Replacing Rosehill
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, January 22, 2002
By Janice Podsada
Herald Writer
MUKILTEO — Mukilteo residents crowded city council chambers Tuesday to hear details of alternative funding sources that would enable the city to construct a new city hall and a community center at the same time.
In December, tempers flared when tenants of the Rosehill Community Center learned city officials planned to demolish Rosehill and erect a new city hall on the site. City officials said there was enough money to build a new city hall, but construction of a community center would largely depend on budgetary leftovers.
The plan to demolish the center angered community members including Mukilteo resident Tim Eyman, who helped organize the drive to save Rosehill.
City administrator Rich Leahy presented several funding alternatives. But the bottom line, he said, is the city faces a $4 million shortfall if it undertakes construction of four city buildings, including a public works building and police station, in the planning since 1996.
According to Leahy, the estimated cost of all four buildings, including a new community center, is about $17 million. The city estimates it has $13 million in its coffers for the projects.
Leahy said voter-approved bonds could make up the difference. A voter-approved bond would add anywhere from $4 to $8 a month in property taxes on a $275,000 home, depending on the type of bond city officials put on the ballot.
Leahy said Mayor Don Doran and council members directed him on Jan. 5 to develop funding alternatives for construction of a community center.
The city apparently was moved to find funding alternatives after Rosehill’s supporters gathered momentum and signatures.
Under the city’s initial plan, Rosehill’s tenants would be displaced for an unspecified period of time, along with more than 400 children and adults who take classes at the center.
The Rosehill Community Center, which is housed in a former elementary school, is home to more than 20 for-profit schools that offer art, music, exercise and dance classes. Located in the heart of Mukilteo’s Old Town commercial district, the community center draws students from Everett, Lynnwood, unincorporated areas of Snohomish County and Mukilteo.
Its current function is in line with the Mukilteo School District’s vision of Rosehill as a continuing communitywide resource.
In 1977, the school district deeded Rosehill to the city on condition it continue to serve the school district community, which includes students and school personnel outside Mukilteo’s borders.
After Leahy’s presentation, Mukilteo resident Carol Harkins told council members that the city hasn’t made an effort to join forces with Rosehill’s tenants.
Harkins, a Rosehill tenant, urged council members to explore state funding options, including a Building for the Arts grant, which she said is available through the state.
"Let’s don’t fight," Harkins added "Let’s create a citizen’s task force and build a beautiful community center."
You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-3029 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.
