PORT TOWNSEND — A passenger-only ferry may sail the waters between Port Townsend and Seattle on weekends in the summer of 2010, but the Main Street Transportation Committee will have to wait until February to find out for sure.
The committee submitted a proposal for a $150,000 Energy Efficiency Transportation Planning grant Monday night.
If approved, the grant would pay for a business plan to be studied and created for a passenger-only ferry to run out of Port Townsend.
Also, it would create four “demonstration” runs of the ferry next summer.
The decision on the federal grant will be made in February, said Tim Caldwell, a member of the committee.
“The first leg of this, if we get it, is to use the money to hire a consultant and to have that person develop a passenger-only ferry plan between Port Townsend and other locations,” Caldwell said.
Maybe Victoria, too
“We are looking at Seattle, but we aren’t limiting the consultant here.
“We want him to look at all options, as far as Victoria, B.C., even.”
The Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce has allocated $15,000 in matching funds if the grant is awarded.
When Caldwell was the Chamber of Commerce executive director, he collected the $15,000 for the chamber through a grant from Puget Sound Energy, the company for which he currently works as a manager.
Earlier this month, the chamber voted to use that money to apply for the grant.
Caldwell said the matching funds would be used to create four practice runs in 2010.
“If we get it the total money we will have is $165,000,” Caldwell said.
“Part of that is that we establish four demonstration cruises next summer.”
The grant also requests the money for two additional purposes: to fund a consultant to finish the Jefferson County Climate Action Committee plan and to hire a consultant to study energy efficiency projects for local infrastructure.
“All of this has to do with efficiency in transportation,” Caldwell said.
“The climate Action Committee found that 39 percent of emissions in the county come from cars so that is where this ferry comes in.
“But we also want to finish that plan and take a look at potential projects within the community.
“This grant could pay for all of it.”
No additional funds
The city of Port Townsend and Jefferson County did not add any matching funds to the grant application; however, they did offer letters of support for the project.
“It pleased me to see they are behind this and support it,” Caldwell said.
One example Caldwell has already introduced as a possibility for a ferry from Port Townsend to Seattle is the use the off days of a 149-passenger, high-speed passenger ferry about to be constructed for the Port of Kingston.
Kingston officials intend to use the ferry only during the weekdays for commuter traffic, Caldwell said.
Still, the group stresses that all options would be looked at.
“The money is for the plan to be developed,” said Heather Poulson, a member of the committee.
“It’s to get an accurate business plan in place and to approach it from the angle of passenger ferries.
“We want to see what this will look like.”
Poulson is the property manager of the Hastings Building in downtown Port Townsend. The owners of the Hastings Building are currently working on permitting the building for a renovation that would implement a passenger ferry terminal near Union Wharf.
Larger effort
Poulson said her work on the committee was part of a larger collaborative effort.
“It’s about combining a lot of regional interests in one committee,” she said.
“We sat back and analyzed all of the projects and made sure what we are proposing was appropriate.
“I believe we came up with something that really meets the goals of energy efficiency.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
