By LEAH WEATHERSBY

When Peter Bevis brought the Kalakala back to Seattle on Nov. 6, 1998, he was greeted with a heroıs welcome that included throngs of cheering people, performing bagpipers, honking car horns and fireboats saluting the historic ferryıs return with cascading firehose-sprayed showers.

It was well-earned praise for the Fremont sculptor and his army of volunteers who spent several years working to rescue the Kalakala from a mudfill in Kodiak, Alaska, where it had been abandoned.

Launched in 1935, the Kalakala, which had been designed with the help of Boeing engineers, was once considered a futuristic marvel, with a sleek, space-age-looking curved metal body that earned it the nickname the ³Silver Slug.²

For decades until Oct. 2, 1967, when it made its final voyage as a Washington State Ferry, the Kalakala was considered a Seattle icon, much the way the Space Needle is today.

That changed when the ship was sold the next day to a company that converted it into a crab-processing boat and moved it to Alaska. It was later converted into an on-shore shrimp-processing plant before eventually getting shut down and left to rust until Bevisıs discovery of the former ferry in 1984.

While the Kalakalaıs triumphant return to Seattle might seem a satisfying end to the story, for Bevis and the other volunteers of the Kalakala Foundation, itıs more like the end of the first chapter. The foundation, of which Bevis is president, is a nonprofit group dedicated to restoring the Kalakala to its former glory.

In addition to needing to raise more funds to cover the costs of renovation and repair work, the Kalakala Foundation is faced with the challenge of finding a more suitable home for the ship ‹ and it needs to find it fast.

This past fall, the Cityıs Department of Construction and Land Use informed the Kalakala Foundation that the ferry, which is currently docked along Lake Unionıs north shore in Wallingford, is violating the law because it is sticking several feet too far into the Ship Canalıs navigational zone.

If the foundation doesnıt move the ferry to another site soon, it could start getting penalized a fine of $75 per day by the City. Fortunately for the foundation, the City has waived the fines so far, but Bevis said the fines could be implemented at any time.

The question is, where should the Kalakala be moved?

If Bevis could have his way, the ferryıs permanent home would be Pier 48, near Pioneer Square. However, he said he is unable to move it there until the City decides what it wants to do with that property. He would also prefer to repaint the Kalakala before returning it to salt water.

In the meantime, Bevis is looking at other sites along Lake Union. He said he would like to house the ferry at the Naval Reserve building on the south end of Lake Union, but so far has been hitting road blocks. He also says he has been looking at a site on Eastlake, near the Lake Union Cafe.

Sand Pointıs Magnuson Park has also been proposed as a possible home for the Kalakala, but Diane Hilmo, the parkıs project manager, said that the ferry would most likely be too large and would require deeper water than what the pier at the former Sand Point Naval Station has to offer.

³Itıs like having a gorgeous piece of sculpture and not having a big enough room,² Hilmo said. Bevis said that looking for a new site for the Kalakala has eaten up a lot of time he would prefer to spend restoring the ferry and working to raise more funds.

Eventually, once the rust has been removed from the Kalakalaıs hull and a new coat of paint has been applied, Bevis hopes to convert the ship into a floating museum which could celebrate the early 20th Centuryıs Art Deco era. Bill Vaegemast, the Kalakalaıs deck boss, said the foundation also hopes to be able to rent the boat out for special events.

Meanwhile the Kalakala still needs a safe, temporary home. Recently, the cities of Olympia and Port Angeles have both expressed interest in bringing the ferry to their respective harbors. While neither site currently seems to be workable for the Kalakala, itıs clear that other towns are willing to house this notable piece of Northwest history.

If Seattle doesnıt act fast, it may lose this important icon for a second time.

For more information, contact the Kalakala Foundation at 632-0540.