Washington Island Ferry debuts new package-notification system

Rich Palzewic

Staff

August 10, 2026

DOOR COUNTY – The Washington Island Ferry Line is improving the way it communicates package deliveries with a new notification system.

President Hoyt Purinton said the system, which went live July 1, is designed to improve communication and provide faster, more reliable delivery updates for island customers.

“Customers who receive freight, packages and deliveries through the ferry line may receive text message notifications when their items are available for pickup at the ferry dock,” he said. “So far, things are going great, and we have received a lot of positive comments about the change.”

Purinton said the system is separate from the mail service provided by the United States Postal Service and is designed specifically for freight and package deliveries. 

“The new system really frees up – especially this time of year – a lot of the manual work,” he said. “We have four inbound phone lines, and often on a July day [in the past], all four of them were ringing with customer delivery notifications and all those things that happen in the compressed amount of time when you’re in Door County in the summertime.”

What to expect

Purinton said island customers can expect several things when a delivery is available for pickup:

• Text notifications from 1-888-374-7095.
• Pickup timing information and additional details when applicable.
• Fewer manual notification calls, texts and emails from island staff as the new system replaces those processes. 

“To help us provide efficient service and maintain limited storage space, we ask that customers pick up all packages within 24 hours of notification,” he said. “Be aware that unclaimed freight and packages may be subject to a storage fee or returned to sender as undeliverable after 10 business days.”

Purinton said if a customer is unable to pick up their package, arrangements should be made to have it picked up.

“Of course, we are willing to work with people, so if there are changes to your cell number or business information, people can call the office landline at 920-847-2546,” he said.

Why the change

With a growing population of year-round residents on Washington Island, Purinton said there are several reasons for implementing the change.

First and foremost, he said it was becoming more and more difficult for his staff to personally notify residents when a package was received.

With about 1,300 different contacts on the island, Purinton said something “had to give” regarding the way residents were notified.

“Before our new system, we were sending a lot of personal text messages, emails or making calls,” he said. “Although we liked that personal touch, when you need to make a minute phone call to perhaps 200-500 contacts per day, that chewed up a lot of time – something had to change.”

Though many customers now track their own packages through technology, Purinton said the new system provides an added level of communication and convenience for island residents. 

“We tested a couple of different systems,” he said. “When we would send a text or an email before this new system, some of those messages might have been thought of as spam and deleted. We found an app that essentially works around that, so we can run through our list of contacts super efficiently.”

Purinton said conversations about implementing a package notification system began about five years ago as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated e-commerce and increased the volume of deliveries.

Given how well the system fits the needs of island residents, he said it may seem surprising that it was not implemented sooner.

“Maybe it should have happened some time ago, but historically, we always did it a certain way,” he said. “Now, we found a platform that is easy to work with and could carry this out.”

Purinton said his involvement with Washington Island’s freight operations has given him firsthand insight into the challenges of managing package deliveries for island residents. 

“The first of many jobs I had on the island was dealing with freight and packages, mostly from the mainland side,” he said. “For example, in the case of UPS or another freight carrier – it was probably at some point in the ’80s – they basically showed up at our mainland dock with one or two packages and let us take care of delivering the packages.”

“Obviously,” Purinton said, it wasn’t economical for a carrier to board the ferry and come across to the island to deliver the packages themselves.

“We have received, transported and redistributed various things throughout our existence,” he said. “The logistics of moving things less than a truckload are far more convenient for common carriers. It’s a bigger time savings for them to drop whatever it is they have at our mainland port or facility, and we transport it to the island for them.” 

Purinton said the island’s new notification system currently tracks deliveries from 16 third-party and common carriers that bring packages to the mainland port.

UPS, FedEx and FedEx Ground account for the majority of those deliveries, he said. 

“With island life, we handle anything from beverage and food deliveries to grand pianos, livestock, furniture, mattresses, dog food, etc.,” he said. “We also ship out from Washington Island. Several small businesses send or ship out various things as well.”

Purinton said one example is residents who take the ferry to the mainland and travel to Green Bay for larger purchases rather than relying on the island’s freight service.

“With ferry rides and travel to Green Bay, that’s about five hours total,” he said. “This is a very necessary service – it’s a pretty critical piece to what we do to keep the community going.”

Important information

Purinton said UPS and FedEx Ground/Express provide daily manifests listing packages headed to the island’s Northport facility, allowing staff to notify customers ahead of arrival. 

“We know the carrier (UPS, FedEx, etc.) but do not know who the sender is,” he said. “In rare cases, packages appearing on our shipping manifest may be delivered to the U.S. Post Office rather than the ferry line freight dock.”

Purinton said a notification from the system simply means a package associated with your name appears on the carrier’s manifest or has been received by the ferry line.

“Please save 1-888-374-7095 in your contacts as ‘WIFL Freight’ or something similar to ensure messages are recognized and not mistaken for spam,” he said. 

Purinton said the notification messages are intended for one-way communication and should not be used for customer replies. 

“Our goal is to provide timely notifications in a speedy fashion and improve the package pickup experience for all customers,” he said.

As previously mentioned, though the ferry line’s previous approach allowed staff to maintain personal connections with island residents – something he and his team valued – Purinton said the growing volume of deliveries made that method of communication no longer feasible. 

“It simply took too much of our time,” he said. “And with more and more packages being delivered, a change was needed.”