When an earthquake tore up the roads in Anchorage, the state DOT didn’t say “We don’t have money for repairs.” The roads were fixed. Now that the LeConte and the other ferries need repairs, why is there suddenly no money?
In the 1960’s, before oil money, the State of Alaska built a fleet of ferries that provided much more frequent service than we are getting now. What has happened? Somewhere along the way the legislators from Anchorage and Mat-Su who control the budget, and various governors, including the current one, decided that the ferry system is not worth funding. Now they’re selling off the ships. In doing this they are telling the people of Southeast, “You’re not important to us. We don’t care about you.”
If Southeast’s communities are to survive, something has to change. If the current system of ferries running 24 hours a day with two full crews isn’t working, maybe we should look at a “hub-and-spoke” system of day boats. Maybe the villages would be more efficiently served by smaller, faster boats. Maybe the Inter-Island Ferry Authority model that is working well for Prince of Wales Island can be applied to other parts of Southeast. There must be a solution. In the meantime, speak out. Call legislators and the governor and tell them to fund the ferry system.
Rob Goldberg