<< Previous   of   Next >> For The Enterprise/SALLY WALDBURGER  (click to enlarge) An Edmonds police and firefighter survey the damage Friday, March 16, done by a car that plowed through the wall of the Edmonds Frame Design and Atelier shop. Shop owner Barbara Mercer was seriously injured but returned to work later in the year. The driver of the car was not charged in the accident. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) "It's an Edmonds Kind of Day," according to Joe Flynn's castle, 7, of Edmonds, who adds another tower to the border of his castle during a sand-sculpting contest for Edmonds Parks and Recreation, Monday, July 30, 2007 at Marina Beach in Edmonds. Flynn built the castle with his sister and two friends for the 13-and-under castle category of the contest. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) FBI agents manuever around an apartment complex where they believe a bank robber suspect is hidden, Friday, Sept. 21, 2007 at the corner of 212th Street Southwest and 72nd Avenue West in Edmonds. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Hitting the slick plastic at full speed, Julian Kodama, 8, of Edmonds, slides down a slip-and-slide during day camp activities for Edmonds Parks and Recreation, Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at Frances Anderson Center in Edmonds. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Edmonds Police officer Earl Yamane looks for unlocked doors after businesses have closed for the night, Tuesday, March 27, 2007 on the Old Milltown boardwalk in Edmonds. Yamane has been checking for unlocked doors more frequently during his late night patrol due to recent burglaries in the area. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) While participants were encouraged to slap tennis balls down the hill, friends Tatum Hopkins (left) and Megan Livingston, both 6, and of Edmonds, join most of the crowd in kicking them back up the hill, during the annual Running of the Balls, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007 on the big hill, north of Ninth Avenue on Main Street in Edmonds.

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, Copy editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

A year's worth of changes in 2007

Enterprise staff

From the weather to politics, 2007 was an eventful year. Here’s a look back at the past 12 months as the area gets ready to launch into 2008:

JANUARY

Runaway truck hits City Hall office

No one was hurt when an unmanned Toyota truck rolled a short distance down Fifth Avenue North in Edmonds shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 8, striking a plate-glass window on the ground floor of Edmonds City Hall.

The truck was parked on the west side of the street, facing south, in the 200 block of Fifth Avenue North when it started rolling down a slight grade. The parking brake had not been set, according to Edmonds Police.

The truck veered west before hitting a small tree and crossing the sidewalk on the east side of City Hall. It struck the window of an office occupied by administrative services staff member Kathleen Junglov, who was not there at the time.

After expressing relief Junglov was not at her desk, but rather in his office, administrative services director Dan Clements wryly observed, "I guess it's a case of, 'If you don't like my driving, get off the sidewalk.'"


City and residents struggle with cold

Edmonds residents used to being beeped into consciousness by their digital alarm clock awoke, instead, to quiet on Tuesday morning, Jan. 16.

The sound-deadening snow that blanketed the Puget Sound area was a sharp contrast to the windstorms that downed trees and upended garbage cans in mid-December and early January. Weather forecasters predicted the white stuff would be short lived and melt by mid-afternoon Tuesday, which turned out to be accurate.

A week's worth of wintry conditions made it official: It's been 10 years since Edmonds has seen this much ice and snow, according to Noel Miller, public works director.


Edmonds wins 'Marina of the Year'

The Port of Edmonds marina has been named Marina of the Year by Marina Dock Age magazine, a national publication dedicated to marina and boatyard management.

Chris Keuss, executive director of the Port, will accept the award on behalf of the Port at the International Marina and Boatyard Conference in Tampa, Fla., later this month. Marinas apply for the award, which is granted to the one that rates highest in environmental responsibility, customer satisfaction and commitment to employees and the community. This is the first time the Port of Edmonds has won the honor, according to Keuss.


Edmonds station pumping biodiesel

Now there is one less reason for environmentally conscious residents in south Snohomish County to claim it's hard being green.

Drivers who favor renewable domestic fuel over gasoline and regular diesel products now are able to fill their vehicles in Edmonds with biodiesel fuel.

This month a pump dispensing B20 -- a mix of 80 percent petroleum and 20 percent agriculture-based biodiesel fuel -- opened at Woodway Gas Mart, 23726 100th Ave. W. It's the only retail biodiesel outlet between the University District and Ballard in Seattle and the cities of Snohomish and Marysville, according to Kevin Kuper of alternative-fuels supplier Whole Energy of Mount Vernon.


State to buy land for new ferry site

The Washington State Ferries system is moving ahead with its plan to buy another 3.93 acres of land to accommodate the proposed relocation of the ferry terminal to the Point Edwards area just south of downtown.

The plan was shared by WSF officials at the Edmonds City Council meeting Tuesday, Jan. 23, as part of an update on the Edmonds Crossing multi-modal project.


FEBRUARY

Port signs pact to plan development

The Port of Edmonds has approved a $80,000 contract with a Tacoma investment and development company to create a plan for possible redevelopment of parts of the Edmonds waterfront.

