Our Towns
Published 10:51 pm Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Arlington
Work on Smokey Point overpass
Repairs to a sewer pipe on 172nd Street NE are expected to close two lanes of westbound traffic on the 172nd Street NE overpass beginning at 6:30 p.m. today.
The City of Marysville is planning to make the repairs.
The overpass goes over I-5 at Smokey Point.
Bothell
City remembers Sept. 11 victims
The community is invited to a brief ceremony to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The ceremony is scheduled for noon Sept. 11 at the Park at Bothell Landing, 9919 NE 180th St., Bothell.
Bothell Police Department chaplains Chuck Goodwin and Bruce Ray are planning to lead the ceremony. The program is expected to include a moment of silence, a police honor guard and music.
Everett
Mobile home zone proposed
Mobile home park owners in Everett might benefit from a property tax break if they volunteer to keep their parks open for at least five years, under a new city ordinance proposed Wednesday.
Everett City Councilman Drew Nielsen, a liaison to the city planning commission, asked city staff to prepare an ordinance that would allow property owners to lock in the zoning of their mobile home parks for a period of five years.
The proposed ordinance was created in response to a flurry of mobile home park closures in Western Washington, which have displaced numerous poor and often elderly residents.
As developable land near I-5 and Highway 99 becomes scarcer and land values escalate, market demand has seen mobile home parks cleared to make way for stores, houses and condos.
Nielsen’s proposal would model itself on a similar county ordinance that was designed to preserve mobile home parks, a major source of affordable housing in the area.
Nielsen said locking in the zoning of the land likely would result in lower tax assessments, thereby dropping property tax bills.
Under the proposal, mobile home park owners would have to give residents two years’ notice before closing a park. Current state law requires a one-year notice.
The ordinance is expected to go before the planning commission and City Council in the coming months.
Nielsen is seeking re-election in November. He is being challenged by Shawna Forde, a border-security activist.
Grand Ave. Park gets fancy railing
The City Council voted Wednesday to pay Seattle artist Paul Casey $21,000 to design and build six hand-forged wrought iron railings at a new lookout being designed at Grand Avenue Park.
The 312-foot-tall ornamental railings will stretch for nearly 50 feet, where a hedge and cyclone fence were recently removed.
Earlier this month the council agreed to pay Vancouver, B.C., artist Glen Anderson $25,000 to lay a large, nautical-theme mosaic on a new plaza that will overlook Port Gardner.
Both of those projects are being paid for with money that comes from a percentage of building fees set aside for the arts.
The entire park is being primed for an additional $328,000 in improvements, including new sidewalks, flag poles, park signs, entry pillars and landscape curbing.
The improvements are expected to be completed in October.
Island County
Annual art show on Camano
The Roaming Art Show and Sale is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Camano Center, 141 N. East Camano Drive. The event features original art and painted cards by artists who painted in public places this summer.
Admission is free.
For more information and directions, call Norman Kearsley at 360-629-2572.
Lake Stevens
Teddy Bear Picnic is today
Today is the last day for the Lake Stevens Family Center’s summertime Teddy Bear Picnics.
Today’s event is scheduled for 11 a.m. at North Cove Park, behind City Hall at 1812 Main St.
Reading, activities and snacks are planned. For information, call the center at 425-397-7433.
Lynnwood
Council cancels work session
The Lynnwood City Council’s regularly scheduled work session planned for Monday has been canceled because of the Labor Day holiday.
The next City Council work session is scheduled for Sept. 17. The council holds regular business meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Work sessions, in which no votes are taken, are held on first and third Mondays.
Marysville
Higgins concert set for Friday
The Higgins are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. Friday as part of the city of Marysville’s Sounds of Summer concert series. The show takes place at Jennings Park, 6915 Armar Road.
This sibling trio blends country and Celtic harmonies. Their scheduled performance earlier this summer was canceled because of rain.
The show is sponsored by Centex Homes. For more information call 360-363-8400.
Mill Creek
Council considers a fee increase
Builders in Mill Creek may be charged higher fees to pay for road construction to accommodate additional traffic from their projects.
The City Council is planning to discuss the issue during a study session scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mill Creek City Hall, 15728 Bothell-Everett Highway.
During the work session, city officials plan to review a study that focuses on the city’s current traffic mitigation fees, and how the fees could be increased, city manager Tim Burns said.
Currently, the fee paid by builders in Mill Creek is roughly $966 per vehicle trip generated by their projects, he said.
Mukilteo
Administrator search narrows
Six finalists remain in the city of Mukilteo’s search for a new city administrator, Mayor Joe Marine said.
The City Council narrowed the list of candidates for the position during a closed-door meeting Monday.
Next, the city is planning a public meet-and-greet with the finalists for Sept. 19. The City Council will likely interview the candidates on Sept. 20, then narrow the field to three finalists soon after, Marine said.
Marine has the final say on who’s hired for the job.
The position has been open since former City Administrator Rich Leahy resigned in January. Retired public administrator Lee Walton of Bainbridge Island was hired to fill the position on an interim basis.
