LineTime.org
[March 2004]
LineTime Question Victor Garcia Responds
Please tell us about yourself.
Why do you want to serve on the Guemes Island Ferry Committee? My name is Victor Garcia, I’m a math and science teacher with the Anacortes school district. You’ve doubtless seen me and my bicycle on the ferry. My wife and I are raising our two children on Guemes Island. I want to serve on this committee to improve ferry service and keeping down extraneous costs. I give thanks to those who have served on the committee and admire their tenacity in sticking with the process through all of the extra meetings and for weathering the disagreements in the public meetings. I myself will likely vote for Glenn Veal, he has a great deal of experience and has championed the cause of keeping the island small.
What skills and experience would you bring to the committee? My job involves working and communicating with people. I have managed crews in both construction and fish processing. I bring a true concern for the community and quality of life on Guemes Island. I have also written many successful grants.
On what other island organizations have you served?

I am currently a member of GIPAC, the group that is working on a subarea plan for the island.
Why do you choose to live on Guemes Island? I chose to live here for its natural beauty, seclusion and in the hope that my children would get to grow up with the benefits of a rural lifestyle. I also liked the community, the mix of gentlemen farmers, artists and well-educated senior citizens.
How would you describe the point of view you might represent on the
Ferry Committee?

I would stand for four things:

The need for a democratic policy to decide on contentious issues such as hours of operation.

The need for the ferry to be managed as cost efficiently as possible.

The need for the ferry to serve the users as well as possible without unduly increasing costs and other negative impacts.

The need for the people of Guemes to take a greater role in ferry planning and the financing of improvements to service. This could be in the form of a ferry district.
How do you see yourself representing those with whom you disagree?

I strongly support developing protocols for democratically addressing issues upon which there are diametrically opposed views. As much as many island residents don’t want change, we have to be responsive to changes in the population of Guemes.

Even if an issue didn’t go “my way”, if the majority of islanders wish it, so be it.
How did you participate in the Fares and Scheduling Task Force process? I went to meetings on Guemes, in Anacortes and in Mt. Vernon. I both spoke to and wrote the commissioners. Like everybody else, I filled out the survey.
One issue of concern to Ferry riders is whether or not the ferry should operate past 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday.
What do you see as the benefits of such expansion?

It would allow people to commute further and enjoy activities after 6:00 on those 4 days that the ferry doesn’t currently run. I see no other benefits.

Alternatives exist. Lately, my wife and children have used the water taxi service and found it a cost-effective alternative to hotel, but I can see safety concerns or difficulties for the elderly with beach landings. I visualize a pair of floats with a ramp that could be used as a public/walk-on dock that would address these safety issues, make transport safer during the ferry shipyard times and also make it safer for residents to self -transport in the calmer summer months.

What do you see as the consequences?

Look across the channel to the neighboring islands such as Orcas. My wife’s family lives on Orcas and I hear constant tales of elderly and “old islanders” being consumed by taxes on their ever-increasing land values. Olga residents have been compelled to swap their wells for a more expensive water system, mandated by the increasing population, with obligatory financial drain on those in the scope of the water district.

Large increases in population would require us to consider many services such as a full- time fire department, water systems, public safety and the accompanying expenses. I suspect that we would either have to incorporate or be annexed to Anacortes to cover the costs of significant growth. I do not wish this upon our island. Those who think this is “doom saying” only have to look at Orcas to see it happening where the ferry ride is longer and the runs less often, i.e., an island that is even less accessible.

Are you in favor of expanding the ferry's hours of week night
operation?

For car service after 6:00 pm on weeknights, no. Recently, I have been on many 6:00 runs that didn’t double. I do not see additional late runs paying for themselves. I feel that the late run surcharge in the alternative proposal (seen recently on Linetime) would not be legally defensible for a scheduled run.

In addition, hours extension will bring unanticipated costs as part-time crew members become full-time crew. Increased benefits and the additional costs associated with their change in status will increase operational costs out of proportion with the increased operational hours.

