Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Vessel Design topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kitsap Transit approves $695,000 change order to redesign ferry from electric to hybrid
Summary
Board approved Change Order 7 to Glouston Inc. to redesign a planned passenger vessel from all-electric to a plug-in hybrid configuration, increasing the design contract to $2,435,468; members expressed disappointment and asked for further checks with federal guidance before proceeding.
Kitsap Transit’s Board on June 2 approved a $695,000 change order with Glouston Inc. to redesign a planned passenger vessel from an all-electric propulsion system to a hybrid configuration, citing evolving federal guidance and grant conditions.
Director Claussen said the agency reached out to Glouston—the original naval architect for the vessel—because they are best positioned to update the design. "We're kind of wrestling with we have a design of a bridal, the original Waterman, and now we have this new design...which makes the most sense?" Claussen said, describing internal reviews to determine whether to modify the original design or the newer one.
Board reaction was mixed. Commissioner Waltz said she was "so excited about an all electric boat" and called the change personally disappointing; another board member asked whether recent federal legal developments might change the agency's course, and staff said they would re-check with federal lobbyists and the Federal Transit Administration before fully executing design changes. Council member Revoloski pressed the board on the size of the change-order increase, noting the change order was more than 25% of the original design price and asked for assurance the scope matched the cost.
The motion to adopt Resolution 2635 authorized staff to approve Change Order 7 to Glouston Inc. for additional design services in the amount of $695,000, increasing the total contract to $2,435,468. The board approved the motion by voice vote; several members recorded their votes as "reluctant." Claussen said the redesign will aim for a plug-in hybrid approach so, once electrical service is available at both ends of the route, the vessel could operate largely on electricity.
Next steps: Staff will complete internal design comparisons, reconfirm federal guidance with the agency's lobbyists and the Federal Transit Administration, and proceed with the redesign work with Glouston if consistent with funder requirements.
