HomeMy WebLinkAbout112223 email RE_ Seeking Contact Info at WA State FerriesALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Hello, Marsha.
WSF has designated a single point of contact for all members of all FACs (there are, nominally, 13 FACs although some are currently inactive). A list of FACs is at https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washing
ton-state-ferries/about-us/community-participation <https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries/about-us/community-participation> .
Our POC is
Rachel Dean
Legislative Analyst
deanr@wsdot.wa.gov <mailto:deanr@wsdot.wa.gov>
WSDOT- Washington State Ferries
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Rachel reports to
Hadley Rodero (she/her)
Deputy Director – Planning, Customer & Government Relations
Washington State Ferries/WSDOT Ferries Division
roderoh@wsdot.wa.gov <mailto:roderoh@wsdot.wa.gov>
206-818-3813 (mobile)
who, in turn, reports to
John B. Vezina
Director
Planning, Customer and Government Relations
Washington State Ferries <https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries>
Cell: 206.473.9945
In case you don’t already have it, I’ve attached a copy of an economic impact analysis from almost exactly 3 years ago which was funded by the Port at the request of the City, the County,
and our FAC. That report, produced by Hovee, contains a great deal of information I believe you and your consultant will find illuminating.
Regarding your 5-year plan and our ferry service, my personal opinion is that we are unlikely to see restoration of service in that timeframe even to the same level as pre-2020, primarily
because of the severe shortage of vessels in the WSF fleet as well as the on-going shortages of qualified crew.
John Vezina, when interviewed by Commissioner Kate Dean on KPTZ on Friday, November 17 <https://kptz.org/2023/11/17/county-connections-16/> discussed what WSF is doing about the shortages
of boats and crew in some detail, but he declined to predict when service here will be restored, saying only that WSF is working on a new version of their service restoration / contingency
plan to be published in a couple of months. In terms of providing or restoring service, the Port Townsend-Coupeville route is the lowest priority domestic route; the route to Sidney,
BC is last because there is only one boat in the fleet that can legally provide that service.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Tom Thiersch
Chair, Jefferson County Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC), Port Townsend terminal
tprosys@gmail.com <mailto:tprosys@gmail.com>
P SAVE PAPER - Please do not print this email unless absolutely necessary.
From: Marsha Massey <director@olympicpeninsula.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2023 1:58 PM
To: tprosys@gmail.com
Subject: Seeking Contact Info at WA State Ferries
Hello Tom,
I was given your name / contact information by Jefferson County as the best contact for the Jefferson County Ferry Advisory Committee. I'm seeking an appropriate contact at WA State
Ferries for the Olympic Peninsula, and hoping you might be able to assist.
Briefly, we are working with an outside consultant on a 5-year Tourism Master Plan for the Olympic Peninsula. In this case, "we" represents both Clallam and Jefferson counties and the
major towns therein. Commissioner Heidi Eisenhouer is on the Leadership Team for this project. We've done quite a bit of outreach and information gathering through surveys, town halls,
etc. Not surprisingly, some of the feedback we've received has been around the impacts to tourism from the issues facing our state ferry system. They've asked to try to identify a
knowledgeable contact at WSF that they can interview for input into our 5-year plan.
I have a couple of contacts that were shared with me by our neighbors in the San Juan Islands, but thought you might be able to provide me with whomever at WSF is the point person(s)
for the Olympic Peninsula. I would be most grateful.
If you have questions or need additional information, please reach out to me. My contact information is below.
Many thanks in advance for your assistance.
Marsha
Marsha Massey
Executive Director
Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau
E: director@olympicpeninsula.org <mailto:director@olympicpeninsula.org>
O: 360.452.8552
M: 206.250.9192