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Whatcom County Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting

February 25, 2026 · Whatcom, WA
Source: Meeting minutes 2026-02-25 (PDF, 5 pp)
Retrieved April 14, 2026 from www.whatcomcounty.us ↗
Confidence: 95%
High

Attendees

✓ Janice Catrell (Committee Member)
✓ Terry Diffley (Committee Member)
✓ Thomas Philpot (Chair)
✓ Markis Dee Stidham (Committee Member)
✓ Steven Thomas (Committee Member)
✓ Ben Elenbaas (Whatcom County Council Member)
✓ Laura Frolich (Whatcom County Public Works Director)
✓ Gary Poole (Ferry Master)
✓ Atul Deshmane (Guest Speaker)
✓ Bob Anderson (Public Commenter)
✓ Present: 10/10

Decisions

#1

APPROVED

#2

APPROVED

Agenda Items

#1

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Tom Philpot at 6:05 PM.
#2

Pledge of Allegiance; Land Acknowledgment; and Moment of Silence

The committee participated in the pledge of allegiance, land acknowledgment, and moment of silence.
#3

BUSINESS MEETING

The committee discussed various business items including the agenda, minutes, and updates.
#4

6:15 UPDATES

The committee received updates from various speakers including County Council Member Ben Elenbaas, Ferry Master Gary Poole, and Public Works Director Laura Frolich.
#5

Service Alternatives Planning Work Group

The committee discussed the service alternatives planning work group and added Markis Dee Stidham to the list of posted members.
#6

Guest Speaker Atul Deshmane

The committee heard from guest speaker Atul Deshmane who discussed clean transportation and suggested an electric bus infrastructure.
#7

Open Session

The committee held an open session where public commenters including Bob Anderson and Tom Philpot discussed various topics.

Public Comments

2 speakers
Bob Anderson · Topic: Ferry funding and taxation

Bob Anderson discussed the ferry funding problem and suggested that the county should pick up some of the costs associated with the 12-week outage.

Tom Philpot · Topic: Importance of county hearing committee concerns

Tom Philpot expressed the importance of the county hearing what the committee and islanders are saying.