Seniors’ wait may soon be over
Published 10:23 pm Sunday, January 27, 2008
SNOHOMISH — Human remains. Soil contamination. High bids.
Those obstacles have stalled the plan to build a new senior center in Snohomish for several years.
Supporters of the project remain optimistic. They hope that the new center will go up this year on a vacant lot on Fourth Street.
“We are seeking in-kind donations, which will reduce our out-of-pocket expenses for the project,” said Karen Charnell, executive director of the Snohomish Senior Center.
In late 2007, the city rejected bids for the construction of the new center. All the bids came higher than the center effort could afford.
In order to save expenses, the center’s members and leaders have made some changes in their plan for the new building. They still need to raise about $300,000 for the $1.2 million project, Charnell said.
The project has come a long way. The new center was originally planned on a former cemetery site along Cypress Avenue. But the city moved the project to Four Street after sites believed to have human remains were found.
The city has spent about $300,000 on the project. Charnell once called the process “a long pregnancy.”
Supporters hope that the construction will start this spring. When it’s finished, it’s expected to have a kitchen to serve hot meals and space for various activities.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Senior center timeline
1940s: The state builds a highway through a cemetery where Snohomish pioneers were buried. Not all the graves are relocated. Later, the highway route is changed, and the cemetery along Cypress Avenue is abandoned.
Early 1990s: The Snohomish Senior Center opens in a pink house at the site.
2002: A judge rules that the city must decertify the cemetery before building a new $1.2 million senior center at the site.
2005: Archaeologists find 96 locations believed to contain human remains. The city switches the project to a lot on Fourth Street.
2007: The city cleans up oil-contaminated soil and removes two underground water tanks from the Fourth Street site.
Late 2007: Bids for the center’s construction come in higher than expected, stalling the process. Meanwhile, the senior center operates at a local church for about two years.
