Submitted by San Juan County
San Juan County is thrilled to receive new funding from the Washington State Governor’s Office to address ferry service disruptions in the San Juan Islands. Today, Governor Jay Inslee met County and Town officials, essential service providers, business owners, and residents in Friday Harbor to award $1 million to the County to finance temporary marine transportation alternatives, and an additional $500,000 to support Interisland weekend service during the winter which would add a third set of crew to that service.
“I feel speechless right now,” said Council Chair Jane Fuller after the Governor’s announcement.
“Our county has been heard at the highest level of our State when it comes to the ferry crisis we have been experiencing,” Fuller said to a room of about 20 locals representing healthcare, schools, utilities, and small businesses.
“Thank you, Governor Inslee, for all that you and your staff have done in recent weeks to acknowledge our emergency and identify a means through which the State can support our local problem-solving efforts to ensure essential services can continue to be delivered, and the impacts on the lives of the people in our county can be mitigated.”
Localized, Emergency Transportation Services
In August, Council issued a request to the Governor’s Office for ‘executive relief’ from ferry service disruptions, providing a 180-day proposal. Today, the County received $1 million from the Department of Commerce’s Emergency Rapid Response program to support three main initiatives:
Interisland passenger only water taxi service
Anacortes / San Juan Islands passenger only charter service
On-call essential/critical services barge transportation
Funding from the Governor’s Office will support these three pilot initiatives on an interim and emergency basis.
“This will not make everything perfect in the islands, but I believe it will be a significant improvement,” Governor Inslee said.
Increased Interisland Service This Winter
Governor Inslee also authorized $500,000 from the Governor’s Emergency Fund to support increased weekend Interisland service during the winter. WSF believes this will not only provide increased service to residents, but also improve workforce availability and overall service levels by making it more possible for crews to live in the San Juan Islands year-round.
“I really couldn’t believe my ears when I heard you were going to put three crews on the interisland boat during the winter,” said Ferry Advisory Committee member Ken Burtness during the meeting. “It will help with the stability of crews on the Interisland and very much help the schedule for the boats out of Anacortes. This is the best news I’ve heard in five years.”
The WSF Anacortes / San Juan Islands Schedule-Rewrite Taskforce, established by WSF last May, will meet this week to further discuss the year-round ferry schedule to reflect the addition of a third crew on the interisland route. The updated schedule is expected to come into effect in December.
Next Steps
The County had an initial meeting with the WA State Department of Commerce yesterday to discuss how the emergency funds will be allocated and utilized. Further updates will be provided as plans are established.
The Council Chair is will soon be establishing an external Transportation Working Group comprised of representatives from Chambers, Ports, non-profits, and other local entities. This group will be tasked with identifying local solutions to transportation issues that can be explored by the County government, and in the context of updates to the Transportation element of the Comprehensive Plan.
“As WSF rebuilds itself, we look forward to supporting them and feel newly empowered to work collaboratively on localized solutions to transportation needs in the islands,” said Council Chair Fuller.
The Council is also working to develop a legislative ask for the upcoming legislative session that will address ways to mitigate the impacts of ferry service disruptions.
“We’re working tireless every day to solve these issues,” said Assistant Secretary of Transportation for WSF Steve Nevey. “I have empathy for all the issues you brought up today,” he said, addressing the room of business owners, volunteers, and local officials.
Council is very grateful for the Governor’s support demonstrated by granting this emergency funding request and funding longer term efforts to restore service on our interisland ferry route. The Council would also like to thank our 40th district legislators for their tireless dedication to improving the Washington State Ferry service for the future, securing essential funding for additional vessels and crew, and their ongoing collaboration and support to address the localized challenges we experience on the Anacortes / San Juan Islands route.
“The County deeply appreciates all of the consistent and ongoing attention that WSF, under the leadership of Assistant Secretary Nevey has been giving to ferry service on our route,” said Chair Fuller. “Our collaboration has been intense and meaningful, and it will continue. We will do all we can to support Assistant Secretary Nevey as he continues to guide WSF towards a successful future.”
The County would also like to recognize the tremendous work of the crew and staff who serve our Anacortes / San Juan Islands routes who can never be given enough appreciation for all that they do in service to the islands.
The County will release additional updates as they become available. Learn more about the County’s ferry advocacy efforts on the Engage page: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-ferry-information.