The move is an initial step in a private/public partnership focused on mixed-use redevelopment in the underutilized Harbor Square area that could link the Edmonds waterfront with its downtown. The planning area includes property west of State Route 104, east of the railroad tracks and north of the Edmonds Marsh to Main Street.

A committee made up of representatives of port, city and private sectors have been meeting weekly since last fall to work on translating a vision for redevelopment into reality, according to Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson, spokesman for the group.

The lead partner in the project is the port, which is working with private-property owners in the Harbor Square area and the city of Edmonds on a redevelopment plan. All partners will share -- proportionate to their holdings in the area -- the cost of the work by The Stratford Company, said Haakenson.


Anglers Crossing OK'd by examiner

The 27-lot housing development in the Seaview/Perrinville neighborhoods known as Anglers Crossing has been given the go-ahead by the Edmonds Hearing Examiner.

It took Ron McConnell only three days to approve, with relatively minor and standard conditions, the planned residential development (PRD) The McNaughton Group presented to him Jan. 18. The application was for division of the property into 27 lots within a single-family residential zone (RS-8) and nine building-height variances of 1-1/2 inches to 6 inches.

The Edmonds-based developer now is moving ahead with plans to develop the approximately 5.5 acres between 80th Avenue West and Olympic View Drive at 184th Street Southwest into an eventual community of homes likely to be in the $800,000-and-up range, said Kevin Hanchett of The McNaughton Group.


Gregg asks city for $160,000 in damages

Bob Gregg, who was already taking Edmonds to court over its City Council's refusal to allow his Old Milltown renovation plan to proceed, has filed a claim with the city for monetary damages he says are related to the council's action.

The claim, according to Mayor Gary Haakenson, will be turned over to the city's insurance provider, Washington Cities Insurance Authority, for consideration.

Gregg, as Gregg Production Associates, has asked the city for $163,000 (and continuing) to cover losses he said he suffered since the council voted in December to uphold an appeal of an Architectural Design Board approval of his plan to refurbish the dilapidated shopping center in downtown Edmonds.


Downtown condo reborn a year later

It's nearly a year overdue, but move-in day for new owners of condominiums at The Gregory in downtown Edmonds looks to be March 31.

Construction crews are bustling to finish the complex at 505 Fifth Ave. S. that literally is rising from the ashes after an arson fire in December 2005 destroyed the 80-percent-finished, $5 million structure. The opening date had been set for April 2006.

Two men pleaded guilty to arson charges and are slated for sentencing in U.S. District Court Feb. 23. A teenage boy implicated in the fire also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing March 15 in Snohomish County Juvenile Court.


Logging at new high school site to begin

Those who live near Floral Hill Cemetery in Lynnwood will soon hear the buzz of saws and the rattle of logging trucks as 40 acres of forest is cut down to make way for the new Lynnwood High School, set to open in fall 2009.

Logging begins in mid-March at the site, located on North Road near 184th Street Southwest. Construction on the new building is slated for May, after trees have been cleared.


MARCH

Council steps toward new building regs

It may be the beginning of the end to a regulatory saga that started 14 years ago.

It may also be the beginning of the end the to a lawsuit that started just months ago.

City Council members on Tuesday gave their unanimous, but provisional, OK to new design guidelines and a new way to review projects under those guidelines. A final ordinance could be adopted as soon as the April 3 council meeting.

The new guidelines and process would apply only to the city's downtown and Highway 99 areas, but city planner Rob Chave said the model would eventually be used for all of Edmonds.


Term limits proposed on mayor's office

Edmonds City Councilwoman Mauri Moore wants to consider either imposing term limits for the office of mayor or changing to a city-manager form of government.

"It's a good way to ensure the city has leadership in the wings, build bench strength," Moore said Monday, March 12.

On Tuesday, March 6, Moore used the comment period at the end of the council's meeting to float the idea of change.

"(Mayor Gary Haakenson) says no one else can run the city," Moore said at the meeting. Saying the notion may be "hubris," Moore went on to say term limits would "level the playing field" on the city council.


Shop owner hurt in car crash

The owner of an Edmonds picture-framing shop, badly injured Friday, March 16, when a car smashed through the concrete wall of her workroom and struck her, remained in serious condition in Harborview Medical Center's intensive care unit as of The Enterprise deadline.

Barbara Mercer, 65, was taken to Harborview on March 16 with what responding medical personnel thought to be life-threatening injuries after a 2006 Lexus GS3 accelerated in the parking lot of the strip mall anchored by Petosa's Family Grocer and plowed through a wooden fence and the wall of her business, Edmonds Frame Design and Atelier, at 514 Fifth Ave. S. The shop is at the south end of a small strip mall occupied by several other businesses that did not suffer damage.

The car ended up fully inside the shop. It was removed by a tow truck Friday evening.


