Hoping the Borough hopped on right boat

There are more questions than answers at this point as the Mat-Su Borough continues to partner with the Federal Transportation Administration and U.S. Navy in establishing high-speed passenger and auto ferry service between Point MacKenzie and Anchorage.

There appears to be no process for determining a landing site in Anchorage and little information can be culled on the financial commitment the Borough has made to fuel and operate the ferry, even as the design of the boat continues to change.

The “if you build it they will ride” plan may be too simplistic as the experimental vessel, called the M/V Susitna, moves forward with design and construction. Snagging the process even before it hits the water are objections from Anchorage about which part of its municipal back yard the Susitna will call home, which may kill Mat-Su’s ferry service dreams before the champagne bottle breaks.

What we know for certain is shipyard jobs were created in Ketchikan last year and by next summer our Borough will be the proud owner of a $55 million ferry that can break ice and carry tanks, or transport up to 20 vehicles and 100 people at a time between Anchorage and Point MacKenzie. But is has no place to park. There are no guarantees that anyone will use the service, nor any contracts for using the ferry to transport goods to and from the Mat-Su.

In a move that puts the dock before the ferry, a passenger terminal has been built at Point MacKenzie before its sister terminal in Anchorage could be nailed down. Now with Anchorage backing away from the project, we hope our Borough won’t be left holding the bag.

There is a tremendous potential up-side to having a large ferry connecting the Valley with Anchorage. First, the Mat-Su Borough hasn’t had to spend a dime. The Federal Transit Authority and U.S. Navy are building the boat and paid for the Port MacKenzie terminal. The Borough has agreed to fuel and operate the ferry once it’s finished. The problem is, the boat is an experimental craft and its engine size is still not determined, which, coupled with an uncertain oil market, means there’s no way the Borough can know how much of a financial commitment it has taken on to run the ferry. The Borough’s commitment is a financial leap of faith, one we hope proves fruitful.

We support sound economic development and understand why the Borough would be interested in becoming involved with the ferry project. No up-front money and a seemingly strong revenue potential are inviting. Should a solution to Anchorage’s protests about where to moor the ferry be found, the Borough needs a solid business plan about how to use the ferry. Identifying commercial customers, like North Slope oil companies and the construction industry, will be crucial for the Borough to realize the potential of this experiment.

It may not cost the Borough anything now except some staff time, but our local officials need to crunch the numbers for when the time comes to buy fuel and run the ferry. The last thing we need is to discover too late the project isn’t the buoy on which the Borough is counting.