Snohomish County crews to get roomy new building at Cathcart Way
Published 10:57 pm Sunday, May 4, 2008
For decades, Snohomish County road crews have worked out of a cramped World War II building at Paine Field and a former blacksmith shop in Snohomish.
When it rained or snowed, mechanics had to work on the biggest rigs outside in the weather.
Sanding trucks couldn’t fill up the night before because the damp sand would freeze in the back.
After the morning roll call, dozens of road crew workers would try to get out of the door at the same time, but there weren’t enough bathrooms.
A $59 million project to fix all of the lingering challenges is now complete.
A new maintenance building at Cathcart Way and Highway 9 will soon be home to between 190 and 250 county workers. That makes it the second largest hub for county government employment outside of downtown Everett.
Road crews, brush cutters, traffic signal repair workers, mechanics and testers who make sure the concrete on new bridges and pavement is strong enough to be safe for traffic.
Mechanics will be able to work under cover, out of the weather, in huge repair bays. They’ll also be able to work swing shifts to fix broken county equipment, making it ready to be used by road and other crews the next day.
Sanding trucks will be able to park inside, out of the cold, and be ready to go when the snow piles up.
Instead of driving to special gas stations around the county, crews will be able to fuel up on-site with the county’s special B-20 biodiesel.
All together, the project spells more efficient operations and savings for taxpayers, said Steve Dickson, assistant to the county public works director.
And there’s showers and toilets for everybody.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
By the numbers
150,000 square feet
8 buildings
30 acre site
$40 million for construction
$59 million including design and land costs
250 employees
2nd largest county government location
