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<< Previous   of   Next >> Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Gretchen Muldowney hugs her 13-year-old nephew, Payton Stevenson, who was struck by a car while trying to cross S. Lake Stevens Road, just down the road from where they live (background). Payton remains in a wheelchair after suffering a compound leg fracture. (click to enlarge) Payton Stevenson is expected to fully recover from his injuries.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 Streets around Lake Stevens risky By Bill Sheets Herald Writer LAKE STEVENS -- Payton Stevenson, 13, was hit by a car recently while crossing the street to get to one of the few sidewalks in his neighborhood. The car's left front tire ran over his lower leg and he suffered a compound fracture. He's on the mend now after the Aug. 13 accident and is expected to fully recover. The accident was his fault, he admits -- he didn't look both ways before going out into the street on his skateboard. Still, his aunt, Gretchen Muldowney, says the incident underscores the need for better traffic safety in her neighborhood south of Lake Stevens. "My kids can't get around the lake safely," she said. Many busy residential streets in and around Lake Stevens don't have sidewalks. It's a byproduct of the growth and changes in Lake Stevens and the county as a whole, officials say. "We're going from a rural to an urban standard," said Dave Ostergard, public works director for the city of Lake Stevens. While some streets without sidewalks have wide shoulders, others have none at all. Muldowney's home is on S. Lake Stevens Road near the south end of the lake in unincorporated Snohomish County. Payton and her son Jacob, 15, are allowed to go only a short distance up the street, and they must use the sidewalk -- when they can reach it. The Muldowneys also have two other children, 8 and 10. "The younger children we've never let near the road," Jim Muldowney said. The Muldowneys' friend and neighbor, Jennifer Cagle, doesn't let her three kids walk in the neighborhood at all. "I keep them far away from that road," she said. "I live a block down from Gretchen and our kids can't walk to each other. I drive everywhere. You cannot walk. On this end of the lake, there's no way you can walk." County officials acknowledge that the road is a busy one but say there isn't much money available. South Lake Stevens Road near Muldowney's home is 47th out of more than 250 projects on a list of places needing sidewalks, according to Bobann Fogard, director of the county's transportation and environmental services division. Priority for sidewalks projects include traffic volumes, whether schools are nearby, and accident history, Fogard said. Muldowney and Cagle say they'd like to see the speed limit on the street lowered from 30 to 25 mph. But the street is a collector-arterial, and the speed limit was already lowered once from 35 to 30 mph, according to Jim Bloodgood, a county traffic engineer. Lack of sidewalks has been an issue in the nearby city of Lake Stevens, where much of the city was unincorporated until recently. Still, even in the main part of the city, several areas are still lacking sidewalks, officials said. The city has applied for more than $1.8 million in grants for sidewalks, has set aside $100,000 and is prepared to tap another fund for $400,000 to match one of the grants, officials said. The grants would pay for sidewalks in the vicinity of North Middle School and Pilchuck Elementary School, near Grade Road, 22nd Street NE, 20th Street NE and 123rd Street NE, Ostergard said. The city also is assessing all of incorporated Lake Stevens to determine where sidewalks are lacking, Ostergard said. The city's long-term plans call for annexing the east and south sides of Lake Stevens. "One city around the lake" has been the rallying cry for some people. It's not certain if or when annexation will happen, but as of now, the city wouldn't have the money to build sidewalks outside city limits, city administrator Jan Berg said. "That's part of the financial puzzle," she said. The city is looking at creative ways of financing, including having property owners pitch in on improvement districts and easements, Ostergard said. If the city were to annex her area, Muldowney said she's game. She'd even be willing to take down part of her brand new fence to create room for a sidewalk on her side of the street. Until then, she'll keep driving the younger children to their friends' houses and being very selective about where she lets the older ones go. "Once in a blue moon, I've allowed Jacob to take the little one with," she said. "The only way to do it is to pray the whole time." Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out Traffic in Lake Stevens As a long time resident I can vouch for this problem. I live on a straight away between the lake and Hwy 92 and the traffic is unbelievable! I am absolutely paranoid letting my kids ride their bikes or play outside. Never mind the two men who have stopped their cars to to talk to my kids. Thank God I was outside when that happened. The speeding on my street is a constant problem even the gravel trucks go too fast. I am even in a school zone where the speed limit is 25. Heck, 2 police cars even dared going 60-70 mph the other day when the high school was on lock down. Sidewalks, yeah right it will never happen. They were talking about sidewalks back around 1988. Plus considering that there are sidewalks on my street it is the speeding and distracted drivers that seem to be the real issue. Plus the city would rather put their efforts and our money into creating ridiculous round-abouts that I know everyone just loves (sarcasm implied). People can't even cross Lundeen Pkwy to the park because of the constant stream of traffic. I guess Lake Stevens is going the way of Marysville. We need our own version of a Sarah Palin. R Jay | Sep 8, 2008 9:58 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal (No heading) I know that if Lake Stevens wanted to it could hire a off-site work crew from Monroe Reformatory. The ten man crew would be watched over by a Correctional Officer and put in side walks very cheap. I used to run a off-site crew over in Othello and that was one the first jobs that inmate labor did for the city. Virgil Sebastian | Sep 2, 2008 12:56 am | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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