I read the article about Bainbridge’s dismal sales tax revenue. One of the solutions suggested is to “entice” ferry passengers to spend money on the island.

I have been commuting for over 14 years and every tourist season, it’s the same. No matter what time of day I return to Bainbridge, numerous passengers mill around the ferry deck and terminal with blank looks on their faces. Knowing from experience what the problem is, I’ll always approach these folks and say, “Are you visiting?”

Then I hear the same questions every year, “Is there anything to do here?” “Can we find a place to eat?” “Is there shopping here?”

When visitors disembark the ferry, most don’t have any idea there’s a town on Bainbridge. I always tell them, “there’s a town up ahead and to the left.”

The Chamber of Commerce should recruit people to volunteer as hospitality hosts on the ferry and at the terminal, especially during the summer months. If the city wants visitors to spend money here, it’s going to have to make it easier for these folks to find out about Winslow.

Michael Salazar

Bainbridge Island