Director of port wins citizen of year award

It's only March and 2007 has already been a pretty good year for Chris Keuss.

First, the Port of Edmonds director learned his facility had earned the prestigious Marina of the Year award from Dock Age magazine.

Now, Keuss has received an award of his own, 2007 Edmonds Citizen of the Year as chosen by the Sno-King and Edmonds Senior Kiwanis clubs.


Pet trapping banned with new city law

A hackle-raising debate over changes to the city's animal-control ordinance ended Tuesday with a decision by the Edmonds City Council to outlaw pet trapping.

The amendment, written by city attorney Scott Snyder, defines "pet" as a domestic animal kept for enjoyment rather than utility. Feral cats are not included in the definition.


APRIL

Stevens Hospital co-founder dies

Dr. Olav Sola, a longtime general surgeon in the Edmonds area and co-founder of Stevens Hospital, passed away Tuesday, April 17, in Edmonds.

Sola was a former chief of medical staff for the hospital he helped found in 1962 with others in the local medical and business communities.

Sola, 87, died at Stevens surrounded by Anne Sola, his wife of 58 years, and three of his four children. He had been in declining health since sustaining injuries in a car accident in 1986, the year he retired from his surgery practice, according to his son, Rick Sola


City mourns loss of 'a good man'

Edmonds Police Chief David Stern died at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center early Wednesday morning, April 25, after suffering a brain aneurysm Tuesday afternoon.

Stern, 61, had served as chief of Edmonds police since 2001. Assistant chief Al Compaan has been named acting chief.

Stern is survived by his wife, Darlene; two adult children, Dawn and Darrin; grandchildren; and a brother.

The Edmonds City Council canceled its regular weekly meeting Tuesday night after receiving word of the chief's condition.


MAY

Final respects paid to Chief David Stern

As bagpipers played "Amazing Grace" and his radio call sign crackled over a police scanner for the last time, Edmonds Police Chief David Stern was bid farewell May 1 by the community he served for six years.

About 1,000 people filled Westgate Chapel in Edmonds on Tuesday to honor the 61-year-old chief, who died suddenly April 25 from a brain aneurysm. He had served in law enforcement nearly 40 years, joining the Edmonds force in 2001, after his retirement from the Santa Maria, Calif., Police Department.

A highly principled man committed to his profession and devoted to his family was how Stern was remembered by colleagues and loved ones during the two-hour service. Chuckles outnumbered tears as speakers shared memories of a man given to bouts of giggling over a golfing buddy's botched drive and a husband who relished a game of hiding an orphaned sock in places sure to embarrass his wife, Darlene.

The memorial service featured hundreds of uniformed law-enforcement officers, white-gloved honor guards and traditions such as a 21-bell salute. The Stern family's vehicles were escorted to the church by a motorcade, with hundreds of people lining city streets waving a final farewell, and a riderless horse with boots backward in the stirrups.

Officers from as far away as Costa Mesa and Santa Maria, Calif., attended.


New Lynnwood High School coming

A new Lynnwood High School is one step closer to being built.

The Edmonds School Board approved a $68.4 million contract with Cornerstone General Contractors Inc. of Redmond at the May 8 board meeting.

The full cost of the project is still expected to be about $90 million. About two-thirds of that cost is for construction.

Logging has wrapped up at the 40-acre site near Floral Hills Cemetery on the east side of I-5, one mile east of the existing Lynnwood High School.

The school, designed for 1,600 students, is scheduled to open in fall 2009, with substantial completion on the building in May 2009.


'It's a story about all of us'

One week after the Virginia Tech shootings that left 33 people -- including assailant Seung-Hui Cho -- dead, William Paek led a moment of silence for the victims in the citizenship class he teaches weekly at the Korean Women's Association offices in Lynnwood.

"We are very sorry for the tragedy that (families) have to suffer for a long time from now on," Paek said.

"It's a story about all of us, about our Korean origin in the United States."

That story, he said, resonates with him as a South Korean immigrant.

"We have a lot of difficulties to survive here," he said. "Most (South Koreans) came into the United States without any resources and they had to work hard."

The day after the shootings, 21st District State Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, apologized to the victims' families on behalf of the Korean American community during a private prayer meeting and in Senate chambers.


Bomb hoax halts mid-day ferries

A bomb threat that police determined to be a hoax shut down ferry service on the Edmonds-Kingston route for about five hours on Monday.

Regular ferry service on the route was halted from about 9:15 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., May 7, on the Washington State Ferries (WSF) busiest single route.

A crew member discovered a threatening note written on toilet paper in the men's restroom on the car deck, according to WSF spokeswoman Susan Harris-Huether. The discovery prompted the evacuation of 16 vehicles and five people from the ferry Spokane, she said. The crew secured the ferry to the dock before also disembarking.


Council clamps down on cats

Cats no longer will be able to roam at large in Edmonds under an amended animal-control ordinance approved by the Edmonds City Council May 15.

