TULALIP — The cities of Arlington and Darrington have been selected as semifinalists in a three-year, $10 million competition geared toward helping communities boost their economies.
They are among 15 semifinalists in a program that started with 138 applications from nearly 350 communities in teams of two or more. The America’s Best Communities competition spans 27 states and has a $3 million grand prize along with smaller awards along the way to help competitors continue the work required to advance.
In April, the Darrington-Arlington partnership was selected as one of 50 quarter-finalists and won $50,000 to draft a revitalization plan for the Stillaguamish Valley. The semifinalists were chosen based on their plans.
Ken Baldwin, general manager for Frontier Communications, announced the selection of Arlington and Darrington as semifinalists during a Wednesday morning event at Tulalip Resort Casino. The competition is put on by Frontier, DISH Network, CoBank and The Weather Channel.
Local leaders and staff who have been involved in the competition greeted the announcement with enthusiastic applause. Arlington Mayor Barbara Tolbert and Darrington Mayor Dan Rankin shared a hug and the group of about 30 shared a toast.
“I think the best way to describe it is that great communities don’t just happen,” Baldwin said. “They’re the result of people coming together.”
Working on a plan for the America’s Best Communities competition helped give Darrington and Arlington a sense of direction for a valley that suffered tremendous loss during the Oso mudslide in 2014, Rankin said. The slide killed 43 people and buried the main highway between Arlington and Darrington in mud and debris.
“With the partnerships and the teamwork and everything that everyone in this room brought to the table, there was no squabble,” Rankin said. “There was just direction and moving forward.”
The cities worked with Washington State University, Economic Alliance Snohomish County and leaders and staff at the county and state levels to create their plan.
As part of the plan, the cities want to establish more wireless Internet hotspots, help retailers with window displays and start a tool library where people can borrow specialty or technology tools.
Arlington and Darrington leaders also want to add more small “pocket” parks in both downtowns and host a memorial bike ride along the 27-mile Whitehorse Trail when it reopens, tentatively in March 2017, around the three-year mark since the deadly mudslide.
The final document reflects the determination and creativity of folks in the Stillaguamish Valley, said Martha Aitken with Washington State University.
“It just really shows the character of the community and the potential,” she said.
Annique Bennett, strategic tourism coordinator for Snohomish County, worked on the tourism portion of the plan. It focuses on promoting outdoor recreation and using the valley’s natural beauty to draw visitors into the communities’ downtown business districts, she said. Part of the plan includes making an inventory of outdoor recreation opportunities around the valley and mapping them in updated promotional material and social media campaigns.
The Stillaguamish Valley plan could be used as a model for other efforts, including the proposed “Sky to Sound” project in east Snohomish County, she said.
The next step in the competition is a conference in Durham, N.C., on April 26 and 27. A team will present Arlington and Darrington’s revitalization plan to a panel of judges and answer questions.
From there, eight teams are to be selected as finalists, and each gets $100,000 to start working on some of the projects and goals outlined in their plans. They have a year to accomplish as much as possible before judges evaluate their progress. The top three teams, to be selected in late 2017, will receive the big prizes: $3 million for first place, $2 million for second and $1 million for third.
“I’m so excited,” Tolbert said. “I’m ready to start the next round.”
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com
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