(Abbey Collins)

Alaska Marine Highway System hosted Winter Ferry Schedule Teleconferences with the state Department of Transportation on Monday morning. Upper Lynn Canal residents made their voices heard among about 20 callers from Southeast Alaska. A subsequent teleconference was held  for South Central and Southwestern communities.

Alaska Marine Highway System held the Winter Ferry Schedule Teleconference to receive public feedback on the system’s response to steep budget cuts.

“AMHS’ budget was reduced by $43 million,” said Deputy Commissioner Mary Siroky. She oversees the Marine Highway system for the Transportation Commissioner’s office.

“This is life altering. Or, in the case of the Alaska Marine Highway System, it’s schedule altering,” she said.

AMHS dramatically reduced winter service to operate within the dramatically reduced budget. Service to the Upper Lynn Canal would be cut to one sailing a week in early November and again from January 15 to March 1. Other coastal communities are hit even harder.

Siroki says the schedule includes as much service as possible despite necessary compromises.

“We’re going to ask Kerri to eke out more service,” Siroky said, referring to vessel scheduler Kerri Traudt.

Despite AMHS’ efforts, residents from Southeast Alaska expressed concern for commerce and community health.

“We’re gonna have medevac city comin[g] here,” warned Ellen Larsen was one of several callers from Haines. Haines has the oldest population in Alaska in terms of average age. Larsen says reduced service will force aging residents with increased medical needs to use emergency services instead of basic infrastructure.

“The planes aren’t flying dependably in the Winter and with one ferry a week–that’s a long time to wait if you have a medical issue that needs attention,” she said.

Upper Lynn Canal residents have the benefit of connection to the road system. But callers from places like Tenakee Springs and Pelican reminded AMHS staff that they rely on the ferry for commerce and basic necessities.

Dan Kennedy from Tenakee Springs says he’s pleased to have as much service as AMHS managed to offer. But he says any reduction at all has a strong adverse affect on his community.

“Right now we’ve missed two ferries with the strike and the store’s already out of eggs and cheese and milk and stuff like that. All that stuff can be flown in, but it adds a dollar a pound,” he said.

Callers punctuated their concerns with expressions of gratitude for the hard work of the ferry system despite cutbacks. There were just over a dozen comments from the Southeast region, due in part to the busy summer season. AMHS representatives assured callers that written comments pulled just as much weight. They say they’ve received and unprecedented amount of feedback by mail.

The state house passed a bill that aims to prevent system cutbacks to coastal communities by restoring $5 million in funding to ferry operations. That bill is now under consideration of the senate.