Just trying this out. And the ferry starts to leave about a minute into the video.
Video: Taken by me on Whidbey Island on 10 July 2011.

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The ferry M/V Coho started working the waters of the Salish Sea in 1959, and since the early 1970′s has been dedicated to the auto ferry run between Port Angeles and Victoria.  Today it is celebrating the 50th anniversary of it’s first run.  Arguably, it is the most important part of the tourism industry in Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula, and it is also an important part of the Victoria waterfront.

While the boat is 50 years old, it’s owners and crew has been able to keep it in much better condition than similarly old Washington State Ferries craft.  This is not a hit at WSF crews, they do a fine job (though the state could probably fund them a bit better).  No, this is about one private company that has put a lot of effort and cash into keeping this fine ship going.  They believe that it will be possible to safely get another 20 years of use out of her.

While business has been down lately, like it has been in the rest of the economy, the Coho and its crew still do their part to get visitors across the Strait of Juan de Fuca safely.  It is thought that the ship fills as many as 25% of the hotel rooms in Port Angeles, as well as bringing people from Seattle and beyond into Victoria to visit.  While there are other options for getting to Vancouver Island, the Coho lets you go there with a bit of style, a bit of history, and avoiding some of the busier border crossings on the mainland.

I recommend that anyone with the least interest in this part of Cascadia set aside some time for a trip on the M/V Coho sometime soon.  It is a practical way to get there and it is an important piece of our history.  Consider it a cheap sea cruise.  I believe that you will not be disappointed.

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• People in low-lying areas around Cascadia are cleaning up after last week’s major flooding episode.  Sadly, I haven’t included a link to a report on this, because articles on this are few and far between.  People evacuating in front of flood waters makes for a spectacular news story.  The story of the cleanup, even though it drastically affects the lives of many people, is simply not worth more than a short mention in much of today’s media.  Sad.
• Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski is again promoting his plan to do away with the gas tax and replace it with a mileage tax. This is really problematic at a lot of levels. It is trying to fix something that isn’t broken, other than it is probably appropriate to raise the tax itself so we the public can benefit from the higher price of gas. The plan includes putting a GPS transponder in all of our cars to track us. The plan includes calculating the mileage tax and paying it when you fill up with gas, making collecting the tax a burden on gas station operators. I’m hoping this one dies a slow death.
• A Seattle-bound US Airways Airbus A320 with 155 people on board crash landed in the Hudson River in Manhattan on Thursday.  The survival of all aboard was credited to the skillful work of the pilot and flight crew.  Being a fan of ferries and boats in general, the thing that struck me immediately in the article was the number of ferries, water taxis, and tour boats that were on the scene immediately offering aid.  Nothing like everyone on the scene being totally prepared for an emergency, and that fact being instrumental in saving everyone.
• Finally, fans of the whodunnit might want to try to figure out where a 45-year-old Bellevue woman disappeared to.  The Bellevue Community College instructor and author of ten books disappeared Tuesday after she (or someone) drove her minivan onto the ferry Puyallup heading from Seattle to Bainbridge island.  When the ferry got to the other end, she did not show up to drive her car off the boat.  Her keys and purse were found on the upper passenger deck.  You can read more about the story here. Stay tuned, we are all wondering about this one.

OK, that was my first try at the Weekly News Roundup. More here every week, as I get it all down.

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None of us like to pay taxes.  For nearly two decades now, the mantra of the “conservative” parties in America has been that taxes are bad and that taxes should be lower.  That it true to a point.  However, we do not want to go overboard.  State government is in a position to assist us in getting things done cheaper than if we all paid for the same services individually.

One example is health care.  None of us are thrilled about the cost of health care.  But we all need to pay for it.  We purchase insurance policies to help smooth out the costs, but for some people who are not members of traditional groups, this is difficult to come by at a reasonable cost.  this is what makes a government health plan so attractive.  Sure, it would cost us more in taxes.  However, the increase in our taxes would be less than what we are payig for our individual policies.  The moral of this story is that we need to be looking at our total costs, not merely how much of it is being passed through the government.

