PORT TOWNSEND — The City Council determined at a special meeting on Sunday that a city representative along with a yet-to-be-hired professional lobbyist will be in Olympia to meet with lawmakers to discuss the fate of the car ferry service.
An outline of strategies developed at the meeting will be used to present the city’s stance on the issue for lawmakers and the governor’s office as the state Legislature today convenes a 60-day session.
Rather than focusing on the specifics of which vessel to choose or how to implement a new ferry into the system, Rick Sepler, city planner, suggested the council focus on the objectives they want to accomplish and actions the city can take.
Although the council discussed interim strategies, City Manager David Timmons said all of those could change, depending on what the Legislature decides about new ferries for the route.
The council in the special meeting following a work session unanimously adopted a rough sketch of the plans to present to the Legislature with the understanding tweaks will be made at the next meeting, on Jan. 22.
The four Steel Electric vehicle ferries, operated by Washington State Ferries, that once plied the route between Port Townsend and Keystone were pulled from service on Nov. 20 after one of the aging vessels, the Quinault, was found to have extensive pitting.
Since then, passenger ferry service has been provided on the route.
A state-rented 54-car ferry from Pierce County is expected to take over the Port Townsend-Keystone route sometime this month or next.
Gov. Chris Gregoire in November laid out a fast-track proposal, budgeting $100 million to build three 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.
The first strategy focused on the Legislative session which began today.
Central to the goals for the first strategy was the council’s acceptance of the “baseline assumptions” adopted by the Washington State Ferries’ Steering Committee.
Those state that the new vessel must:
“I think it if a vessel meets all of those requirements, it would probably be what we need it to be regardless of which model in particular it is,” Sepler said.
Also as a part of the Legislative strategy, the council agreed to have a weekly presence at Legislative sessions, to hire a lobbyist to help further its goals and to continue to meet with all of the members who are a part of the system to express mutual goals.
The council also agreed to suggest an audit of the decision to scrap the Steel Electrics.
“They were probably right in their decision, but it will be good to get a second opinion so that all of the information is backed up,” Sepler said.
The second strategy plan involved the time period before new vessels are put into place.
It is expected to take at least 14 months to construct the new vessels if Gregoire’s plan is adopted by the Legislature.
In the meantime, the rented vessel from Pierce County will be on the route.
The council agreed to look into supplemental services including whether that includes passenger only ferries, a Port Townsend to Seattle weekend ferry during the summer or private ferries docking in Port Townsend.
“I think we can all agree that the second part of the plan in the interim all depends on how the first part goes,” Timmons said.
“If the current plan is not adopted, then that will add at least six more months to the construction, so obviously the plans will change some if there are changes in how part one goes.”
Extra service, in particular during events and festivals, will be a primary objective during the busy summer months.
The implementation of a reservation system for cars on the ferry was added as an essential part of the interim plan.
“With just a few commercial vehicles on the smaller ferries it is going to be a fight for space,” Timmons said.
Marketing was the focus of the third strategy.
“We are going to have two bad summers at least,” Timmons said, speaking of this summer with limited ferry service and the summer of 2009 when the Hood Canal Bridge is expected to be closed for rebuilding.
The city will solicit money from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, which will be used to market Port Townsend as a destination.
“If a place is a vacation destination, people will deal with the difficulties of transportation to get there,” Timmons said.
Also during the interim, doing construction work on state Highway 20 and downtown streets was voted in as a consideration.
“This is the time to do it,” Sepler said.
“We don’t want to get done with these next two summers and then begin to tear up the dock and streets.”
The fourth strategy was working with the Port Townsend partners including Fort Worden, Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce, and others who can help coordinate the transition.
Guiding the council were five goals also adopted at the special meeting:
