By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

If you’re interested in Washington State Ferries, you have another chance to join one of its systemwide online community meetings – tonight at 6 pm. We watched the first version of the meeting this afternoon – here’s how it unfolded:

WHO WAS THERE: Above is the slide identifying the system executives participated. As for those in attendance, 60 people were reported to have signed in as the meeting began. They were polled about their routes of interest; Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth came in at 19 percent.

UPDATES: Ferries boss Steve Nevey was first up. He started with the system’s 75th anniversary on June 1 – that date in 1951 is when, he said, “the state decided to take over the service.”

WSF has a variety of anniversary events planned including special flags to fly on the ferries and even one atop the Space Needle. Free small bags of popcorn and cups of coffee will be offered (with purchases) in the galleys on Monday, and various giveaways are planned throughout the month.

Next, he updated employment stats – deck and engine staffing are among the categories improving, Nevey said:

The percentage of “retirement risk” in key crew categories is down, too – among captains, from 53 percent to 40 percent; among chief engineers, from 34 percent to 20 percent. “We’re really encouraged by the way we’re trending in these areas. … I feel like we’re really getting our arms around our workforce issues.” Cancelled sailings because of short staffing are “way down,” he emphasized.

Next up, Jenna Forty on the updated Service Contingency Plan (read it here):

“With 21 vessels … we really don’t have a margin of error.” She didn’t get into specifics of the plan, just noting that it’s meant to help ensure riders know what to expect. She also had several notes from the Legislature’s session, including securing $2 million for a “rapid response” maintenance/repair team to get ferries fixed faster.

On to the World Cup plan, addressed by Forrest Nichols:

The summer schedule calls for 18 boats, so having 20 ready means they’ll have two on standby to quickly plug in, in case of unexpected trouble, Nichols said.

Next, David Sowers updated the system-electrification program, both terminals and vessels, stressing the need to push forward with what’s ultimately a system-modernization plan:

As for the new ferries being built in Florida, the next year will be spent finishing the design for the first vessel, and steel cutting will start in August 2027, with “that first boat arriving in Puget Sound in 2030.” WSF has issued a Request for Qualifications for its first terminal electrification projects, using the design-build process, and hopes to have one slip electrified as soon as 2029.

TERMINAL PROJECTS: Nicole McIntosh presented these updates. They included projects that were under way or recently completed. Only one Fauntleroy mention, and it was brief – she said the intersection project, where the dock meets Fauntleroy Way, is now advertising for bids and still expected to start work this fall.

OTHER UPDATES: The system’s second-in-command, John Vezina, recapped the recently finalized pet policy.

He also said – without accompanying slides – that WSF had made a wrong choice of vendors for a ticketing-system update, and spent a lot of money in the process; how much, he said, they’ll be disclosing (“it’s all public record,” he said more than once), but in the meantime, they’ll be seeking a new partner. “We stopped, we’re reassessing.” (This appears to be a reference to the situation detailed in reports including this one.)

He switched gears to the state of trying to get wi-fi on boats and at terminals. They’re testing it “with T-Mobile and another partner” on M/V Chimacum for starters and will soon have a test at the Bremerton terminal too; others will follow, after an evaluation period at year’s end.

Q&A: This was the second half of the meeting, starting at 12:39 pm. (We’ve noted the Triangle Route-related questions in bold type.) First question: “Could ferry system be split into two parts, the San Juans and (everywhere else)?” Forty replied: “In short, no.”

Second question had to do with the reservation system, which doesn’t involve this area … Third question, how long will M/V Puyallup be on Bremerton route? Answer, it’s filling in while M/V Kaleetan is out for work that may not be complete until fall, but it will likely move back to Edmonds-Kingston in late June … Fourth question involved how they’re planning to ensure charging systems for vessels will work with their vessels; answer was technical … Fifth question, how will service be disrupted during Fauntleroy terminal construction? McIntosh said they’re working on that, nothing to say yet … Sixth question, canceled sailings info has disappeared from weekly updates, when will it return? They’re working on a data issue, was the reply … Sixth question comes up every time – when will the route to Sidney B.C. be restored? Nevey said the answer remains 2030 … Seventh question, classification of new vessels – SOLAS-compatible? Not likely, was the reply; WSF has only one that is, M/V Chelan … Eighth question had to do about budgeting and money that has to be spent on the electrification program and cannot be diverted elsewhere; Forty noted that the Legislature sets a lot of parameters for what WSF gets/can spend … Ninth question, what will the Triangle Route run for the World Cup time? They expect to keep three Issaquah-class ferries on the route through July … Tenth question was about electrification on a north route …

Eleventh question was about battery-fire concerns aboard an electrified boat; a regulatory process oversees everything, was the reply, and they have sensors and systems that would address that – the technology is “well established” around the world so standards for construction and installation of batteries have been refined. They don’t believe a fire “would go beyond the individual cell” as a result … Twelfth question was about a Bainbridge roundabout … Thirteenth was about fares, with a reiteration that the state Transportation Commission makes those decisions … Fourteenth was about World Cup service; WSF believes the plan outlined earlier in the meeting allows “more resources” to reduce or eliminate service disruptions … Fifteenth question had to do with verifying people’s eligibility for certain fare levels and the fact some discounted levels are not available via kiosks … Sixteenth was a Lopez Island reservations question … Seventeenth also involved the San Juan Islands … Eighteenth question, why can’t residents be prioritized for service/fares? Vezina said the Legislature sets the revenue levels that WSF must bring in – right now customers pay what amounts to 55 percent of the costs, and the other 45 percent comes from taxpayers, so fares and service have to be equal for everyone … Nineteenth question, what about integrating Good to Go with WSF? Forty said they’re looking at it, and also at possible integration with ORCA … Twentieth question, signage/announcements on the boats regarding civility “We Sail Together”; Vezina said it’s important because employees have been targeted by abusive language. Yes, it’s frustrating when something isn’t working well, but there’s no reason to do that to employees. “Showing gratitude to the people who show up each day to get you where you need to go” is appreciated, he added.

Twenty-first question was about San Juans service … Twenty-second question had to do with legally required loading procedures … and the meeting wrapped at 1:15 pm. You can get the link for the 6 pm meeting here; that same page will eventually have video from the meetings.