On February 21, 2017 the Whatcom County Council passed Resolution #2017-012. The resolution established new level of service (LOS) goals for the Lummi Island Ferry System. The deadline to accomplish the new goals is December 31, 2026. To assist the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee and Whatcom County Public Works in meeting the deadline the County Council requested a LOS Ferry System Action Plan be developed. The Level of Service action plan was completed and approved by the Whatcom County Council on July 24, 2018.
The new Level of Service includes:
- Design and construction of a 34 car vessel that will accommodate legal loads of vehicles per the Washington State Commercial Vehicle Guide and comply with U.S. Coast Guard safety standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Design of a new vessel that will approach the goal of a carbon neutral vessel and provide flexibility for future electric conversion.
- Modifications to the terminals to improve bicycle and pedestrian loading.
- Implement remote ferry queue monitoring.
- Implement self-service ticketing.
- Begin the process to relocate the Gooseberry Point terminal.
- Design all infrastructures to accommodate the 100-year sea level rise prediction by N.O.A.A.
- The Public Works Department will establish a performance metric to monitor service performance.