Name: Whatcom County Ferry Advisory Committee Meeting
Start: 2026-03-25
Location: Whatcom

Attendees

✓ Rhayma Blake (Member)

✓ Janice Catrell (Member)

✓ Terry Diffley (Member)

✓ Thomas Philpot (Chair)

✓ Markis Dee Stidham (Member)

✓ Steven Thomas (Member)

✓ Ben Elenbaas (Whatcom County Council Member)

✓ Barry Buchanan (Whatcom County Council Member)

✓ Laura Frolich (Whatcom County Public Works Director)

✓ Gary Poole (Ferry Master)

✓ James Lee (Whatcom County Engineering Manager)

✓ Kelly Lesoing (kpff Associate Planner)

✓ Present: 12/12

Decisions

#1

UNANIMOUS CONSENT

#1

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

#2

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

#3

The committee discussed various business items including the agenda and minutes

#4

The committee received updates from various members and guests

4 speakers

Michael Lish · Topic: Ferry service and fire department needs

The speaker discussed the importance of addressing the fire department's needs during ferry outages

Ralph Steele · Topic: Ferry funding and taxation

The speaker raised concerns about the ferry funding and taxation and requested action from the County Council

Pam Gould · Topic: Ferry county code updates

The speaker asked about the last update to the ferry county code and the potential for future updates

Wendi Merritt · Topic: Ferry funds and state legislation

The speaker asked about the potential use of ferry funds and the impact of state legislation on ferry funding