I use this analogy because something similar is happening with Washington State Ferries.  This transportation provider serves commuters in the Puget Sound area, facilitates commerce throughout the region, and serves as a network of bridges through one of the most populated areas of Cascadia.  Certainly it is not used by everyone on a frequent basis, but it is necessary for many.

Like other agencies, the ferry system is being asked to show where cuts can be made to balance the budget in these difficult economic times.  They have come up with two possible plans.  One, known as Plan A, addresses the fact that to remain viable, the ferry system needs to replace old boats on a periodic basis and maintain current schedules.  In fact, due to the tremendous growth that is still happening in the Puget Sound area, there is a growing need for commuter, commercial, and personal transportation in the areas served by WSF.  The other plan, known as Plan B, offers only limited replacement of aging ships, increasing maintenance costs, and actually cutting service.  This would, however, balance the budget without increasing fees or taxes.

Our leaders are now beginning to quiz the users of this service on what they would like to see.  The answers from the first of these public meetings held by WSF is described in this Kitsap Sun article.  When the users on one of these ferry routes were brought together, they did have some ideas for reducing costs.  However, they also noted that due to increased growth and increased usage of public transportation, keeping the current service level was an absolute minimum, and in fact, additional service would be required in the not-too-distant future.  The reason?  It is ultimately less expensive for us to support our public services than it is for each of us to try to pay for it ourselves.

The article starts out by asking “Why would the ferry system want to take a boat from a route that’s already packed and is expecting rapid growth?”  Well, the immediate answer is that according to the Plan B long range plan proposed be WSDOT, they will have to do that to reduce costs below expected current revenue.  The question I have to ask is why we would consider cutting a necessary service that saves us money in the long run in the name of not raising taxes.  The question we really need to be asking is what will benefit the taxpayers the most over the long run.  Abandoning necessary public services is not one of them.

Saving money is a good goal.  Providing a level of public services that serve us well is a good goal.  Cutting necessary services so we can save a few dollars in taxes is foolish.  A small investment now will save us a lot more in the end.  Encourage you legislators to be thrifty, but do not allow them to cut services so much as to strangle the economy.

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Recently, the ferry system, as well as all of the Washington Department of Transportation and, indeed, the state as a whole, have been running on a minimum amount of budget money.  This has caused some necessary maintenance to be deferred on both the ferries and on the highways.  We are now looking at a dual problem where, not only does WSF need to be expanding its services to meet the needs of a growing state, it also needs to be replacing some of its older ferries.  While that process is just now getting started, it is still in it’s beginning stages.  That is, the stage where they are going to open bids on the first ferry in the new series, the one that will replace the borrowed ferry we are now using to provide a bare minimum of service.

I have been mulling over a recent article where WSF Director David Moseley is going over some of the immediate and future needs of the ferry system.  There are a variety of subgects that were covered, including:

• The 2009-2011 Long-term budget to be presented to the legislature.
• The ferry system’s long-term plan.
• The need for consistent funding of the ferry system.
• Possible expansion of the reservations system.
• Adjusting pricing to get maximum usage of the ferries throughout the day, and the optimum mix of vehicles.
• Coordinating ferry service with connecting transit services to get the most out of both, and to turn auto drivers into foot passengers on commuter runs.
• The immediate need to refurbish ferry terminals, especially those at Mukilteo, Anacortes, Edmonds, Seattle, and Bainbridge Island.
• The need to both increase the size of the fleet and to replace some older ferries that need to be retired soon.

I would like to explore all of these needs, and plan to do so here in the near future.  The ferry system is a unique enterprise.   It is the largest ferry system in the US, and only BC Ferries to the North rivals it’s size in all of North America.  It serves a number of purposes.

