The Alaska Department of Transportation works hard to serve the public that uses the state’s airports and roads, but it is running at half-speed with public information about the ferry system.
Management needs to steer itself toward a more open channel of communication.
Almost a year ago, the Alaska Marine Highway System reported the Columbia could return to work this summer after being held out of service since 2019 for repairs and to save money. “Could return” as in “would return” if the state could hire enough crew to restaff the vessel.
The draft 2022 schedule, released last August, said the ship would operate May 11 through Sept. 14, with weekly sailings to Southeast from Bellingham, Washington, “pending crew availability.” State Transportation Department officials emphasized the staffing shortage at several legislative hearings in February and March, while reminding lawmakers — and the public — that the Columbia was “penciled in” for summer service.
But May 11 came and went, as did June 1, another hopeful date, but the department was silent, declining to answer the question: Will the Columbia sail this year, or has the decision been made to keep it tied up in Ketchikan, extending its inactive status at least until 2023. The Columbia is scheduled for an extensive rebuild of its controlled-pitch propeller system starting this fall.
Obviously, the answer is the ship will not cast off its bow lines and head back to work this summer. The ferry system is not taking reservations for the Columbia, a sure sign that it is not staffed up and ready for work. The state should just admit that the “penciled in” sailings have been erased and the ship will not open its car deck doors to travelers for at least another year.
Certainly, the ferry system cannot open the doors without adequate staffing. More workers have quit or retired from the ferry system than new hires have been added in the past few years. Gov. Mike Dunleavy took office in December 2018 and quickly set out to cut the Alaska Marine Highway budget, driving crew members to look for more stable employment. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and service was reduced for lack of passengers, resulting in more licensed crew members bailing out.
Hiring efforts have come up short, but how short? The state has been advertising across Alaska and nationwide, and contracted with a recruiting firm to find new employees at $5,000 per hire. But the department has not answered the questions: How many new hires have been brought onboard, and does it plan to change its efforts going forward?
The public deserves to know the status of hiring efforts, particularly if it jeopardizes the schedule this summer and fall, regardless that the Columbia is quiet.
Give the bad news to the public. They can handle it, even if they don’t like it.
-- Wrangell Sentinel
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