route between Woods Hole and Martha's Vineyard, Mass. It was designed by the Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle, the same firm that designed Steilacoom II. Island Home is rated for 1,200 passengers and 76 vehicles.
Operational plans
Reinmuth pointed out that the Steilacoom design is not suitable for the open waters of the inter-island service on the San Juans, so three such boats would in effect be dedicated to the PT-Keystone route. However, they might be needed occasionally as an off-season substitute during maintenance on the Point Defiance route.
As soon as the Steel Electric replacements are delivered, WSF would immediately move on to build three or possibly four 144-car ferries, Reinmuth said.
The Ferry Advisory Committee, which includes City Council representatives, is meeting at 10 a.m. this Thursday, Jan. 31 on the first floor of City Hall. A meeting of the ferry partnership group that had been set for Jan. 29 has been canceled.
One topic the partnership plans to discuss is summer 2008 mitigations. Having only one 50-car ferry this summer represents only 41 percent of the normal summer vehicle-carrying capacity.
Another issue is that Steilacoom II's sister ferry, Christine Anderson, is scheduled for maintenance in December 2008, and under the lease, Pierce County would get Steilacoom II back during that period. WSF officials are trying to amend that maintenance schedule.
Steilacoom II offers just 41% of normal summer car capacityPierce County assumes that vehicles are 16 feet long and therefore rates its Steilacoom II at 54 vehicles. Washington State Ferries assumes that vehicles average 18 feet and thus rates Steilacoom II at 50 vehicles.
With an "apples to apples" comparison, the Port Townsend-Keystone route, with only one 50-vehicle ferry this summer, is just 41 percent of the vehicle-carrying capacity of the two Steel Electric ferries that used to serve the route.
A long-term option under discussion would use the design of a Massachusetts ferry, Island Home.
The 14-month lease of Steilacoom II is costing WSF about $1,800 a day.
(Reporter Allison Arthur contributed to this story.)