The Cross-Sound routes serve as a link for commuters, as the “Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area” expands to Kitsap and Island Counties and beyond. These routes are at least as important as the transit systems that weave their web of service throughout the populated areas of Western Washington.  They serve both as bridges for auto commuters and buses for walk-on passengers.

All of the routes serve as a vital system of bridges over the water covering the heart of Washington State.  Businesses depend upon these ferries as a conduit for the trucks that bring goods to sell into their stores.  A reduced ferry system would hobble the amount of commerce that is allowed to take place in many communities.  These ships are not a luxury.  They are bridges to communities.

Much of the tourism industry in Western Washington is, at least in some way, dependent upon Washington State Ferries.  Ferries get vacationers to the Olympic Peninsula, into the San Juan Islands, and offer a way for get travelers to Vancouver Island and Victoria to also be able to enjoy the scenery (and spend their money) in Washington.  Any reductions in service will also cause hardships for the people in that business or working in the tourism industry.

Of course, there are a limited amount of dollars to cover all of the transportation needs of the entire state.  We have roads and bridges that need repair.  We need to account for growth in every direction in the Puget Sound Region and beyond.  We also need to make sure that we consider the ferry system to be part of that system of bridges, albeit one with particular needs.  It is certainly more than a quaint way for folks to get out on the weekend.

I will be discussing some of the points above in more depth in the coming days and weeks.  In the meantime, I would appreciate hearing any input you might have.

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I would suspect the crew did everything in their power to get the problem under control when it happened, and find it disgusting that someone would imply otherwise simply to further their agenda against Washington State Ferries.  While it is always a good thing to keep tabs on our government and it’s agencies, making accusations that may or may not even be true is not a repuatible thing to do.  I cannot respect the poster’s employer, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, for the inunendo and half-truths that seem pervasive in their writing.  That is no way to get to the truth.

Here is the comment made by this writer, followed by my response:

Piper Scott said…

WSF advised that the Elwha was to return to service Monday, and the announcement was repeated in the newspaper

Regarding the cause of the Elwha’s problem, here’s something I was told by a WSF insider:

“The Elwha is under investigation by the CG. The he crew apparently forgot to turn on the cooling pump for the Avtron Electrical Control System. The net result was the failure of the cooling modules that dissipate the heat generated converting AC power to DC power.”

My source also advised that the vessel engineering staff failed/refused to consult technical professionals at WSF HQ on how to prevent the problem from escalating, which resulted in it escalating.

WSF refuses to comment on whether anyone should be disciplined over this matter.

Anyone care to express their thoughts?

Again, I write on WSF issues for Evergreen Freedom Foundation.

The Piper

August 26, 2008 10:49 AM

Bryan said…

After reading some of the WSF articles on the Evergreen Freedom Foundation’s website, my thoughts are that you are a writer who is paid to go wherever there is an audience and to stir the pot of public opinion against WSF.

In some cases, the criticism is deserved. In many cases, there have been reasonable answers put forth on why some of the situations occurred in the articles posted at your website. I have noticed that in most cases in those opinion pieces at your website, when a reasonable explanation has later come forth, that no one has bothered to update the situation to reflect the reality of the situation.

Yes, there needs to be some reform within the upper management ranks at WSF. Yes, there needs to be more action in the Washington legislature to correct problems at WSF, at WSDOT as a whole, and at many other government agencies.

While you are skilled at the job you are paid to do, writing opinion pieces to make a point for the need for government action (a point with which I don’t necessarily disagree), your articles and those of others at your organization seem to be short on specific solutions.

You have information on what might have transpired from a “WSF insider.” “WSF refuses to comment on whether anyone should be disciplined over this matter.” I would hope that WSF will wait to decide on whether anyone should be disciplined on this matter until they have fully investigated what really happened on that day.

No, I don’t have any inside information on this particular matter. I am willing to wait to see whether this specific action was the sole cause of the end effect here. The phrase “vessel engineering staff failed/refused to consult technical professionals at WSF HQ” sounds like an accusation from someone who wasn’t there at the time — but someone who thinks they have a better idea after the fact.

