PORT TOWNSEND — Ferry service between Port Townsend and Coupeville eventually could be in jeopardy if a funding source is not put in place, but the route has enough support to protect it, according to the Port Townsend mayor.
“We have a lot of good allies who will keep this from happening,” David King said.
“This isn’t just about Port Townsend. It’s about the entire Olympic Peninsula,” he added.
“It’s a security measure as well as a transportation measure. The ferry is a vital part of the transportation network
“You can’t cut off an arm and expect the body to function.”
Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, the chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said she would not permit the route to be cut.
“The governor’s staff and agency staff were asked to determine what kinds of cuts would need to be made to account for the decline of our gas tax revenues which fund transportation,” Haugen said in an email.
“They’ve identified the size of the problem, but the solution lies with the Legislature.
“They can make all the suggestions they want, but we write the budget, and as long as I’m here, no boats will be cut.”
Sen. Jim Hargrove, a Democrat from Hoquiam who represents the 24th District, said, “I line up behind her to make sure” the cut doesn’t happen, under any circumstances.
Said Rep. Kevin Van de Wege, a Democrat from Sequim who also represents the 24th District, which covers the North Olympic Peninsula:
“I think that ferry routes getting cut is pretty unlikely at this point. There are so many things up in the air, but I think we will be able to find alternative sources.”
Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Marta Coursey said Wednesday that the possibility of eliminating five routes, including the Port Townsend-Coupeville route, was constructed to serve as an illustration only for purposes of demonstrating what would happen if the state ferries system doesn’t receive adequate funding beyond 2013.
Ferry service between Port Townsend and Coupeville, and on four other routes in the state, could be eliminated under a worst-case funding scenario presented by state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond in a State of Transportation address last week.
“We needed to illustrate what a no-new-revenue, no-new-transfer system might look like,” Assistant Transportation Secretary David Moseley said then, according to the Everett Herald.
Ferry Advisory Committee Chairman Tim Caldwell said service is safe through 2013.
Caldwell referred to Assistant Transportation Secretary David Moseley’s December presentation to the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce discussing a possible transportation support measure that could be presented to voters in November.
“There are a lot of steps involved,” Caldwell said.
“People understand that a lot of things need to happen before we lose service.”
“We’ve [saved the service] before,” said former Mayor Michelle Sandoval, now a Port Townsend City Councilwoman.
“We can do it again.”
After the Steel Electric-style ferries were taken out of service in 2007, ferry service was provided by a single boat leased from Pierce County.
Three new 64-car ferries were built to operate on the route, with the third, the MV Kennewick, scheduled to take over from the MV Salish sometime this month.
A decision on the service date could be made Friday, Coursey said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.