After a public hearing at which 30 people spoke, the council admitted being swayed by arguments that roaming cats pose health and safety problems to themselves and humans in whose yards they trespass.


Grassroots effort receives honor

Those who successfully fought against the Brightwater sewage-treatment plant being built in Edmonds have been honored at the very site they saved.

A permanent plaque acknowledging the public's effort was unveiled May 23 at a Pine Street viewpoint on Point Edwards condominium property. The location was where King County intended to build Brightwater before fierce opposition by individuals and municipalities convinced officials otherwise.

A site north of Woodinville eventually was selected for the plant. The former oil-tank farm in Edmonds was sold to the developers of Point Edwards.


JUNE

Private waterfront talks go public

A big chunk of the area near Edmonds' waterfront proposed for redevelopment is in private hands, but the public will have considerable say in its future.

That's the consensus of players in a public-private partnership called the Harbor Square Redevelopment Committee. The group meets weekly to craft a plan for developing a link between the downtown core and the waterfront that will benefit the public as well as the private property owners. A mix of commercial, residential and retail development with a liberal serving of open public areas are likely components of development principals say probably will take place in stages.

The area targeted for redevelopment is the approximately 11 acres of Port of Edmonds property known as Harbor Square and the 5-acre former Safeway site owned by Albert Dykes of Seattle. Dykes' property, considered the heart of the redevelopment area, is being leased to a variety of businesses, including the Waterfront Antique Mall and West Marine.

Also in the mix is The McNaughton Group's property northeast of the old Safeway site that contains Skipper's Restaurant, rights of way of Highway 104 and Main Street, the Department of Transportation parking lot at the northeast corner of Main Street and Highway 104 and the parking area near the railroad station.

The city is a relatively minor property holder in the area, but will have key involvement through the issuing of permits and determining zoning and planning -- including building heights -- elements.


Mrs. Mayor? Could happen in November

Dissatisfaction with the present and concern for the future are among the reasons Edmonds-area candidates gave for their decisions to run for elected office this year.

Current City Councilwoman Mauri Moore and current assistant city engineer Don Fiene have entered the race against incumbent mayor Gary Haakenson.

Adrienne Fraley-Monillas and DJ Wilson are running against each other for the council seat Moore is leaving.

Richard Marin's re-election will be contested by Steve Bernheim, and Strom Peterson will contest Dave Orvis' re-election.

Running unopposed for her second term on the council is Peggy Pritchard Olson, who is serving as council president this year.


JULY

Driver killed, truck rolled over him

A waste-disposal driver was killed when his recycling truck rolled over him around 8 a.m., Wednesday, July 11. The accident occurred in a residential area in the 9100 block of 184th Street SW in north Edmonds.

The driver was a 29-year-old Bothell resident who worked for Allied Waste Services.


Not-so-lazy days of summer

Many adults remember the euphoria of getting out of school for the summer as a kid. As parents, though, having children home all day for months may be a less-than-euphoric experience.

"Instead of just being home on the weekend, now they're home seven days a week," said Tammy Rankins, recreation coordinator for the city of Edmonds.


Trails named after longtime volunteer

In retrospect, Bruce Higgins should have known something was up.

Otherwise, the uber-volunteer at Edmonds Underwater Dive Park mused in hindsight, why would his wife suggest he buy new shoes for the July 7 reunion of park volunteers?

You can't blame Janet Higgins for wanting to spiff up her husband a tad. The avid diver, who has logged more than 20,000 volunteer hours over 30 years at the park, was honored by fellow divers and a grateful city Saturday, July 7, at Brackett's Landing with the announcement that 2 1/2 miles of park trails have been named the Bruce Higgins Underwater Trails.

Higgins, 57, was recognized during a reunion of about 75 volunteer divers and friends who converged on the park north of the Edmonds ferry dock for reminiscing, rekindling friendships and, of course, diving. The official presentation of a bronze plaque bearing the new name of the trails network was made by Mayor Gary Haakenson.


Harbor Square process launches

The 33 people who were observed surveying downtown while scribbling in oversized journals weren't engaged in child's play but seemed to be enjoying their first assignment as members of the work group advising the Harbor Square Redevelopment Committee (HSRC).

The work group -- nicknamed "WG33" -- met for the first time July 19. Their role is to assist the public and private property owners in the Harbor Square area with figuring out what the public process in redevelopment should be and determining design priorities for that work.

The main properties involved in future redevelopment are the Edmonds Shopping Center, which also is known as the Waterfront Antique Mall or former Safeway store; the Port of Edmonds' buildings collectively known as Harbor Square; the site on which the now-closed Skipper's restaurant sits; and various rights of way. Nearby commercial parking lots and the railroad tracks also will be part of the discussions.

The work group, along with committee members representing the city, port and private property owners, met again July 26.

