Our Towns

Published 9:00 pm Monday, November 14, 2005

Arlington

I-5 detours at Smokey Point

Construction work on the I-5 overpass at 172nd Avenue NE will close I-5 overnight for a few nights this week. Traffic will be detoured around the closure over offramps and onramps.

Northbound lanes will be closed from 8 tonight to 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Southbound lanes will be closed from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday.

Edmonds

City could adopt budget tonight

Edmonds elected officials will discuss and possibly adopt a proposed $66.4 million budget for 2006 today.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at the Public Safety Complex, 250 Fifth Ave. N.

Mayor Gary Haakenson has proposed a 3.6 percent increase in city property taxes to pay for police department improvements.

For more information call 425-775-2525 or go to www.ci. edmonds.wa.us and click on “City Government.”

Everett

Schools consider giant bond issue

The ballot in Everett Public Schools next February could include one giant bond issue instead of splitting the work with a capital levy.

Superintendent Carol Whitehead recommended that and other changes to the initial proposed construction package at a school board meeting last week. The board will have a study session at 5:15 p.m. today to decide what to do. They aim to approve a formal resolution at their Nov. 22 meeting.

The proposed $198.9 million bond would, among many things, build an elementary school in the south end. Together with the maintenance and operations levy, tax rates would remain about even at $4.99 per $1,000 valuation, under district estimates.

Events Center now ranks 59th

The Everett Events Center was ranked 59th in the world’s top 100 arenas for total ticket sales by Pollster magazine, beating out KeyArena and Tacoma Dome, which were ranked 75 and 81 respectively. The center sold 93,460 tickets between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2005.

The award considers tickets sold for concerts and touring shows. Home and garden shows, hockey games and other nontouring events were not counted.

Last year, the magazine named the Events Center Best New Major Concert Venue of the Year.

Delta neighbors to meet tonight

The Delta Neighborhood Organization will meet at 7 tonight at the Baker Community Center, 1401 Poplar St., Everett.

David Toyer of Barclays North Inc., developer of the Asarco smelter site, and Ross Johnson, coordinator of community development block grants, will speak.

For more information, call Dolores DeMonbrun at 425-259-1071.

Harborview group to meet tonight

The Harborview, Seahurst, Glenhaven Neighborhood Association will meet at 7 tonight at Fire Station No. 4 at the corner of Glenwood Avenue and Merrill Creek Parkway in Everett.

A representative from Snohomish County PUD will offer a demonstration on electrical safety, and there will be a discussion of 2006 mini-grant applications.

For more information, call association secretary Louise Uriu at 425-252-7327.

Island County

Master gardener to talk of compost

Don Bloom, a master recycler, composter and gardener, will discuss how to turn leaves and garden trimmings from fall cleanup into a rich, organic soil supplement at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Camano Center, 141 N. East Camano Drive.

The presentation is part of the ongoing Backyard Wildlife Habitat project on Camano Island, which now includes more than 500 homes.

For more information, call 360-387-2236 or e-mail camanobwh@yahoo.com.

Lake Stevens

Rotary begins annual bike drive

The Lake Stevens, Granite Falls Rotary Club has launched its fourth annual Bikes for Tykes campaign. The club is asking for usable, newer children’s bikes, tricycles, other riding toys or cash donations.

The club will collect bikes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Lake Stevens Haggen and Granite Falls Red Apple parking lots.

Rotary members will clean and redistribute the bikes to underprivileged children throughout the Lake Stevens and Granite Falls communities in time for Christmas.

In the last three years, the club has given more than 400 bikes and helmets to children.

For pickup, call John Morrison at Woodford Electric, 425-252-8988, or Vern Foster at Foster Press, 425-334-9317. Donations can be mailed to Lake Stevens Rotary, P.O. Box 908, Lake Stevens, WA 98258. Write “Bikes for Tikes” on the check.

Lynnwood

Agency seeks food donations

Pathways for Women YWCA is seeking nonperishable food items to fill emergency food boxes for homeless families.

Pathways for Women YWCA is a nonprofit, multi-service agency providing shelter, employment and counseling services to women, children and families in Snohomish County.

Items may be dropped off at Pathways for Women YWCA, 6027 208th St. SW, Lynnwood.

For more information, call 425-774-9843, ext. 245, or 425-258-2766, ext. 150.

Marysville

New book group begins tonight

Adults are invited to join the inaugural meeting of the Marysville Public Library’s book discussion group today.

All readers are welcome to join the discussion and share your thoughts about the book of the month. This month’s selection is “The Jane Austen Book Club” by Karen Joy Fowler.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at the library, 6120 Grove St.

Monroe

Dental service for children coming

The Washington Dental Service Foundation SmileMobile is coming to Valley General Hospital, 14701 179th Ave. SE, from Dec. 5 to 16.

The SmileMobile, a modern dental office on wheels, brings oral health services year-round to children from limited-income families. The 40-foot-long, brightly-colored mobile clinic is supported by teams of volunteer dental professionals from each community it visits.

Services range from examinations and preventive care to fillings and minor oral surgery. All services are provided at little or no cost to patients. To learn if your child qualifies for this program and to schedule an appointment, call the hospital’s community development at 360-794-1411.

Mountlake Terrace

School will host fundraiser concert

North Sound Christian School’s high school choir hosts a fundraising concert at 7 p.m. Firday at Calvary Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church, 5507 236th St. SW.

Donations will be taken for the choir’s trip next spring to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of a select choral program.

Included in the fundraising concert will be Southern gospel, choral music and blues from a trio of school-related groups.

Mukilteo

Club accepting baseball sign-ups

The Mukilteo Boys &Girls Club is accepting sign-ups for spring baseball for boys and girls in kindergarten through fifth grades.

Practices start in March and games begin in April. The cost is $50 for current members.

The Mukilteo Boys &Girls Club is located at 1134 Second St. For more information call 425-355-2773 or go to www. bgcsnoco.org/.

Snohomish

American Indian tales at library

Jill Johnson will tell American Indian tales at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Snohomish Library, 311 Maple Ave.

This special program honoring National Native American Heritage Month is sponsored by the Friends of the Snohomish Library and Sno-Isle Libraries.

For more information, call the library at 360-568-2898.

Stanwood

Online survey asks about school bond

The Stanwood-Camano School District is asking residents to complete an online survey about how the district should meet its future facilities needs.

The district is considering four options for new buildings and renovations at the high school and other sites. Voters might be presented with a construction bond proposal next year, so now is an early chance to give school officials comments.

Proposals for the bond range from $113 million to $140 million.

The survey can be found at www.stanwood.wednet.edu at a link near the bottom of the page called “Survey.”

The survey will be available through Monday. Paper copies of the survey will also be available at the district’s schools and offices.

For more information, call 360-629-1200.