Ferry service resumes after glitches are found
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August 27, 2015
The ferry "Oscar B." resumed service Wednesday morning instead of being closed all week.
That's the good news. The bad news is that the contractor will have to return once design and fabrication issues are settled.
On Monday, an inspector noted that the ramp extension which the contractor had planned to weld on site needed to be fabricated in a shop for highest quality welding.
Workers from Legacy Contracting, Inc., also noted that, because of the design, only a small portion of the extension, which is supposed to distribute weight and improve vehicle passage, would touch the ferry deck, instead of the larger portion originally intended.
The contractor will do the fabrication in a shop, and Wahkiakum County will contact the designer of the ferry to discuss the contact issue. Once the issues are resolved, the ferry will be shut down again so the extension can be attached.
"On Monday afternoon, things went downhill really fast," said Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen. "It is a very critical weld.
"I hate this. It doesn't serve the public; it harms our credibility, but it's got to be done right."
Commissioners Dan Cothren and Mike Backman--Commissioner Blair Brady was absent--agreed the problems needed to be corrected.
"We don't need the liability down the road," Cothren said. "It's a setback, but we want to do it right."
Ringen said Legacy would return the existing ramp to operating condition so that the ferry could resume service Wednesday. He added he has already contacted the designers about the design problems.
Chris Rau of Legacy said his crew would take the extension to their shop to make the critical weld.
Commissioner Backman asked who was responsible for the errors.
"This is one of those situations where people like to point fingers," Ringen said. "I'll take the blame."
There were some gaps in communication, Ringen said, and measurements were off.
"I don't know why we're off that much," he said. "I have my suspicions, but I don't know."
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