WG33 will hold its final -- for now -- meeting Monday, July 30, to discuss design guidelines that emerged from the second meeting and will discuss the economics of redevelopment. Finally, they will break into groups to develop design concepts and share their groups' visions with all assembled.


AUGUST

Stage readying for November races

If Edmonds residents can't find a mayoral candidate to their liking in the 2007 primary election, it's not for lack of choices.

Three candidates with different skill sets, management styles and opinions on how to best direct the city's future are vying for the job. It carries with it a four-year commitment and a salary of about $100,000.

As overall manager of this city of about 40,000 people, the mayor oversees about 270 employees and manages an annual budget of around $70 million. The position is non-partisan.

Incumbent Gary Haakenson is trying for an unprecedented third term. He's being challenged by assistant city engineer Don Fiene and City Councilwoman Mauri Moore.


Diver dies despite CPR efforts

The first death in nearly two years of a scuba diver at Edmonds Underwater Park occurred Sunday, July 29, at the popular recreational site north of the Edmonds ferry dock.

James C. Sullivan, 37, of Auburn, died at Stevens Hospital, where he was taken by Edmonds Fire Department paramedics.


Gay workers' partners to get benefits

A draft ordinance currently working its way to the Edmonds City Council would extend benefits currently offered only to married city employees to gay city employees and their domestic partners as well.

The ordinance would grant gay couples with state sanctioned "domestic partnerships" the same rights as married couples for insurance purposes, as well as other benefits like bereavement leave, city lawyer Scott Snyder said.

According to Snyder, similar ordinances have been enacted in cities across Puget Sound in response to a wave of legal action brought by the national Lambda Legal Foundation, a national organization that defends the civil rights of gays and lesbians.


Yacht Club waiting for anchor tenant

The Edmonds Yacht Club's new home will have a footprint only 20 parking spaces large, but it will help secure the future of an organization on the rebound.

No designs have been created, but a location for a new clubhouse on the parking lot between Arnie's Restaurant and the Port of Edmonds administration building has been agreed upon, officials with the club and the Port said this week.

According to a feasibility study conducted by the club and presented to the Port, however, the club needs to find an anchor tenant for its new clubhouse building before it can move out of its current home beneath Anthony's Home Port Restaurant.


Waterfront efforts continue

The owners of 20 acres of prime Edmonds waterfront real estate continued their march toward redevelopment this week with two radically different announcements.

First, the property owners formalized a $144,800 contract with LMN Architects – the firm that participated in July's 33-member work group – that will keep LMN involved in a public redevelopment process through at least October.

Second, and more unexpectedly, Al Dykes, the owner of the Waterfront Antique Mall property, unveiled a design contest for community members that promises $15,000 for individuals and student groups who come up with the best redevelopment concepts.


Budget down and class sizes up

Slightly larger class sizes and a shift to a new math curriculum are three of the changes students in the Edmonds School District will see this fall because of the 2007-08 budget.

The Edmonds School Board passed the budget at its Tuesday, Aug. 14, meeting.

About $4.5 million in cuts were made from the budget.

The district cut about $1.3 million by closing teaching positions. At this point, 22 full-time equivalent teaching positions have been cut.


Boat dealer has plan for new store

Jacobsen's Marine has unveiled preliminary design plans for its new two-story, 16,000-square-foot sales office on the Edmonds waterfront.

The Ballard-based yacht dealer is hoping to move to Edmonds, and into what would become its new headquarters, by December 2008, owner Greg Jacobsen said this week.


FBI called on ferry safety issue

The day before the FBI alerted the public about two suspicious men riding Washington State Ferries, agents were alerted to two adults and a child apparently taking underwater photographs at the Edmonds ferry dock.

While the cases apparently are not linked and the FBI's Puget Sound Joint Terrorism Task Force is now calling the Aug. 19 Edmonds incident "innocuous," Edmonds police are continuing their investigation, and officials from other agencies are tight-lipped.

The individuals were using what appeared to be a homemade underwater camera, Edmonds police spokesman Sgt. Don Anderson said this week.


SEPTEMBER

Activist, supporter Don Kreiman dies

The death of one of Edmonds' most active community members left a hole this week in schools, committees and clubs across the city.

Volunteer extraordinaire Don Kreiman, 55, died Monday evening at Stevens Hospital after losing consciousness Sunday morning at his Edmonds home. Cardiac arrest due to complications from diabetes were blamed in his death, family members said Tuesday.

Kreiman was president of the Woodway Elementary PTA, a member of the mayor's transportation committee, an active Daybreaker Rotarian, and a regular participant on two Chamber of Commerce committees -- the Economic Development committee and the Downtown Merchant's Association. In 2003, he ran unsuccessfully for City Council. Professionally, he was a business consultant.


Plug and pay electric cars considered

A solitary parking meter -- charging $1.50 an hour -- could soon be a beacon in Edmonds' vast sea of free downtown parking.

