Construction of the second new 64-car ferry is getting underway and the Transportation Commission wants to hear ideas for names from people across the state.

Of the 23 vessels currently operating in Puget Sound, 21 have names reflecting the state’s tribal heritage. The other two are named the Rhododendron and the Evergreen State.

The Commission has established the following guidelines to assess ferry name proposals:

Names for ferries should carry statewide significance and represent our state’s image and culture.

Specifically, names should represent such things as: state adopted symbols, tribal names, names of bodies of water, geographic locations, cities, counties, or relate to nautical heritage, etc.

Consideration will be given to the consistency with existing WSF fleet names.

Names should have broad familiarity, be easy to pronounce, are non-offensive and meet ethical standards.

Names with commercial overtones or names honoring or commemorating individuals should be avoided, but will be considered upon very careful review. In these cases, the following guidelines will apply:

The individual must be deceased for at least 20 years.

They must have enduring fame and have played a significant historical role in the region and/or state.

The request for ferry name proposals will remain open until April 30th, 2010. After that time, the Transportation Commission will begin its review and public comment process. This will include input from Washington State Ferries, the Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) Executive Council, and the general public. Final selection of the name will occur at the Commission’s July 13 & 14 meeting in Olympia (exact date and time yet to be determined).

Last fall, the Commission named the first of the new Kwa-di Tabil class (64-car ferry) vessels, “Chetzemoka,” the name of a former S’Klallam Chief that was used by one of the Wood Electric ferries that operated between 1938 and 1947. The Chetzemoka will begin service in summer 2010 on the Port Townsend/Keystone route. The second 64-car ferry is expected to begin service in 2011.