I feel that passenger only extensions would be less expensive and would have less negative effects than auto trips.

The idea of a “trial period” for late ferries is as absurd as “trial sex”, once something is lost, it’s awfully hard to reclaim it. The only way to respect the rights of all islanders is to push for a protocol requiring a majority vote of the island’s registered voters for any and all schedule extensions. As people move to the island, the overall will for extension may become the majority voice.

I am skeptical that the 3 runs per hour will work as planned. A larger ferry carrying 30 cars per run might be more workable than 3 runs with 20 cars at reducing the backlog of autos.

One way of increasing accessibility to the island might be in adding a float and ramp parallel to the ferry slip on each side. This would clear up safety issues involved in using transports other than the Guemes. An earlier weekday run might truly benefit island residents as the 6:30 am run has been leaving cars behind at least three mornings out of five lately. Perhaps a passenger only runs on a contracted vessel at 6:00 am and 8:00 pm would provide a more cost effective way to address those needs.

Do you believe expanding Guemes Island ferry service, either with a
larger ferry or extended hours, should require assessment of potential impacts
on Guemes, such as population, property values and taxes, water resources,
just to name a few?		 As I have stated in public meetings, I look at many of these unstated implications of ferry policy as defacto taxes upon the ferry users. Because of this, we need the policies mentioned above. Using the “bridge analogy” for the ferry, significant changes in ferry operation should be subject to environmental impact statements just as would be any other public works project in accordance with the state’s Growth Management Act.
Over the past year, the Ferry Committee's and Islander's involvement in Ferry policy development has greatly expanded.

In what ways would you improve communication between the Ferry
Committee and Guemes Islanders?

How do you see improving the role of the Ferry Committee as intermediary and advocate for ferry ridership?

 

How do you see the Ferry Committee helping islanders understand the
complexities of issues and assess impacts of policy decisions?

Let’s face it, this ferry is not as big a priority for the county at large as for Guemes residents. How is the ferry less important than the cemetery or volunteer fire department? Isn’t it time for a ferry district? We need more say in ferry operations than those in other areas of the county. We need to take more responsibility for the operating costs of the runs so that Ted Anderson and the other citizens of other districts have less stake in the operations of the ferry.

I appreciate the impact of the internet and Linetime in getting the information out. Perhaps we could also film the meetings and get them broadcast on public access TV.

A post office box and website for citizen input for discussion during each meeting would serve, along with a scheduling a portion of each meeting for same. I also feel that the election of committee members by ballot will improve the “fit” of the committee to the population of the island; this is more democratic than just the vote of those who came to the hall on a given meeting day.

These issues and the compromises that come out of committee processes are indeed complex. As mentioned above, publishing minutes on the internet, putting the meetings on public access TV and holding regular meetings would all help. Additionally, Ferry Committee members are available at large to the community .
According to Skagit County's Capital Facilities Plan, one way to increase the capacity of the Guemes Island Ferry system is to "encourage car-pooling and walk-on passengers" to reduce drive-on traffic.
How do you imagine encouraging walk on traffic, especially among those reluctant to get out of their cars?

Walking on is an obvious way to extend the usefulness of the current ferry, making way for more vehicles to cross. We need to:

Fix the parking shortage on both sides, including the proactive purchase of properties on both sides. (When it’s necessary, it’s already too late.)

Make a useable drop-off lane on the Anacortes side with a turn around. After the loss of parking spots over there, the walk is getting too far for the elderly or those with small children or groceries.

Rearrange the ramps and vessel so that pedestrian traffic isn’t crossing traffic lanes. The current system puts walk-ons at risk and slows loading operations. Also, currently a person in a wheel chair cannot get out of the weather if they roll on.

Increase management efficiency to hold operational costs down. Use savings to reduce walk on fares. I’m in favor of a yearly commuter pass that would have a picture of the walk-on user and wouldn’t require punches or little tickets.
Do you walk on regularly?