A single, lonely, pay-for parking space may seem impossibly unpopular, but proponents of the meter -- which would double as Snohomish County's first public electric car charging station -- say it will be a hit.

A $5,000 proposal for the meter-turned-charging station will be presented to the City Council's community services and development services committee meeting Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Public Safety Building.

The proposal would create the charging station at a stall in the Public Safety Complex parking lot, near the entrance by Fifth Avenue and Bell Street, officials said.


Bruce Williams steps down from board

The process has begun to fill the Edmonds School Board director District 4 position left empty by Dr. Bruce Williams, who stepped down last week halfway through his term.

Williams stepped down because he had to, legally, he said. He moved outside the boundaries of the District 4 position and law requires him to leave his board position as a result. District 4 covers the Edmonds-Woodway High School area, the upper southwest part of the Edmonds School District.

His term ends in fall 2009, so the district is looking for a replacement for the next two years.


Building options reach for sky

Nothing is final, officials loudly and repeatedly stressed this week, but redevelopment plans for Edmonds' waterfront are starting to come into focus.

One sketched proposal allowing up to 85-foot, eight-story buildings on land currently zoned for only 35-foot structures is popular with the members of the waterfront redevelopment work group, an informal straw poll showed.

Fifteen of 20 committee members expressed support for that "Option C," the third of four proposals that architects offered at a Sept. 13 work group meeting.

The plan calls for a taller urban center with nearly an acre of public spaces and plazas, including two pedestrian overpasses bridging the nearby railroad tracks as connections to the waterfront.


Siblings promote Edmonds studio tour

For two Edmonds sisters, the path to the art world was long, haphazard, and uncertain.

It involved high school art classes at the old Woodway High School, sure, and a few classes at college, but it also involved long careers in the corporate world and children.

Thirty years after high school, though, both Barb Childs, now a potter, and Molly Winton, who is a wood-turner, have found callings in art.

Both sisters have home studios that will be featured in this weekend's Edmonds Art Studio Tour, which has grown dramatically in just its second year. Nearly 40 artists will be featured in 20 home studios this year, organizers said.


Campaigns piling up dollars for fall races

Edmonds is not always the sleepy town it seems.

Downtown might be quaint, and the neighborhoods might be small, but when it comes to money and politics, Edmonds is a certifiable hot spot.

In fact, according to records examined by the Enterprise this week, Edmonds' City Council race is the state's sixth most expensive, edging cities like Vancouver, with 160,800 people, and Everett, which has 101,800 residents.

Edmonds' candidates have collected $82,359.43 for the November general election, putting them just behind candidates in Mercer Island, with about $84,000, and Spokane, with about $85,000.


Bank robber slips past police

A man who robbed a bank in Edmonds last week apparently escaped from local police and the FBI about seven hours before anybody realized he was gone.

At press time, the suspect had not been identified or located. An investigation was ongoing, Edmonds police said.

Shortly after a 30- to 40-year-old black male robbed the Banner Bank on 212th Street Southwest in south Edmonds at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 21, police thought they tracked him to an apartment complex half a block away.

Within minutes, police from the Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace police departments had sealed off the Park 212 apartment complex. Officers and police cars were quickly posted all around the building with weapons drawn.

Seven hours later, though, just after 5 p.m., and after searching 24 different apartment units, Edmonds police concluded that the man had escaped.


Police nab burglary ring suspects

Edmonds police say they have jailed four equal opportunity crooks who worked South Snohomish County in early September, and sent burglary rates in Edmonds through the roof.

According to police, the group committed a string of robberies in Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Everett and unincorporated Snohomish County. The spree started when one individual was released from jail Sept. 1 and ran until the entire group was arrested Sept. 15, police said.

At least $30,000 in property was recovered from an Edmonds residence that allegedly served as the group's headquarters, officials said this week.


OCTOBER

Police veteran now in chief's spot

Edmonds has a full-blown police chief again.

Al Compaan, 51, who has served as interim police chief since April, was officially and unanimously confirmed by the Edmonds City Council Tuesday night, Oct. 2.

Hundreds of people attended the meeting to cheer and congratulate Compaan, including dozens of uniformed officers, two former mayors and at least two former Edmonds police chiefs.


Project gives graffiti the brush off

After spending months enacting legislation to punish graffiti artists, politicians and cities are starting to attack graffiti where it counts: On the canvas.

Or, more accurately, on the buildings and public spaces where graffiti has flourished.

As many as 100 volunteers are expected for a graffiti paint out Saturday, Oct. 6, behind Funtasia near 220th Street Southwest, on the border of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace.

Donated paint and supplies will be used to cover large swaths of graffiti that has lasted so long, kids are telling police they thought the area was a city-sponsored graffiti wall, officials said.


Plenty of purring at area shelters

After a summer of slow adoptions, there's no room at the inn for Edmonds' stray cats.

Both the city's official shelter and the only shelter that accepts cats directly from owners are full, officials said this week.


