Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell announced Tuesday in Ketchikan that the state will immediately begin negotiations with the Ketchikan shipyard to design the first of at least two smaller ferries for the Alaska Marine Highway System, rather than the 350-foot ferry that had been planned.
Parnell says the $120 million budgeted for the project would not be enough to build the larger ferry in Ketchikan. He says he’s dedicated to constructing Alaska ferries in Alaska, which prompted the new plan.
The governor stopped by KRBD’s studio, and sat down with Leila Kheiry to talk about this new direction, as well as the upcoming legislative session.
That was Gov. Sean Parnell talking with KRBD’s Leila Kheiry in Ketchikan. He also announced that his budget was close to complete and would be released Dec. 14th.
Parnell warns that decreasing oil revenue for the state means less money to spend on projects. He says his budget will reflect that.
While in Ketchikan, Parnell also met with the city and borough mayors, visited students at Revilla Alternative School and spoke at a combination Rotary/Chamber of Commerce luncheon.