A local organization, the San Juan Islands Ferry Group, is spearheading an effort to voice concerns about the ferry system.
The Orcas Chamber of Commerce is urging islanders to sign a petition to the governor and legislature of Washington state that asserts the following:
We, the undersigned, residents of Washington adamantly oppose the reductions in ferry service in response to the Governor’s demand to cut the budget. Service reduction will severely impact ferry – dependant riders, businesses and communities as well as adversely affect our state economy. It is time for the Executive and the Legislative Branches to face this issue head-on and develop an effective, reliable ferry system to continue to meet the needs of its customers and Washington State. To this end, we the undersigned petition the Governor and the Legislature to act during the 2011 Legislative Session to:
• Dispense with further cuts in service and take action to refurbish the system so it can efficiently meet the needs of its customers;
• Provide a permanent source of equitable statewide funding for building vessels;
• Start building the 144 as soon as possible in 2012 to provide a replacement or backup boat of adequate power and capacity to our aging fleet;
• Develop a sustainable, long term budget for WSF that caps fares at reasonable rates for ferry customers and which considers the economic and social impacts.
To collect signatures for the petition, go here.
“Your voice is desperately needed in Olympia,” Orcas Chamber director Lance Evans said in an email to chamber members.
Signed petitions can be mailed to the address below (by Dec. 30), or you can ask the chamber to pick it up.
Address to mail petitions:
Susan Young, SJIs Ferry Group
78 Snowberry Lane
Lopez, WA 98261
For more information, visit sjiferrygroup.com or the San Juan County Ferry Advisory Committee website.