Waterfront planners unveil three ideas

For months, everything about Edmonds' waterfront redevelopment program has been about dreaming -- what could be, or should be, or might be.

Now, that's changing.

At two public meetings attended by well over 100 people last week, architects released three potential designs for the property and backed them with financial data. The financial figures suggested developers could spend between $250-400 million on the 20-acre redevelopment project and millions more on public amenities.

Still, the property owners urged restraint.

"At this point, these are still concepts," said Chris Keuss, director at the Port of Edmonds, and a spokesperson for the property owner group. "There is nothing written in stone."


Harbor Square may be anchor to budget

Concerns over Harbor Square had commissioners at the Port of Edmonds worried this week when the Port released a draft 2008 budget.

While the Port is projected to finish in the black in 2008, officials expect to lose more than $140,000 at the Harbor Square business park next year. That would be the worst year the Port has had at Harbor Square since it purchased the property in 2006.

Employee and management costs at Harbor Square have risen steadily since 2006. Also, maintenance and repair costs have risen approximately 40 percent since then.


Arts corridor: From idea to plan?

Fourth Avenue North, as it runs between the historic Edmonds Center for the Arts and Main Street, is a quiet residential neighborhood.

At night, it is dark. Always, its sidewalks are bumpy and uneven.

Most of that could change, as the city is planning to turn three blocks of Fourth Avenue into a linear park, dressing the area up with new landscaping, lighting and paving improvements that could see the sidewalks entirely removed.

The city recently announced a $50,000 grant from the White House's Preserve America grant program to help design a cultural corridor on Fourth Avenue.


State PDC tosses Orvis complaint

The state Public Disclosure Commission has dismissed a complaint by City Council incumbent Dave Orvis against his opponent, Strom Peterson.

In a Sept. 20 complaint to the state, Orvis alleged that Peterson's campaign finance filings were late, confusing and therefore illegal.

In the Oct. 12 dismissal letter, PDC officials said the errors were small, the filings were "in substantial compliance," and that a glitch between Peterson's accountant and the PDC's software "blocked the campaign's attempts to file reports."

Neither Peterson nor his campaign is liable, the PDC said. The agency did not assess any penalties.


NOVEMBER

Injured business owner returns

Barbara Mercer, 65, who was almost killed in March after a car smashed violently into her Edmonds business, is back.

"I am excited and I am anxious," Mercer said recently. "But, I am very much looking forward to it."

Months of remodeling have led to a full recovery for Mercer's Fifth Avenue frame shop, Edmonds Frame Design and Atelier. The place looked like a war zone after a Lexus crashed into it six months ago.

Now, with new walls, new flooring and new displays, a grand reopening ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 9.


Preferred design unveiled

A preferred design for the 20-acre waterfront redevelopment project was released Oct. 25, and it called for a series of four-, five- and six-story buildings on a property that currently allows nothing taller than 35-feet.

The project will help redefine the Edmonds' waterfront for the next 50 years, both critics and proponents acknowledge.

While property owners stressed that not even these plans were final, the preferred alternative outlines 700 condos, about 230,000 square feet of office and retail space, and nearly two acres of open public space. No cost figures were released, but a comparable plan unveiled Oct. 4 would have cost between $350-400 million to build, officials said at the time.


Third time, Mayor still charmed

Edmonds voters restated their comfort with incumbent Mayor Gary Haakenson Tuesday, electing him to a third term with a substantial 66 percent of the vote.

Challenger Mauri Moore, a councilwoman and a television producer, garnered 34 percent of the vote.


Gregg buys into waterfront project

Edmonds' waterfront redevelopment project is about to complete the Edmonds controversy trifecta.

Raising building heights? Check. Controversial developer Al Dykes? Check. Controversial developer Bob Gregg? Just about.

Gregg has reached an agreement to purchase the 1-acre old Skippers property from the McNaughton Group, officials from both companies confirmed.


Wilson gets long-sought victory

DJ Wilson, who won 55 percent of the vote in his race against Adrienne Fraley-Monillas for Edmonds' City Council, credited hard work for what appears to be his victory.

The two candidates were vying for the seat vacated by Mauri Moore, who instead ran for mayor.


Still tight, but Orvis looks to keep seat

Dave Orvis' campaign messages were simple, but clear: No tall buildings, no tall buildings, and no tall buildings.

They seem to have worked.

Orvis, who was in a statistical dead heat on election night as he defended his City Council seat from Strom Peterson, appears to have pulled ahead for good.


Bernheim bumps Marin off council

One City Council race that seemed indecisive on election night now seems clear: Steve Bernheim has defeated two-time incumbent Richard Marin.


Vote puts holes in ferry facility's move

Edmonds' ferry dock won't be on Main Street forever, officials hope, but it isn't going anywhere soon.

The city and the state have been working for almost 15 years to solve congestion and safety problems at the ferry dock by moving it away from downtown, officials said.

