As Jay Knode plugged in the electric pump on the new water feature and water began babbling down 15 tons of granite boulders, a calm settled in at the Port of Kingston and there was a pause to listen and contemplate not just the meditative qualities of a cascade, but also the sense of accomplishment as another great idea was realized.

There was serendipity to that moment on Oct. 30 when port manager Mike Bookey came down from the office with a copy of the Port of Kingston Business Plan for Kingston to Downtown Seattle Regional Passenger-Only Ferry Service tucked under his arm and headed off to the post office to send it overnight to Olympia and the in-box of Governor Chris Gregoire.

The master plan for the port is in motion quick as a clipper speeding on air and energy across Puget Sound. The welcome plaza will be completed this month once the concrete sets and it’s spiffed up with plantings and information boards. The plan for the long-awaited kayak shed is with the county for permitting approval, anticipated to be complete by spring, and the port is positioning itself to take the lead, overseeing construction and contracting, on the South Kingston Road culvert-widening project that will allow salmon and kayakers easy access up the slough. The anemone and starfish will have new steel and concrete pilings to latch onto as work to mitigate creosote pilings in the marina moves further up on the to-do list of the port.

Design lines for a performance gazebo are getting inked in and it’s on a fast track. When complete, it will serve as center stage for North End festivities including the Fourth of July concerts, Kingston Farmers’ Market live music and perhaps even live outdoor theater and mid-week community barbecues.

The port is also looking to create research partnerships with Kingston High School to study water quality and habitat in Appletree Cove.

As these relatively short-term projects follow the lead of the gurgling water feature and begin to make headway, the port staff and commissioners at the helm are turning the bow of progress head on into the wave to bring passenger-only ferry service to Kingston again.

Passenger ferry plan bare boned but sinewy

Newly re-elected Port of Kingston Commissioner Marc Bissonnette summed up the port’s reach into taking the lead on so many projects: “We were watching things happen – now we’re making things happen.”

The 26-page business plan for passenger-only ferry service to Seattle was created not only to qualify for state funding but also at the request of Rep. Christine Rolfes and Kitsap County Commissioner Steve Bauer, who wanted something to help them in their efforts to secure additional funding.

“It’s hard for them to lobby for something that’s just an idea,” Bissonnette said. “This gives them a little backing.

“We can’t use taxpayer money from this district (to fund passenger-ferry service), it’s got to be paid for regionally.”

Riding on the swell of the $3.5 million federal grant to fund the acquisition of two 100-passenger ferries and upgrades to the existing terminal, the Port of Kingston and Kitsap Transit Public Benefit District are seeking an additional $900,000 four-year matching grant from the state’s Passenger Ferry Account to pay for operation of a bare-bones service until fare box revenues cover expenses. The grant would be a slice of the net proceeds from the sale of WSF Chinook-class vessels.

The initial expectation is to provide one morning and one evening run for 80 round-trip passengers per day. The full adult fare would be $15 roundtrip with discounts for ticket books, passes and seniors. The run to Washington State Ferries’ passenger ferry dock at Pier 50 in Seattle is 15 nautical miles. Fueling and daily maintenance would take place at the Port of Kingston.

The $3.5 million comes with strings attached and strict oversight, Bissonnette said, included as part of an agreement between the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration.

“They almost become your partner – they’re trying to be good stewards of public money and expenditures have to be vetted through them,” Bissonnette explained, but the $900,000 would go directly to the port to manage.

The port has learned more than a thing or two from the failed efforts of the Aqua Express passenger ferry service. Foremost is that the level of service initially be geared towards commuters, not tourists.

“It’s a different mindset. There’s a difference between the two types of operations,” Bissonnette said. A commuter run would not have extra crew for customer service or special amenities, as is the case with most public transit. The service does open up opportunities for tourism, and the port will look at partnering with the tribes and others to create connections across the water.

Bissonnette’s experience as Director of Marine Operations and Senior Captain with Victoria Clipper has provided the port with knowledge of unionized crew needs, maritime elements and economic vessel selection necessary for a more realistic and successful business venture.

Kingston Express, the local group of former Aqua Express commuters who organized to pursue passenger ferry service options, is still engaged in the process and contributed valuable expertise crunching numbers and providing very detailed financial cost and revenue analysis for the port’s business plan, Bissonnette said.

Though Kitsap Transit’s proposal for a taxpayer-funded countywide passenger ferry service was voted down last February, it’s still holding out on coming back with a revised plan. Bissionnette said the port isn’t opposed to forming partnerships with other public entities in the future to provide service.

To meet the port’s ridership expectations, they are looking towards underutilized opportunities with Poulsbo residents and Jefferson and Clallam counties to provide robust numbers of regular riders.

“We’re really their gateway (to Seattle) and I think we really have to accentuate that. They’re naturally more important to us than the south end of the county. You’re going to see them become more and more important.”

The hope is that a couple of vanloads of commuters will come across Hood Canal Bridge to catch the ferry from Kingston into Seattle.

He admitted that the Fall 2009 start date for passenger ferry service is “pretty ambitious” given the number of conditions that have to be met before the first boat unties to head out to the Emerald City. These include resolving the joint development agreement between Kitsap Transit and Aqua Express, and ownership of the barge and walkway currently in place that Aqua Express used. The terminal facilities on this side will need to be upgraded and the port will have to negotiate use of the passenger ferry terminal at Pier 50 in downtown Seattle with the state and WSF.

“We’re trying to do the greatest good for the most amount of people,” Bissonnette said. “We want to do it right. We have one last shot. This is it.”