ISLAND COUNTY: Governor chooses Florida firm over Nichols Brothers to build hybrid-electric ferries
Kira Erickson reports from Island County for the South Whidbey Record. Read the whole story.
After nearly two months of consideration, Gov. Bob Ferguson has chosen the out-of-state bidder to build new hybrid-electric vessels for Washington State Ferries.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Florida will construct the first three ferries for about $714 million. The winning bid from the Florida shipbuilder is much lower than that submitted by Whidbey’s own Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, which estimated it would cost $1.07 billion to build three hybrid-electric boats.
In a statement issued from his office earlier today, Ferguson said he believed Eastern to be the best option at a fair cost to taxpayers.
They Said It
Several local officials didn’t know that the governor made a decision until contacted by the South Whidbey Record today. State Rep. Dave Paul, a Democrat from Oak Harbor and a budget writer for the House Transportation Committee for ferries, said he would have expected to be briefed before the news came out.
He expressed mixed feelings about the decision.
“I’m excited that we are one step closer to getting more boats on the water,” Paul said, “but I’m disappointed that our local shipbuilder won’t be part of the process.”
State Sen. Ron Muzzall, a Republican from Oak Harbor, said he was criticized locally for saying in an earlier Record story that he wasn’t surprised that the Nichols Brothers bid was so much higher.
“It just costs too much to build anything in Washington State,” he said, pointing to the environmental regulations and high wages.
He doesn’t fault the governor for making the decision to go with the Florida company.
“I think they taxpayers are getting the best deal in building the new boat,” he said.
On the other hand, Island County Commissioner Janet St. Clair, a Democrat, was getting onto a ferry when she was reached by phone and simply said she was disappointed in the decision. She had been lobbying state officials to award the bid to Nichols Brothers in order to protect local jobs and help ensure the state’s rich maritime history continues.
