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Des Moines presses for permanent ferry service after busy 2022 pilot; city wins grants for electrification
Summary
City staff and consultants briefed the Des Moines City Council on efforts to convert a 2022 two‑month foot‑ferry pilot into permanent service, and outlined related grant awards for marina electrification and analyses to support year‑round ferries served by partners such as King County.
Des Moines City officials told the City Council on Jan. 9 they are pursuing permanent foot‑ferry service after a summer 2022 pilot that operated a 65‑passenger vessel between Des Moines Marina and Seattle.
The pilot logged what the city described as “15,000 unique visits,” high utilization on peak runs and generated demand data the city says led to $1,285,000 in grant awards that require no city match, according to Peter (last name not provided), the city’s marina activation consultant. “We know from the data collected … 70% would like to see permanent year‑round ferry service,” he told the council, noting the pilot was constrained by vessel size and crewing.
Why it matters: Council members framed the ferry work as a potential economic catalyst for downtown Des Moines — bringing regional visitors through the retail corridor — and as part of a…
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