For now, I will stand by my original comments that often a breakdown of a ferry (or a bus or a train or whatever) is simply the breakdown of a vehicle, not a breakdown of an entire agency.

You are just a guy doing your job. In the process, you will get a lot of folks agreeing with you and saying “Yeah, lets hang somebody over this, and lets do it now!” For me, I’m willing to wait until WSF and the Coast Guard do their jobs and the real facts come out.

August 26, 2008 6:24 PM

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Initial news reports noted that the incident had occurred and stated the facts.  A US Coast Guard press release also noted the incident, and detailed the precautions they had taken in the event something did go wrong.  Initial TV reports also stated mostly the facts.  However, they had the obligitory mention of the issues facing WSF concerning the ferries taken out of service last Winter.  Certainly we cannot presume that every problem that happens on every ferry is due to lack of funding.

Of course, there are people out there who want to make every mechanical problem a political issue, as shown in this extreme example.  (To be fair, the blogger here in the link is passing on the comments of a commenter. I otherwise rather enjoy reading his blog.)  No, every breakdown is not a political issue.

Yes, the State of Washington needs to spend money to catch up on years of deferred upgrades on their ferries.  Yes, they need to build a half-dozen new ferries in time to have them in service by last year.  Yes, years of tax cuts and budget cuts are coming back to haunt us, as they are with our region’s roads and other infrastructure.  But to tie every mechanical problem into a political mess is simply irresponsible.

I think I’m getting tired of hearing all of the political nonsense every time something happens on a ferry. There are commentators all over who take every mechanical incident on a ferry and say things like “Is this the result of the state mismanaging its ferry system?” No. It’s the result of mechanical issues sometimes happening on any piece of equipment.

Ahoy to newspaper writers, TV editors, and bloggers — GET A LIFE! If 200 people on a light rail train had to be towed to their destination, it wouldn’t have been the result of a breakdown of management at the transit system’s offices. It would have been the result of a breakdown of a part on the train. The bus has mechanical problems sometimes. Your car has mechanical problems sometimes. So does the ferry. Get over it, media!

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I believe that it would border on incompetence if our government does not act now to get these proposals started immediately.

In Wednesday’s Seattle Times, space was given to Seattle Mayor Greg Nichols, a proponent of light rail, and to King County Executive Ron Sims, who believes it would be best to study the situation more to come up with a better plan.

Mr. Nichols’ op-ed piece is a look first at all the reasons we should not not procrastinate any further on getting this project started now.   He notes that we cannot build our way out of our current traffic problems with more freeways, and that with the price of gasoline on the rise, there will be a long-term, increasing need for more transit in the future.  Now is the time to start building this needed infrastructure.  He then outlines why we should move forward on this plan.

Mr. Sims’ op-ed piece describes that, while he is opposed to the immediate decision to increase the sales tax for this particular project, he does favor light rail and transit in general.  He would like to see a future of light rail, but is more concerned about the immediate needs of getting people to work tomorrow, and believes we need to concentrate on more buses for right now, followed by a study of how we should continue toward the future.

I am not really opposed to the opinions of either man as it relates to adding transit capacity.  We all know that more people are moving from commuting in their personal automobiles to taking transit to work.  The main problem is that this issue should have been addresses twenty years ago, not today.  We do actually have two separate and serious needs.  One is the need to increase capacity immediately to get people to work.  The other is a long range plan to get people on fast rail service and off of the highways, even if they are in buses.  We need the urgency of Mr. Nichols plan tempered with some of the changes of Mr. Sims plan.

I am worried about Mr. Sims statement that we need to study the issue for two more years and come up with a better plan.  While the current plan probably needs to be refined, it needs to be presented now.  It also needs to be presented with enough leeway to allow for some changes and improvements ebfore it is built.  While I too am concerned with how high the sales tax is getting, we are going to need ot build this project anyway.  We might as well get started paying for it.

