KINGSTON — In the midst of the hullabaloo surrounding Aqua Express’ and Kitsap Transit’s attempts to restart the Kingston-Seattle passenger ferry, an independent group has decided to dive into the deep waters of the commuting business.

They feel they’re well qualified, too, being commuters themselves.

Members of the Kingston Express Association surfaced for the first time during Wednesday’s Kingston Citizens Advisory Committee meeting, presenting another option in hopes of getting the service running again. The association is comprised of commuters who used the Aqua Express passenger ferry during its short stint in Kingston.

“We’re former riders of Aqua Express who got together to buy a ferry,” said KEA Manager Nels Sultan. “We’re in the process of getting started, and we’re looking for public input.”

Sultan added the group is branching out, making its plan public, starting with the KCAC. Reactions varied at the meeting, but concerns were voiced loudest.

“I’m concerned that this will detract the public from the Kitsap Transit plan,” said KCAC member and Aqua Express advocate Walt Elliot. “We’ll have competing resources here. I think that the focus needs to be on the Kitsap Transit plan.”

“I have a concern,” added KCAC member Marylin Olds. “These boats have always been commuter oriented. We’d sure like to have one that draws people to Kingston for fun.”

The comments did not come as a surprise, Sultan said.

“That was the first group outside of our members to hear our plan,” Sultan said, noting the mixed reaction. “There were some thumbs-up and some thumbs-down. We weren’t sure what to expect, because this was our first presentation.”

KEA’s plan, which has come to light shortly after Kitsap Transit held meetings about its passenger ferry project, provides another option for commuters to review, Sultan said. He added that KEA is recommending Kitsap Transit spread its foot ferry funding around more equally. The KEA board is hoping to create a subsidy to fund the ferry until ridership is high enough to bring in money on its own, which would take roughly five years, Sultan said.

“Almost all the money we have is grant money earmarked for Bremerton wake studies,” said Kitsap Transit Executive Director Richard Hayes, adding that if the sales tax is not approved, all of that money goes away. “If the election doesn’t go well, there will be no money for anyone. Even if we decide to hire somebody in Kingston, we’d go through the bid process. There’s no guarantee that this group will even win it.”

Despite this fact, the KEA is determined to move forward with its plan. Ridership would start at about 140 passengers roundtrip and roundtrip fare would be approximately $10, Sultan said. These numbers were based of off the Aqua Express numbers just before it shut down in October 2005.

The KEA plan also states that a ferry captain will be the only paid employee when service starts. The rest of the ferry would be staffed by volunteers until enough money is earned to hire employees — something which didn’t sit well with KCAC member Chuck Atcheson.

“Being a pastor, I’ve worked with volunteer staffs before,” Atcheson said. “They are not all that reliable.”

Elliot, on the other hand, was worried that the KEA proposal could divert support from Aqua Express and Kitsap Transit.

“This is a problem,” Elliot said. “Residents need to be focusing on the Kitsap Transit plan. This could move their attention away from that.”

“I think it will take some time for people to warm up to the idea,” Sultan said, adding that the KEA and the Kitsap Transit plans were unveiled so close to one another due to the Legislature’s schedule for such proposals. He said that it is illegal to apply for a passenger ferry license after a certain date.

Sultan also said that he does not believe the Kitsap Transit plan and sales tax will pass, judging from previous, similar plans.

“It’s less than 50/50 based on the 2003 election,” he said.

The KEA claims it could be a possibility if the Kitsap Transit plan were to fail, Sultan said, but added that the group would cease its efforts should the Kitsap Transit proposal pass.

Hayes, however, asserted that if the election fails, there won’t be any money for any passenger ferry efforts.