News - Local News

POSTED: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

County officials: Lummi Island ferry could dock in Fairhaven

BELLINGHAM - The Port of Bellingham's Alaska ferry terminal in Fairhaven has emerged as a likely interim mainland dock location for Whatcom County's Lummi Island Ferry.

But some Whatcom County Council members have expressed doubts about the safety and feasibility of that alternative, which would involve a 50-minute cruise across Bellingham Bay instead of the present five-minute transit of Hale Passage.

A trip of that length would automatically mean far fewer ferry runs: The Whatcom Chief now carries as many as 20 vehicles on its 39 round trips per day during the work week. Scaling the schedule back substantially would likely mean some personal upheaval for many of the more than 2,000 people who live on the island during some portion of the year.

The ferry now operates from Gooseberry Point on Lummi Nation, under the terms of a 25-year lease with the tribe that expires in February. Tribal leaders want to reclaim that site to accommodate their plans to build new islands offshore that would provide fish habitat while creating sheltered water for vessel moorage.

Whatcom County Public Works Director Frank Abart told the Whatcom County Council Tuesday, Oct. 13, that he hopes to reach a deal with Lummi Nation on a five-year lease extension that will keep the ferry terminal at its existing location while giving the county time to explore alternatives.

But the county would likely be hard-pressed to find a new terminal site and come up with millions for a new dock even in five years, Abart told the council. The Fairhaven dock could be used as a stopgap at that point, until a longer-term solution can be found.

Council member Barbara Brenner said she's been talking to local fishing boat operators who have questioned the safety of operating the Whatcom Chief over such a long and occasionally stormy route.

Abart told the council that the Whatcom Chief ferry could be certified to make the cross-bay run after minor modifications, and could use the existing Fairhaven dock except during a few extreme low tides of minus three feet. A passenger-only ferry, which could be privately operated, could supplement the Whatcom Chief's car ferry service, he added.

Council member Seth Fleetwood asked Abart if he had any estimate of how often rough weather might force cancellation of ferry runs. Abart replied that it would no doubt vary from year to year.

Abart said he's open to other suggestions on possible locations for the ferry, but finding an alternative site on the Lummi reservation, away from the tribe's moorage project, is probably not an option. Tribal officials have indicated they would want more than $16 million worth of street and sidewalk improvements as a condition for approval of any new site close to the existing one.

"That's just not a financial reality or feasibility for us," Abart said.

Brenner expressed irritation that the county apparently cannot enforce a provision of the previous lease agreement that gave the county a 25-year renewal option on the existing terminal site. Abart said the county's legal staff believes the provision is unenforceable because the 1988 agreement was never approved and signed by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

She suggested that the county hire an independent legal expert to review the matter and advise the county on its legal options.

"We both acted in good faith," Brenner said. "We signed it. The Lummis signed it."

Council members tentatively agreed they wanted to get a briefing on the legal issue in executive session before moving ahead.