Committee to shape new Rosehill

Published 10:17 pm Sunday, May 4, 2008

MUKILTEO — The task of helping to shape the replacement for the Rosehill Community Center likely will fall on the shoulders of more than a dozen city officials, local residents and community group members.

The Mukilteo City Council is scheduled to vote today whether to confirm 15 people to the Community Center Design Assistance Committee, which will work with architects to plan the design of the city’s new community center.

The council meeting is 7 p.m. at City Hall at 4480 Chennault Beach Road.

“They have an interesting task,” Mukilteo City Councilman Jennifer Gregerson said. “Now that we’re looking at a new building, there are opportunities to be creative in what kind of design style we choose.”

The City Council voted in March to tear down Rosehill, a former school built in 1928 after the original school on the site burned down.

Most of the potential committee members were on the same committee that gathered information for the council’s vote on whether to renovate or replace the aging community center.

Some of the committee members would include Mayor Joe Marine, City Councilman Richard Emery, Kathy Wisbeck of Friends of the Community Center, Mukilteo resident Fred Baxter and Bernie Busch of the Mukilteo Senior Association.

“I think it’s a good gathering,” Gregerson said. “We’ve got a good representation of user groups and people who live throughout the city who will use the building in different ways.”

Once the committee gets to work, city officials hope to have a design plan within six months.

“That will provide the committee time to have a few meetings and get feedback from the council,” Gregerson said. “Then we can hopefully just go ahead with construction.”

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.