November's election dealt a body blow to that effort, as voters in Puget Sound defeated a Roads and Transit package that would have funded the move.


Noble, Shields re-elected to board

Edmonds School Board incumbents Pat Shields and Gary Noble had dramatic leads over their opponents as preliminary election results rolled in the night of Tuesday, Nov. 6.

With about 25 percent of votes counted, Shields had about 61 percent of the vote and his opponent Alan Weiss, retired principal of Edmonds-Woodway High School, had about 38 percent.

Incumbent Gary Noble had an even stronger lead, with about 72 percent of the vote Tuesday night. His opponent, Jon Howeiler, had about 26 percent of the vote.


PCC to feed a need in the north end

PCC Natural Markets will open its first Snohomish County store in Edmonds' Westgate neighborhood in mid-2008, officials said Nov. 19.

PCC officials finalized a long-term lease this week to take over the old Albertson's building on Edmonds Way, which was vacated in late 2005.


Black Friday bright in Edmonds

If Edmonds' retail core had one common holiday wish, it would be simple: Do not let national retail woes hit home.

Apparently, they aren't.

While reports from around the country are full of doom and gloom, nearly a dozen Edmonds retailers contacted on Black Friday said business was booming.


'Code compliant' waterfront mulled

Frustrated with private redevelopment plans for the waterfront, three members of Edmonds' City Council suggested Nov. 20 that the city should explore different, "code compliant" options.

Councilwoman Mauri Moore, whose term ends in January, said she was "eager to apply public money" to create alternatives for the site. Councilman Dave Orvis said he would "love to spend more time" on a code compliant option.

Developer Al Dykes wasn't happy with the City Council's recent "code compliant" rhetoric, he said.

"They can blow their money on whatever they want to. That is their choice. But, for the life of me, I cannot understand why they would," he said. "I can already go down there today and build what I want to -- whatever it looks like -- as long as it is code compliant."


DECEMBER

City emergency after record rainfall

Residential flooding, road washouts and minor landslides hit Edmonds Monday, after near-record rainfall drenched Puget Sound and the rest of Washington state.

Over 5.25 inches of rain fell on Edmonds between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon, helping create the worst flooding since the Holiday Blast of 1996-1997, city officials said. Well over 3 inches fell Monday morning alone.

"Swamped is kind of a funny word, but it is appropriate," Mayor Gary Haakenson said as rain continued to fall Monday. "It is a soggy mess out there."


Fiber project may pay for city

A few short months after Edmonds' broadband network was turned on, the project's potential has the city seeing dollar signs – as many as a million of them in 2008.

If the city sold fiber-optic broadband services to 30 businesses next year, the network would capture nearly $1.4 million of revenue, according to a report presented Dec. 4 by finance director Dan Clements.

"This could be about something you don't hear much about in government, and that is 'return on investment,'" Clements told the City Council on Tuesday night. "That is what we would be looking at."


New theater to open at Edmonds CC

Theater students will soon have a place to practice their art, culinary arts students will cook in a new kitchen and students earning their GED will attend their classes in a building, not a portable.

Those are just a few of the changes coming to Edmonds Community College, which is finishing or starting several building projects on campus.

Mukilteo Hall -- a 58,000-square-foot, $14.5 million four-story building -- opens in January. The hall houses an 11,000-square-foot black box theater with 200 seats.

The second building project is a renovation of Brier Hall for fall 2008. The bookstore and student union will be housed in the new building and the aging Culinary Arts kitchen and dining room will be replaced with a new one.

Finally, the college will build a residence hall on campus to hold 150 students, with construction slated to begin in spring 2008.


Democrats tap Liias for Sullivan's seat

A 26-year-old from Mukilteo named Marko Liias is upsetting a powerful, if obscure, apple-cart.

The establishment of the Democratic Party in Snohomish County had, in some sense, picked a successor to former state representative Brian Sullivan, who was elected to the County Council in November.

That successor was Darrell Chapman, 62, president of the Snohomish County Labor Council.

Brian Sullivan himself endorsed Chapman as his replacement to the 21st Legislative District, as did Mike Cooper, another incoming Snohomish County Councilman. Sullivan, Cooper and Chapman have been fixtures in local Democratic politics for years.

But endorsements come before elections, and the results from an insider's election in Everett Dec. 15 were surprising. Democratic precinct officers chose Marko Liias, 26, a one-term city councilman from Mukilteo, over both Chapman and Lynnwood City Councilman Mark Smith.


Air service resolution pulled

A County Council resolution voicing support for commercial airline traffic at Paine Field was grounded Monday before it ever achieved lift off.

Quietly -- and unexpectedly -- a resolution proposed Dec. 13 by departing County Councilman Kirke Sievers angered many before Sievers unceremoniously withdrew it at the beginning of the Dec. 17 council meeting.

The resolution's wording indicated that the county was "in principle willing to consider some level of appropriately conditioned commercial air service at Paine Field."