February 07, 2022
Monday PM

In efforts to move thousands of people daily from the north end to the city center I hope that you would take a moment to consider those who actually reside in the area. The continued noise, traffic congestion and road degradation are just the tip of a bad plan. School bus schedules as well as those commuting daily for local jobs will most likely be delayed by the parade of tourists who have no idea as to the local concerns for their brief excursion to the city center.

In observing those who disembark and later return to these floating cities their time table is limited for actually spending time in Ketchikan. The float plane services as well as charter fishing schedules will not coincide with the tourists who come to enjoy the salmon capital of the world. Please take a moment to walk through the actual time table for a tourist. How long does it take to get on and off the ship...how long does the line last to get on a bus... how long does a line of buses take to get back and forth to  the city center... and not just the time table of a bus driving but the trip itself with real folks using the only road going north and south. Has anyone thought of the path of an emergency vehicle trying to get through the bus blockage to actually save lives?

Ketchikan is a prized tourism location. How prized will it become when the reality of visiting the city reveals itself? What Ketchikan does not need is bad press. Tourists will opt to stay on the ship as it is too hard and too inconvenient to get to the city center or not able to fish or fly.

I realize that Ketchikan has pretty well painted herself in a corner and needs the tourism business but not at the continued expense of local residents. Please consider the locals in what you do for the island.

Respectfully,

Lisa Ferretti
Ketchikan, Alaska

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Received January 31, 2022 - Published January 07, 2022

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