Possible changes are looming.
A government announcement for a replacement ferry for upper Arrow Lakes is in the works and this may require some changes to be made to the structure of the Francois Lake ferry service.
John Harding, owner and operator of Waterbridge Equipment Inc. said to Lakes District News last week that he is not sure of what the changes will entail as of yet, other than the fact that a request for qualifications (RFQ) is going to be released this week.
A news release issued by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure states that the province will issue the RFQ to begin the process of replacing two aging ferries that have serviced the Arrow Lakes region for more than 40 years.
The two aging vessels will be replaced with one ferry.
Jeff Knight, the government communications and public engagement representative from the ministry explained the possibilities to Lakes District News.
He said that because the two existing ferries on the Upper Arrow Lakes route are 43 years old and reaching the end of their service life a replacement needs to be sourced.
"Vessels on the Upper Arrow Lakes will be replaced and that may impact the ferry for Francois Lake," he said.
According to Knight, three options are currently being explored by the ministry but only one of the options [option C] impacts the Francois Lake route.
The options presented are as follows: option A: That a new vessel be designed and constructed for the Upper Arrow Lake route. Option B: that the Omineca Princess be relocated from Francois Lake and modified to serve the Upper Arrow Lake route, or option C: the Omineca Princess will be rebuilt and modified to replace the Francois Forester as the main service vessel on the Francois Lake route. The Francois Forester would then be relocated from Francois Lake to Upper Arrow Lake and modified.
"Which ever option is chosen, the existing service at Francois Lake will not be affected by this project," Knight said.
According to Knight, if option C is chosen, the ferry service will be uninterrupted and will remain a high quality service. "The Omineca Princess would be expanded to carry 46 auto equivalents; comparable to the carrying capacity of the Francois Forester," he said. The size of the ferry has been determined by the size of the community it serves. It also ensures adequate industrial capacity for future community growth," he said
Knight said the Omineca Princess would have a 25 year minimum life span once rebuilt and put in service.
The RFQ will be released in early July and is expected to be open for six weeks. Up to three respondents to the RFQ will be short listed to the second stage, which is the request for proposal.
It is expected the final decision will be made by the end of 2011 to have the new vessel ready in 2014.
Harding said he doesn't know much more about the initiative until he has a chance to view the RFQ. "We found out at the same time as everyone else did," he said.
Knight said that Waterbridge Equipment Inc. will not be given any decision making power over the possible options presented as the ferries are provincial assets.
Waterbridge Equipment Inc. has operated the Francois Lake ferry service since 2003, when Harding bid on a contract tendered by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to assume operation of the ferry system on the 1.5 mile run across Francois Lake. The 2003 contract was valued at more than $14 million.
The Francois Forester was built by Waterbridge Equipment Inc. and is a 220-foot (67.06 metre) ferry that was launched in October 2004.
The Francois Forester provides space for at least eight logging trucks, 20 other vehicles,145 passengers and five crew members, doubling the capacity of the previously retired Omineca Princess.
The ferry is an essential service to both the local forestry and tourism sectors as well as to the many local residents that use the ferry each day.