The new head of the state ferry system wants to meet the people who ride the ferries and get their ideas in a series of public meetings over the coming two weeks.

The meetings called by Assistant Transportation Secretary David Moseley come just as the ferry system is trying to recover from a number of setbacks caused by an aging fleet and years of underfunding.

The first meeting is Monday evening on Bainbridge Island.

"I’m looking forward to spending time in the ferry-served communities listening to what our customers have to say,” Moseley said. “I want to meet face-to-face and have constructive conversations with the people who depend on the services we provide every day."

At the top of his agenda is discussing current operational issues and the work leading up to a revised long-range plan for the ferry system stemming from the 2007 ferry financing legislation.

The long-range plan is being developed in response to the 2007 Ferry Bill, which contains specific directives to assess the efficiency and costs related to how the Washington State Ferries provides service. Studies are being conducted to devise strategies for future operations of the ferry system.

The current round of meetings will be followed in June with another series focusing on operational and pricing strategies and terminal design standards.

In October, there will be another series of public meetings to present and take comments on the revised draft long-range plan. Following these meetings, the plan will be finalized going into the 2009 legislative session.

The meeting schedule follows. All of the meetings will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with the exception of San Juan Islands at Friday Harbor, which will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. due to the sailing schedule.

- Monday, March 24 – Bainbridge Commons, 402 Brien Drive, Bainbridge Island

- Tuesday, March 25 – Kingston Yacht Club, 25915 Washington Blvd. NE, Kingston

- Wednesday, March 26 – South Colby Elementary, 3281 Banner Rd. SE, Southworth

- Thursday, March 27 – Camp Casey, Auditorium B, 1276 Engle Rd., Coupeville

- Monday, March 31 – Norm Dicks Gov. Center Meeting Room, 345 6th St., Suite 100, Bremerton

- Tuesday, April 1 – City Hall Council Chambers, 904 6th St., Anacortes

- Wednesday, April 2 – Mullis Senior Center, 589 Nash St., Friday Harbor

- Thursday, April 3 – McMurray Middle School Multi-Purpose Room, 9329 SW Cemetery Rd., Vashon Island

To read more about the meetings, click here.