Continue to Save the 1935 MV Kalakala "World's First Streamline Ferry"

To all 515 individuals that have signed the petition starting October 28, 2008 and up to September 4, 2009 we extend our appreciation and want to thank you. But, we must continue to save the Kalakala and sustain preservation efforts by continuing to seek 1000's of signatures. If we can not get 1000's of signatures our public officials will never have the pressures needed for them to listen. The lack of protective and funding policies have caused all past Kalakala preservation efforts to fail. The State's ferry system mismanagements, power, and lack of financial accountabilities and historic protection responsibilities have caused much Kalakala sufferings. It is time for the State to face the historic facts. And, we must speak up and protect the Kalakala's rights of preservation, and we must find ways to obtain sufficient petition signatures and funding to stop the State from continued past practices. The Kalakala was a bright symbol of hope during the 1930's Great Depression, and she still is the same Kalakala which exemplifies the same symbol of hope within a new century. It is time for the State to see and help save her and her history. We must not give up privately on trying to achieve a private and public partnership to save the Kalakala.

For those of you that have taken the time to read this petition please sign this petition, find others to sign also, and help us support our private and public efforts that should have been done since 1967 (over 42 years ago). The Kalakala Alliance Foundation will speak up during the 2010 State of Washington legislative session. We will change our public officials future governing practices and old ferry sales and resuse policies. Most of all we will ask them to support funding that will save the Kalakala.

We will state that it is time to stop the State management policies and power and control of how our past fleet has been retired, scrapped, and never allowed to be reused within our future ferry system as community, tourism and State heritage resource assets.

Once we obtain 1000's of signatures, together, we can help change State policies and management practices. And, we can save the Kalakala instead of suffering another significant national maritime cultural & heritage loss. The Kalakala is seriously being endangered, and time is of the esscence before she becomes another State and National maritime disaster if physically lost forever.

Please join our signature list and sign this petition before it is too late.

We, the undersigned, call on the State of Washington to stop their past policies and management practices related to ferry vessels ebay auction sales( used as competitive bidding and mis-management practices) and our physical maritime heritage & cultural losses. These vessels can have life after being used only as ferries.

We believe that the State should stop retiring, auctioning, and losing all our significant maritime ferry system history. We believe that these ferries are and have been immeasureable tangible and physical historic ferry, cultural, and community losses. Today, the 4 Steel Electric ferries (Quinault, Nisqually, ILLahee, and Klickatat) were sold for a total of $200,000 to a for profit company from Mexico. But, they had a remaining interest and depreciation exceeding $45 million of book value that our nations tax payers must pay off over time ending December 31, 2014. We feel that not allowing our non-profit an opportunity to purchase and reuse historic ferries is unlawful, unfair, and simply not the right thing to do as a State or Nation as we have already wasted their financial assets and potential resources but decades of heritage & cultural losses that can never be recovered or shared within future generations.

We the undersigned know that the State retired, sold, and scrapped all past historic ferries without the best interests or the best return on the citizens/tax payers investments. We also understand that today the Kalakala is now the last remaining physical asset of our original ferry fleet that represents our State's only significant ferry system history, culture, and heritage known as the Black Ball Line. And, we know that the Kalakala represents more than monetary values as she can still be reused to serve her State and communities as one of the most valued historic maritime treasures in the history of all of Puget Sound. We know that she also represents our forefathers ferry system gifts to our State on June 1, 1951.

We know that the State had an opportunity to save at least one of the Steel Electrics but forced the sale instead resulting in scrapping them instead of preservation and reuse efforts that would have helped reduce costs to save the Kalakala. We also know that the State has proven to have never given back even a penny to preserve any of our Kalakala and original fleet's physical history, heritage, or culture since 1951.

We know it is time for the State to stop and to change ferry heritage governing policies and mismanagement practices. We know it is time to fund the Kalakala and give back to her via sponsoring and funding a private and public partnership. We know that we have lost all our ferry heritage physical evidences except the Kalakala and, that she deserves to be preserved back to her glory. We know that the Kalakala is floating on Puget Sound and time and safety is a critical issue. We know that saving the Kalakala has now become a state of emergency.

We know that it is time for the State to change, plan future ferry system reuses after old ferries are retired. It is time for the State to accountability and responsibility for our past losses. And, it is time for the State to provide a new future direction to support the Kalakala preservation policies that are planned to preserve and protect the last of our original Puget Sound Navigation Company ferry fleet( known as the Kalakala). And, it is time for the State to sponsor the Kalakala for future TEA-21, Capital Earmarks, and other State and local preservation funding efforts.

Please sign this petition today and help us make a difference in saving our maritime history and the Kalakala! Thank you.