Guimas ferry to be hauled out March 15–April 29; island residents urge better city coordination on parking and communications

At the start of its March 10 meeting the Anacortes City Council announced that the Guimas ferry will be hauled out and in dry dock from March 15 through April 29, during which the vehicle ferry will be out of service and passenger‑only service will follow a non‑peak schedule without reservations.

Mayor Pro Tem Moulton said Skagit Transit will provide a no‑charge, call‑in shuttle to connect passengers with the passenger ferry and provided the dispatcher number. She also noted two free ferry parking lots in Anacortes and advised attendees to watch street parking time limits.

During public comment, Guimas Island resident Alan Bush told the council that the haul‑out and other ferry projects have raised concerns in the island community and asked the city to establish a line of communication. “Guimas Island ferries being hauled out for 6 weeks coming up. And, so with that, the Guimas community is, I guess, pretty much tied to Anacortes in that, I think, there's around a thousand, passengers daily trends,” Bush said, stressing the scale of daily passenger movements and the community’s interest in coordination.

Gabe Murphy, also representing the island community, asked the city to work collaboratively to reduce downtown disruption and neighborhood parking impacts during the outage. Councilmember Walters said immediate coordination with Public Works and outreach to residents would be appropriate: he reported receiving neighborhood complaints about parking and said the county’s changed approach this year left the city less prepared. Walters recommended city staff and the Guimas community open an immediate line of communication about parking and other near‑term impacts.

Why it matters: The haul out removes a vehicle ferry for approximately six weeks, changing travel patterns and increasing parking and shuttle demand in town. City staff information about alternate parking, a Skagit Transit shuttle phone line and a reminder of time‑limited street parking were part of the council’s announcement.

The council told residents to provide contact information to the city clerk so staff can follow up. Councilmember Walters asked Public Works to coordinate short‑term parking management immediately and said the city would not yet discuss terminal improvement projects in this forum because those may require a quasi‑judicial process.

The council did not take formal action on the announcement; staff and island residents agreed to follow up.