Transportation Superintendent Pamela J. Belchamber is a formidable ferry and transit activist who can be justly proud of her accomplishments in creating and building the Vallejo ferry into a system that more than 5,000 people count on year-round to commute to work and countless more use for ball games, afternoon shopping, and much more.
Published: July, 2001
Transportation Superintendent Pamela J. Belchamber is a formidable ferry and transit activist who can be justly proud of her accomplishments in creating and building the Vallejo ferry into a system that more than 5,000 people count on year-round to commute to work and countless more use for ball games, afternoon shopping, and much more.
"My work for the past 20 years has been in Vallejo", says Belchamber. "I have grown with the transit service. With the events swirling around you, you just ‘catch the wave.’ I had tremendous support from Mayor Intintoli, who was here during the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 when we really plunged into ferries.
" I graduated from UC/Berkeley, and still make my home in Berkeley. At first, I was a ‘stay at home mom, working part-time for various social service agencies in Berkeley in the 1970s. Later, when I wasn’t needed as much at home, and I started listening to friends in transit who kept saying, ‘spread your wings and fly. Besides I had been involved in fund raising, and that would be an essential part of getting a transit system going.
"So, in 1980. I applied for a transit job in Vallejo. I finally got it and found myself in a learning experience to this very day. It’s been an interesting journey. We have come a long way, but we’re not done yet, and still have along way to go.
"The job involves more than the ferries; I also run the buses, the taxis, and paratransit services. But, at least for the ferry program, we now have things mostly in place. It’s been fun, and I couldn’t ask for a better job. And I really love my job, although during certain period of the year when things happen all at once, it can be challenging. But, it’s all for a good cause.
"Thanks to a lot of help from some very good people, we are succeeding. I just hope to finish this project in my lifetime!"
Martin J. Robbins is Chief of the City’s Ferry Division, serving as Marine Services Manager and reporting to Transportation Superintendent Pam Belchamber. He is a licensed mechanical engineer and oversees ferry service contractors and capital improvement programs. Before coming to Vallejo, Robbins worked briefly for the Washington State Ferries and was Principal in Charge for nearly a decade at Art Anderson Associates of Seattle, Washington. He developed the specifications for and oversaw procurement of the M/V Intintoli and M/V Mare Island. He spent eight years in the U.S. Navy, serving on the submarine U.S.S. Sand Lance and supervising submarine overhauls and renovations at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Utah.
Michael D. Setty is the owner and principal of Carquinez Associates, a transportation-consulting firm located in Vallejo. Setty has provided transit planning services for the City of Vallejo since 1985, and has authored most City Short Range Transit Plans since that time. He prepared most of the funding applications and planning documents required in the Baylink implementation process, and developed most Baylink schedules since 1997. In the early 1980’s, Mike worked at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. He also worked as a transit planner for Placer County east of Sacramento. Mike obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from California University, Chico, and a Master of Urban Planning from San Jose State University.
Captain Patrick Morgan serves as the Vessel Operations Manager, overseeing a crew of four and Blue & Gold’s Fleet Engineering for Vallejo’s Baylink Ferries. Asked to describe what he and his people do, Morgan responds "we do miracles." He is a fully licensed shipmaster who sailed the M/V Intintoli and the M/V Mare Island down the coast from Puget Sound, a rough experience for boats that were designed for the relatively calm waters of San Francisco Bay. The worst part, according to Morgan, was getting the ships safely through the rough waters of the Juan de Fuca Strait between Vancouver Island and Washington. Capt. Morgan also sailed the "Jet Cat Express" up to Washington earlier this year and will sail her back later this summer.
Molly Skow is the Blue & Gold Fleet’s Administrative Systems Manager (Blue and Gold staffs the Vallejo ferries under contract to the City). The bottom line is that when there are problems, you simply "call Molly". Skow has been with Blue & Gold since 1989 and with Baylink since 1999. She studied at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and lives in Lafayette.
Pamela Belchamber and her staff: upper left going clockwise, Patrick Morgan, Baylink Ferry Operations Manager, Belchamber, Bryan Hoffman, Port Engineer, Pam Gillam, Bus Division Manager, Marty Robbins, Marine Division Manager, and Guia Del Rosario, Bus Operations Manager
