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HomeMy WebLinkAbout102218_ra03 RA Commissioners Office JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST TO: Board of County Commissioners Philip Morley, County Administrator FROM: Kate Dean, District No. 1 County Commissioner DATE: October 22, 2018 SUBJECT: REVIEW and POTENTIAL ACTION re: Comment Letter on WSF Long Range Plan STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Washington State Ferries (WSF) is seeking input on their Long Range Plan for 2018 —2038. ANALYSIS: After discussion with County Commissioners in previous public meetings and with the Ferry Advisory Committee Chair, Tom Thiersch, the BOCC identified the issues included in the DRAFT Letter attached. FISCAL IMPACT: NONE RECOMMENDATION: The BOCC should discuss the attached letter and make edits or additions. Feedback from staff&the public will be considered. Finalize & approve letter for transmittal to Washington State Ferries (WSF) by Friday, October 26, 2018. REVIEWED BY: ea c< 4101 ,740Ndsi ,Atti (47-A Pi1 p Morle 11B0) my A Chniffilfrator Date October 18, 2018 Amy Scarton, Assistant Secretary Washington State Ferries 2901 Third Avenue, Suite 500 Seattle, WA 98121 After careful review of the Washington State Ferries Long Range Plan, attending open houses and a briefing from our Ferry Advisory Committee, the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners is pleased to present comment on the plan. The Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry route is hugely important to the economy, livelihoods and transportation of Jefferson County residents. While no recent economic impact analysis has been performed on this route, it is evident from the full reservation system and long lines at the terminal that there is more demand for this route than there is capacity. Businesses move goods to and from the Peninsula, tourists arrive in Port Townsend's retail district, and commuters rely on this route for work on Whidbey Island and beyond. On a Peninsula that is connected to the mainland via a bridge prone to closings and a highway with frequent landslides, the ferry also serves as a redundancy in transportation and emergency planning. Given the importance of this route to Jefferson County residents, Jefferson County makes the following comments which pertain to both the Draft Long Range Plans as well as other operations. 1. Provide additional service to the Port Townsend-Coupeville route sooner than shown in the Draft LRP. In concurrence with the September 7, 2018 letter from Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson, we recommend that WSF provide additional service as follows: • Add 2 hours of service per day in 2019 (not 2020) • Extend the 2-boat service season sooner than 2028 • Start 2-boat service before Easter and end after Thanksgiving • Provide 2-boat service for the year-end 3-week holiday season 2. Consideration should be given to modifying or relocating the Keystone Harbor to accommodate larger vessels. 64-car Kwa-di Tabil class ferries have run aground at Keystone Harbor about once every three years, including over the busiest weekend of the Wooden Boat Festival weekend last month. This presents an ongoing safety risk for passengers and crew, a risk of serious, costly damage to the vessels and major disruption to travel for residents, visitors and businesses in Jefferson County. 3. Consider all options for reducing the carbon emissions of WSF, including electrification of vessels and installation of solar panels at terminals. While we recognize that the vessels currently serving the Port Townsend route are not easily convertible to hybrid electric, we support on-going efforts to electrify the fleet for the reduction of total carbon emissions and noise reduction for the benefit of Southern Resident Killer Whales. Further, we support efforts to install solar panels at WSF terminals to reduce carbon emissions throughout the Salish Sea. With shellfish production as one of the County's most important economic sectors, reducing carbon absorption by the ocean, resulting in acidification and improper shell development, we believe that state and local governments need to take a leadership role in mitigating climate change and related impacts. 4. Improve multi-modal transportation options. With car traffic reaching capacity on the Port Townsend route as well as others in the system, increasing pedestrian and bike passengers and in conjunction with transit, increasing ridership is possible with the following improvements: • Communicate, coordinate and collaborate with Jefferson Transit and connecting Transit Authorities when considering changes to the WSF schedule. • Improve wayfinding for bicyclists at the Port Townsend ferry to improve safety and increase comfort and predictability of use. • Modernize WSDOT's digital interface by syncing with other mapping and transit apps for seamless route planning. • Commit to planning "Door-to-door" instead of"Dock-to-dock" so that ferries are a convenient, predictable, reliable and affordable option for transportation. With anticipated growth in demand for the Port Townsend-Coupeville route, we request the above changes to operations for the benefit of Jefferson County residents, the environment, and for regional transportation planning. Additionally, we support the comments of the Port Townsend Ferry Advisory Committee in response to the Draft Long Range Plan. As a County that is deeply connected to the maritime environment for transportation, economy, recreation and culture, the ferries are an integral part of the daily lives of our residents. We look forward to ongoing partnership with WSDOT and WSF in maintaining the services that support a strong economy and healthy environment. Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on your Draft Long Range Plan.