Page A12
WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM
Saturday, March 22, 2014 • The South Whidbey Record
State leaders christen new Clinton-Mukilteo ferry By BILL SHEETS Herald Writer Travelers between Mukilteo and Whidbey Island will be the first to enjoy the state’s newest ferry. The 144-car Tokitae was christened on Thursday at Vigor Industrial in Seattle. State transportation secretary Lynn Peterson smashed a bottle of sparkling wine over the edge of the boat to a round of cheers from many of the workers who helped build the vessel. After sea trials, the Tokitae is scheduled to go into service on the Mukilteo-Clinton route in June. It will replace the Cathlamet, which is being moved to the Vashon Island route so the Evergreen State, a 60-year-old vessel, can be retired. Mukilteo is getting the new boat because more cars travel on that route than any other in the system — more than 2 million last year, outgoing ferry chief David Moseley said. “A little added capacity there, we felt, was needed,” he said. The Tokitae will hold 20 more cars than the 124-car Cathlamet, so the new boat will slightly shorten the long ferry lines that extend up the hill on the Mukilteo Speedway in summer. The other boat on the Mukilteo-Clinton route, the 124-car Issaquah, will remain there for the time being. The Issaquah and Cathlamet were built in the late-1970s. The Tokitae is the first of three planned vessels in the new Olympic Class. The budget for the three boats is $387.5 million. The Olympic Class boats are patterned after the Issaquah Class because of their versatility,
Mark Mulligan / The Herald
Washington State Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson christens the state’s newest ferry, Tokitae, Thursday morning at Vigor Industries shipyard in Seattle. but with modern features such as better heating and ventilation, more seating choice and better fuel efficiency, according to the state. The Tokitae took two years to build. The next boat, the Samish, is under construction and scheduled to be finished in spring 2015. The third boat was funded just this year and has yet to be named. Two other ferries, built in the 1950s, the Klahowya and the Tillikum, are scheduled to be retired as the new boats become ready.
This will be the fourth new ferry built in six years. The three boats in the Kwa-di Tabil class — the Chetzemoka, the Salish and the Kennewick — were built after the 1920s-era Steel Electric Class boats were pulled from the water in 2007 after cracks and corrosion were found in their hulls. The four vessels completed in recent years, plus the Samish, were funded while former state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen of Camano Island was chairwoman of the Senate
Transportation Committee. She lost her bid for re-election in 2012 but attended Thursday’s event. “We built five boats,” she said proudly. Replacing the old boats with the new will save the state money on maintenance in the long run, Peterson said at Thursday’s event. The state’s policy of requiring the boats to be built in-state came under fire when the Chetzemoka exceeded the projected cost. But Vigor, formerly Todd Shipyards, and the subcontractors who have now worked on several boats have streamlined their skills, Moseley said. “The learning curve is there, the efficiencies are there,” he said. About 500 people worked on the Tokitae — 200 at Vigor Industrial and 300 at other locations, including Nichols Brothers Boat Builders. The Freeland shipyard built the vessel’s superstructure. The name for the ferry also is representative of the specific area where it will begin service. Tokitae was the original name given to one of several orcas captured in Penn Cove at Whidbey Island in 1970 and taken to marine theme parks. Tokitae’s name was changed to Lolita, and she was taken to the Miami Seaquarium, where she continues to perform. The Orca Network, a whale advocacy group based on Whidbey, submitted the name suggestion, state officials said. The group has been lobbying, so far unsuccessfully, for Lolita to be released from the Miami Seaquarium and brought back to local waters. Tokitae, according to the Orca Network, is a Salish Indian greeting meaning “nice day, pretty colors.”
Washington ferries chief to step down; Moseley sets sights on new horizons By JANIS REID South Whidbey Record David Moseley, assistant secretary for the Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division announced his resignation Tuesday. Moseley said he is proud of what he’s been able to accomplish, “but it is now time for the next person to build on our successes, correct our mistakes and continue to move the system forward,” according to a statement released on the agency’s website.
Brought to you by:
Moseley’s last day will be April 15. He served in this position overseeing the country’s largest ferry system since 2008. Moseley said he came to the position with four major priorities in mind: build new ferries, provide better maintenance, improve customer relations and find sustainable funding sources, the statement said.. “I believe we’ve made real, tangible progress on all of those priorities,” he said. The system employs roughly 1,700 workers and operates 22 vessels which serve more than 22 million passengers a year. Moseley’s leadership is widely believed to have contributed to a restoration of public faith and garnered legislative support for a number of important projects. Lawmakers have approved three new 144-car vessels, the first of which will set sail on the Mukilteo-Clinton route
this summer. In addition, funding for three 64-car replacement ferries has also been approved. Moseley also saw his share of controversy. In 2010 lawmakers ended reimbursement to and from terminals for ferry workers. An investigation revealed that Washington State Ferries paid nearly $6.4 million in reimbursements to 700 workers in 2009, according to the Everett Herald. In the summers of 2012 and 2013, sailings were cancelled due to a lack of crew, something Moseley apologized for last fall. Moseley said he believes he did his best, and is looking forward to a new chapter. “Now I look forward to the next challenge,” Moseley said in his online statement. “I don’t know what that will be. I’ve had a few interesting conversations but really have no concrete plan yet. Instead, I intend on taking a few months to explore new possibilities.”
Providing Outstanding Service and Excellent Results
COMPLIMENTARY SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD WITH YOUR COFFEE
RECORD SOUTH WHIDBEY
5575 S. Harbor Ave Suite 204 • Freeland, WA 98249 360-221-5300 • www.southwhidbeyrecord.com
Dr. Kyle Fukano and Staff
HOP ON IN AND WE’LL SPRING CLEAN YOUR SMILE! General Dentistry for the Whole Family
360-331-5211 1685 Main St #4 • in the Freeland Professional Center • www.freelandfamilydental.com
CHERYL KEEFE Broker/Owner
C: 206.930.7316 O: 360.221.1828 cheryl@whidbey.com