Mountlake Terrace civic campus bond may go to voters

Published 5:17 am Monday, May 10, 2010

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Voters could soon have a say on whether to build a new civic campus.

After receiving an update on project costs and financing options, the Mountlake Terrace City Council is expected on May 17 to consider placing a capital bond proposal on the November ballot.

A new civic campus has been the topic of study by the Mountlake Terrace City Council since the 1980s.

“What we have in front of us is an exciting opportunity,” Councilman John Zambrano said. “This is the reason I came on council, to move Mountlake Terrace into the 21st century. I think we can do it with this. I say we go in November and let the people decide.”

The old Civic Center was recently demolished after a roof collapse in July 2008 that made the facility unusable.

“The old City Hall collapsed down around us because nobody made a decision,” Mayor Pro Tem Laura Sonmore said. “We either have to continue to pay rent, or move forward on what the citizens have already told us to do for the last 20 years.”

The proposed new civic campus would retain the library and fire station, integrating community and senior activity centers, police station, emergency operations center, city offices and a civic green with a spray fountain, an ornamental garden and amphitheater connecting to Veteran’s Memorial Park. The project includes public spaces and meeting places that would offer space for year-round events including a farmers market, public safety fairs, senior activities, dance recitals, art shows, outdoor movies and concerts.

It also would incorporate sustainable design standards such as green roofs and walls and energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building techniques.

The proposed civic campus would form the heart of the new town center plan. Planners envision the campus as a catalyst and stimulus for private reinvestment in the downtown area.

Mountlake Terrace has funded civic projects through voter-approved tax levies in the past. A levy for the old Civic Center was passed in 1960; the levy for the Recreation Pavilion was passed in 1964; Evergreen Playfield’s levy was approved in 1975; and a levy for the police station and fire department equipment was approved in 1988.