Haines was able to watch the proceedings of the joint meeting of the House and Senate Transportation Committees today (Jan. 17) on the big screen at the Haines Borough Public Library. The system was excellent. Though we were not able to comment during this meeting, we were able to send questions to Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins via email. The committees will meet jointly again on January 24 specifically for the purpose of taking public testimony.
I find it so ironic that this significant and serious conversation regarding the plan for improved ferry transportation is taking place on the 50th anniversary of the AMHS. I am, nonetheless, holding stubbornly to a sense of celebration. However, I fight the feeling that AMHS is being swept aside by this turn of events. That being said, I am very grateful to the Senators and Representatives on the Senate and House Transportation Committees who are giving so much attention to DOT/PF's proposals. Committee members on the Senate side are Dennis Egan (Committee Chair), Fred Dyson (Vice-Chair), Hollis French, Click Bishop, and Anna Fairclough. On the House side, Peggy Wilson (Chair), Doug Isaacson (Vice-Chair), Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Lynn Gattis, Bob Lynn, Eric Feige, and Craig Johnson.
There are many lines of inquiry that I hope the legislators will pursue. For starters, here are two that "popped" for me:
1) Commissioner Kemp, while admitting that the design for the smaller vessels is on his desk, absolutely refused to say whether or not the design included an open car deck. I have seen a video taken from the bridge of a ferry coming up Lynn Canal this winter. Waves were breaking over the bow and smashing against the wheelhouse windows. Certainly an open-deck design will be much less expensive, but it will be much less reliable in the heavy seas of the Lynn Canal or even in the seas of Clarence Straits outside of Ketchikan. Such a ferry will be a fair weather vessel much like the Chenga and the Fairweather, the "fast" ferries that cannot reliably sail in the Lynn Canal due to the high seas. This is Alaska. This is the Lynn Canal. In this case, local knowledge has got to be considered. But if that is not credible, perhaps the Committee might consider calling in some AMHS captains to testify to the seas in the Lynn Canal.
2) The route proposed for the two shuttle ferries is Haines-Skagway for one ferry (10 miles one way) and Haines-Juneau for the other. There are quite a few logistical problems with this plan. For one, just how many times a day will a ferry shuttle between Haines and Skagway? What is the need? The traffic? Seems to me that it will run empty if it runs more than once. Also, if it is planning on revenue from passengers only, it will compete with private ferries that do just that. Second of all, Skagway travelers, bound for Juneau will have to disembark, cars, tractor trailors, and all, line up and reload on a different vessel. Right now it takes an hour or less for the LeConte, coming from Skagway, to load Haines passengers and head for Juneau. Skagway would like less time in the Haines port, not more; and especially not more complicated time - as would be the case if required to disembark and reload.
Dept. Commissioner Yost made an argument that having everyone from Skagway get off the ferry would save money devoted to security. Please ask just exactly how much it costs to provide security for any ship when stopping over in a port as compared to a ship that off-loads all passengers in a port. You can compare the security-related costs for the IFA (Ketchikan-Hollis) to the security-related costs for the LeConte on its present run, when it stops in Haines, bound for Juneau from Skagway. The IFA seems to have the same level of security as the LeConte even though the IFA completely off loads in Hollis, and then again in Ketchikan. I know because I recently traveled on that ferry.
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