I also note that Washington’s government leaders have a history of studying things as a means of putting them off or attempting to avoid starting them. This has caused serious consequences.  One example is Washington State Ferries, a division of WSDOT.  There were endless studies over decades about how to improve service on the Port Townsend-Keystone route, and ho to replace the ferries on that route, until one day it turned out that the boats were no longer seaworthy without repairs that would have cost as much as new ferries.  We are now spending a lot more money than would have been otherwise necessary for a temporary fix to that problem.  Let’s not study this one until it’s too late, either.

Actually, we are currently in this situation because of procrastination on the part of our government leaders over the years.  We need to do something now.  The current group of leaders we have now present some good ideas.  I shudder to think that we try to change our leaders for the sake of change, only to get Republican gubernatorial hopeful Dino Rossi and his latest idea to build an 8-lane SR 520 bridge.  I had thought our planners had debunked the myth that we can solve our traffic problems by building enough freeways long ago.

No, the current leaders have good ideas.  I am with Mayor Nichols on our need to get started on this project right away.  But I would also like to see the involvement of folks like County Exectuive Sims.  We will need solutions to our transit problems long before the currently proposed light rail system is built out.  There certainly must be a way to plan for long-term light rail, while at the same time, adding the express buses and dedicated bus lanes that we need to serve us for the next few years and into the future.

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I have discussed Washington State Ferries’ “Steel Electric” class boats on this blog before.  These are the 80-year-old ferries that WSF had to retire quickly when it was found that they would have to shovel too much of our money into them to fix the hulls that were rotting out from under them.  Might as well use that money to build a new ferry.  Too bad that process will take another two to three years to accomplish.

Anyway, if anybody was ever yearning to own their own historic ferry boat, the WSDOT, in their infinite wisdom, decided what any computer-savvy homeowner would do.  Let’s list them on eBay and see if they sell!

You will find the links to buy these historic ferries online here.  At least that is the link for the Klickitat.  You can find the others from there.  Anyway, I’m sure you will recognize a bargain, since the starting bid on each of the four ferries is only $350,000!  Bid early and often!  Just remember that it will cost many millions more to bring it up to US Coast Guard standards if you actually want to carry passengers on it.  Or even let your friends aboard to look around.

But if you are looking for a large and expansive bird feeder for your back yard — and one with an unmistakable historical and nautical theme — then this is the item for you!  Just remember that you will have to pay for shipping, and the State doesn’t take PayPal for transactions over $10,000.

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I am not opposed to the Border Patrol finding people who do not belong in the country and lawfully removing them. That is their job. I am opposed to them blocking a state highway and investigating everyone without cause.

I am also not particularly pleased with the fact they are telling us that they are actively investigating persons who are sneaking illegal liquor and drugs through the San Juan Islands, as well as saying that they are looking for suspected terrorists, in describing an action which is clearly one of finding immigrants not entitled to be in the US. Am I supposed to believe them the next time they say they are trying to catch a terrorist? My Mom always told me about the negative implications of “crying wolf”.

But enough of that. My point today is that the actions of the Border patrol have taken another turn. According to today’s Seattle Times, the Border Patrol is now asking individual WSF employees to “provide intelligence” to him if he sees anyone Hispanic going past.

I have no problem, and expect it to be the case, that law enforcement might ask all ferry employees to be on the lookout for a particular person who has committed a crime (i.e. “Be on the lookout for a guy who robbed the bank in Friday Harbor” or something like that). I just don’t see it as the job of WSF employees or bus drivers or anyone else in similar roles to be trying to dig up “intelligence” on the people they come into contact with.

The role of transportation workers is to transport people. Certainly, these people are in a position to see and report potential crimes. It is appropriate to do so. But for law enforcement to ask individuals to act as their detectives seems to be inappropriate. I doubt this type of action is official WSF policy. And I doubt that too many transportation workers are eager to take on this role. And, I would worry about the motives of those who are eager to take on this role.

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