Hotel and ferry projects coming: Seldovia Native Association invests in infrastructure.

• Author: Kalytiak, Tracy
• Position: NATIVE BUSINESS

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A $12 million ferry project and $200,000 in upgrades for the Dimond Center Hotel are on the horizon for the Seldovia Native Association. The organization has a membership of just more than 300 and represents a mixture of Eskimos, Athabascan Indialas and Aleuts. Seldovia is located across Kachemak Bay from Homer.

KACHEMAK BAY FERRY

Passenger and vehicle ferry service from Homer to Seldovia and other nearby destinations will begin in May, said Carol Hart, director of sales and marketing for the Dimond Center Hotel.

The 100-foot-long, twin-hull catamaran is expected to provide daily runs to Homer, Halibut Cove/Peterson Point, Jakolof Bay/Tutka Bay, Seldovia and Port Graham/Nanwalek-English Bay. Other projected improvements include new concrete ferry dock ramps at Peterson Point and Jakolof Bay.

"The most daunting barrier to building a strong visitor industry in Kachemak Bay is its lack of infrastructure," the Seldovia Native Association's Web site states. "These communities have been virtually disconnected from Alaska's transportation system. Current marine highway service is extremely limited, unreliable and reaches only Seldovia."

The ferry, built in 2009, will hold two or three semi-trailers, 12 to 18 vehicles and 60 to 70 passengers.

Hart said the ferry has a full wraparound deck, onboard video-monitor entertainment, a full galley and wheelchair-accessible restrooms.

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