OLYMPIA — As lawmakers prepare for a much-anticipated hearing today on where to build a new branch campus, the University of Washington has made known its preference: Everett
The UW is endorsing the findings of a November report ranking Everett Station as the best suited of four finalist sites to become the home of the proposed four-year college. Consulting firm NBBJ of Seattle conducted the study.
“We think NBBJ came to the correct conclusion and we support it,” said Randy Hodgins, director of the university’s Office of State Relations on Tuesday. “This is the University of Washington’s official position.”
The $1 million study scored 27 city-owned acres off Pacific Avenue near the transit center slightly higher than 369 privately owned acres in Marysville near Smokey Point. Properties in Lake Stevens and near the Snohomish River in Everett did not come close to the other two.
Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall said he was disappointed to learn of the official UW stance.
“Their goal is to have a campus. Where it goes shouldn’t matter,” he said. “For them to step out and say, ‘This is where we want to go,’ you think, why all of a sudden now? Why not listen to the testimony?”
Kendall was referring to what will be heard this morning when the Senate Higher Education Committee holds a hearing on two bills — one backing Everett and the other steering the decision-making process in favor of Marysville.
Supporters of both sites will pack the room. Elected officials from Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties, business leaders and corporate executives from firms such as Boeing are expected to speak.
Hodgins will be one of the first. He will talk about the academic plan developed for the campus but he said he won’t take sides on the bills.
“We support the conclusions of the report. It doesn’t mean we would be reluctant to go into a different community,” Hodgins said. “If legislators decide on Marysville, we’re not going to pull out.”
Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, said she’s glad the UW is on record backing Everett Station — her choice, too — but wants to hear it herself in the hearing.
“I will ask (Hodgins) if he doesn’t volunteer it,” she said. “To me, they cannot be ambivalent. They need to be right out front with their preference. I hope it will influence my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.”
Edmonds and Everett community colleges have not taken a position on where the UW branch campus should be built.
“What we care about is affordability, access and what programs will be offered,” said Everett Community College President David Beyer.
Edmonds Community College President Jack Oharrah worries the scuffling on where to put it could scuttle the effort entirely.
“The discussion over the site distracts from what the real discussion ought to be,” he said. “It should be more about getting the right kind of program and getting it going.”
Today’s hearing could get tense if Kendall and other Marysville backers press their contention that Everett Station should be dropped from consideration because it does not meet all the criteria NBBJ used to evaluate and rank the sites.
In August, the university and state Office and Financial Management issued a list of criteria against which the proposed sites would be judged.
One of them was the property needed to be: “A minimum of 25 acres of developable, contiguous land (not including streets), with potential for future growth capacity.”
Everett Station’s 27 acres includes streets and is not contiguous because it is bisected by property owned by Sound Transit.
Kendall said unless lawmakers make a change, Everett does not have contiguous land “and it should not be considered. I’m not against the university going into Everett. I just want to be sure it meets the criteria.”
Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson said it is a “red herring” from those trying to undermine the city’s proposal.
He said while Sound Transit’s land is not counted in the acreage, the city and transit agency are talking about how to maximize use of the property to the benefit of each.
Berkey said she had not heard Marysville’s concerns.
“Any time a question is raised, it needs to be evaluated,” she said. “Is it changing my opinion today? No.”
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
Competing bills
n Senate Bill 6391 would establish the University of Washington North Sound in Everett. Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, the chairman of the higher education panel, is the author.
n Senate Bill 6352 would set criteria lawmakers use in selecting a site that effectively steers the decision to Marysville. This bill states “urban renewal” should not be a focus of the state’s investment — a swipe at Everett, which views the university as a boost to ongoing efforts to revitalize its downtown. Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, is the author of the bill.
Hearing today
Who: Senate Higher Education Committee.
What: Public hearing on SB 6391 to establish University of Washington North Sound in Everett and SB 6352 to set criteria lawmakers use for choosing a site for a new college.
When: 10 a.m. today
Listen: Live audio coverage available from TVW at www.tvw.org.
More info: To read the bills, go to www.leg.wa.gov.
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