Port of Olympia commission set to authorize sale of ferry
The Port of Olympia commission is expected to authorize the sale of a former Washington state ferry moored at the marine terminal after the owner failed to pay his debts by June 25.
The vote could happen next week or at a regularly scheduled commission meeting on July 13, spokeswoman Jennie Foglia-Jones said Thursday.
Ferry owner Greg Jones made his last payment to the port in early January, marine terminal director Len Faucher told the commission in early June. Jones tried to sell the vessel on eBay in early February, but that sale fell through.
The port later issued a notice of delinquency and seized the vessel on Feb. 25.
Jones had until June 25 to pay the port about $32,000 for “operations and labor,” Faucher said. If the debt wasn’t paid by June 25, the vessel would be considered “abandoned,” and the port commission could authorize a public sale.
Jones told Northwest Public Broadcasting that he was unaware of the abandonment and was still trying to either sell or move the ferry.
Foglia-Jones questioned Thursday how he could be unaware of the ferry’s status because the port has been in contact with his legal representation.
Jones Broadcasting LLC paid $300,000 for the 310-foot ferry in 2017. Washington State Ferries said at the time the new owner planned to use the old ferry for ferry service in the “protected waters of the southern Caribbean.”
A Port of Olympia records request shows that destination was Panama. There were other ideas, too, including using the ferry as an event center with fine dining and vendor booths in Pensacola, Florida, according to the port.
The ferry arrived at the port’s marine terminal in April 2018 where it was expected to stay only two months,
The owner wasn’t always timely with his payments to the port, but did pay the port a total of about $80,000 through early January.
This story was originally published July 3, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
