By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – Clallam County and the City of Port Angeles are about to contribute additional funds to help keep the Black Ball Ferry Line afloat as it continues to lose millions of dollars due to the US/Canada border closure.
In a letter to County Commissioners, co-owner and Vice President Ryan Malane explained the effects of losing over a year and a half of business. He says the company has spent $6.2 million in reserves on continued expenses, and expects another 9.5-11.5 million dollars in additional costs before returning to profitability.
He says assuming the best-case scenario for the re-opening of the border, the company will have lost at least $40 million in revenue and expenses before returning to break-even service.
According to County Commissioner Randy Johnson, the County contributed a half million dollars of ARPA federal grant money to the company last year to help maintain employee salaries and other expenses. The federal government also allocated around $3 million for employee salaries that are still being utilized. And the state of Washington is currently working through a grant of just under $5 million dollars.
Johnson says the City of Port Angeles and the County are currently working together to come up with additional funding to help out with another expense that the company has to bear.
“The City and the County both are going together because they still have this requirement yearly, compliments of the Coast Guard, to go to drydock to make sure their boats are in good working order. And that costs a million, 250,000. So, my discussion with the other commissioners, after this letter, let’s join with the City and allocate 750,000 to the dry dock charges plus the 500,000 city has. That pays for the dry dock charges. And while they’re starting up in this very negative cash flow, we the County should allocate another $500,000 to Black Ball from County ARPA funds.”
ARPA funds are federal dollars from the American Relief Plan Act distributed to help communities during the pandemic. Clallam County was allocated about $15 million. The bulk of those funds have been used to support food banks, housing issues, small businesses and more.
The commitment from the City and County reflects the Black Ball Ferry’s importance to the region’s economy.
“And it relates to the fact that the add-on jobs that they provide in our community are almost a thousand people. So, you know, a hundred direct in Black Ball, close to it. Maybe it’s 90. And then all the other add-on jobs are very, very significant. I think of Port Angeles and Black Ball being tied together.”
The company announced earlier this month they would resume service to Victoria on November 8, and reservations are now being booked on their website at cohoferry.com.