I walk (or bike) on almost daily. The beauty of it is that I get on any run of the ferry I can make it to.
Please tell us your vision for future Ferry service.
How do you envision the ideal Guemes Island Ferry system?

I will combine the answers to these questions since they seem similar. I will write out what some might think a “Buck Rogers” scenario , but much of this technology currently exists at gas stations and pay parking lots. I’m also assuming that someday, there might be a majority voter approved wish for some limited hours extension.

In the morning, my wife left on the 6:00 am walk-on water-taxi to start her 7:00 am shift at Island Hospital a concrete truck driver and some shipyard folks walk on with her. The majority of islanders had voted to contract with the water taxi for two walk-on only runs at 6:00 am and 8:00 pm Monday through Friday. Because of lower operating expenses for this smaller vessel and crew, the fares collected for this limited extension pay for the service. She walked down a gangway to the passenger float and safely off on the corresponding float on the other side. It being winter, she walked to our car in a parking lot that didn’t contain 6 inches of standing water. There is now more parking on both sides since the ferry district commissioners put a LID up for a vote of island residents and they approved a limited tax levy to purchase land closeby on both sides. All three county commissioners enthusiastically approved the purchase since it didn’t increase costs to the other residents of the county and will automatically expire in two years when the properties and new lot have been paid for. The Ferry district has insured that more of the taxes collected on the island go directly to improvements in ferry services.

That morning, I rode my bike onto the ferry on the 6:30 am run of the ferry Guemes. The new configuration of the ferry deck has allowed for all of the cars in line to make the run. I was able to ride off with other “carless” passengers without impeding traffic flow because the ramps now match the ferry’s deck configuration.

On the way home, I watch my wife pull up to the automated ticketing kiosk and swipe a bar coded card. She punches in her vehicle size and number of passengers. A ticket spits out, she takes it and drives down into the line. This trip will be billed to us at the end of the month. The computer system associated with the ticket dispenser has perfect records of my wife’s ferry usage and data for all runs, her rate will be based upon her actual usage over the past month. This automated system also aides in ferry management. The manager now knows exact ridership for all runs for the past year. Behind her a tourist pulls up to the kiosk and purchases a ticket just as they would at any local gas station, using bills, credit cards or ATM cards. In her heated kiosk on the dock, Holly Bowman will give them the change from the $5 bill they put into the machine as they pull through and pass her their ticket. She’s smiling because she’s no longer out in the wind, rain and exhaust fumes.

At the dock, I swipe my barcoded card at the turnstyle and notice how the picture on my yearly commuter pass highlights my growing bald spot. My son swipes his Anacortes student pass behind me, the computer knows the district schedule and how many times he has traveled today. A neighbor with a load of groceries has dropped them and her elderly mother off in the turn around lane and she waves as she goes to park. A similar automated kiosk to the one for cars has dispensed tickets to some people from Seattle who are up to visit their grand children, the elderly gentleman is in a wheelchair and will be able to roll into the expanded passenger compartment.

My daughter has had to stay late for a school club and will be on the 8:00 pm walk-on water taxi. When I go down to pick her up, some neighbors are bringing their child home from private gymnastics lessons in Burlington. Another neighbor tells me of the great meal that he had at a new restaurant in town. He says that his wife is working late in Everett but he will be back in later on with his personal boat to ferry her across. He likes the public dock because she doesn’t have to jump off the bow into the winter beach surf.

What issues do you see as being paramount in the next 5 years?

Purchase more parking now on both sides. Stimulate progress, not promises on developing all weather parking on both sides.

Make walking on more attractive to extend the life of this vessel.

Automate the ticketing system to eliminate the fourth crew member, decreasing costs and increasing the speed of through-put.

Improve ferry management to contain costs.

Let’s face it, this ferry is not as big a priority for the county at large as for Guemes Residents. How is the ferry less important than the cemetery or volunteer fire department? Isn’t it time for a ferry district? We need more say in ferry operations than those in other areas of the county. We need to take more responsibility for the operating costs of the runs so that Ted Anderson and the other citizens of other districts have less stake in the operations of the ferry.