Ferry fiasco taking a toll

PALMER — The last time it was asked to vote on the matter, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly got closer than it ever has on defaulting on the bills for its ferry.

The most recent outlay of cash for the ship, $56,223 worth of docking and other fees for the ship to cover the month of March, came before the body at its meeting Feb. 5.

“Are you telling us you won’t have it sold by March?” borough mayor Larry DeVilbiss asked Borough Manager John Moosey.

“I’m telling you it won’t be sold by March, but I’m hoping it will be sold by April,” Moosey replied.

A military prototype, the M/V Susitna was intended to operate as a ferry between Point MacKenzie and Anchorage. The borough didn’t pay anything for the vessel, but will have to repay $12 million in grants it received to build a terminal at Point MacKenzie if no service is established. Lately, the borough has been soliciting bids from qualified buyers and offering the vessel free of charge to any qualified government agency. The Susitna is insured for $60 million.

Moosey said that the borough is accepting bids to purchase the vessel through March 29 and, just last week, the state said it would take another look at possibly fitting the Susitna into its ferry system.

Assemblyman Ron Arvin, who made a point of voting against the last round of funding, again told his colleagues he would vote against it at every opportunity.

Assemblyman Warren Keogh urged caution.

“There’s not a single assemblyman sitting around the table that is happy with this asset that we have that has now turned into a liability,” he said. “I suggest that we not cut off our nose to spite our face.”

He asked Moosey if not funding the vessel would be “mildly stupid, moderately stupid or extraordinarily stupid,” but before Moosey could answer, a motion from Assemblyman Vern Halter cut off debate.

That led to a vote on the funding and the measure actually failed. Joining Arvin in voting against the ferry money were Steve Colligan, Jim Colver and Noel Woods.

But that state of affairs — the borough deciding not to pay the tab for parking its ship — was allowed to stand for less than a minute before Arvin moved to reconsider the vote.

“This has been a long time coming,” Arvin said of the vote against paying the bills. He noted that each time he has voted against it more assemblymen have joined him.

But, he said, he realized that not paying the rent wouldn’t solve problems so much as create more of them.

“I am not as interested in having any additional problems with that ferry, but this should send a clear message to the administration that the body is done dilly-dallying around,” he said.

DeVilbiss told Arvin that he sees Moosey every morning and believes he is trying to get the vessel sold.

“I can assure you the manager is working very hard on this,” DeVilbiss said.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.