By Theresa Goffredo
Herald Writer
EVERETT — They’re not quite there, but they’re close.
A citizens initiative drive to eliminate Hewitt Avenue as a site for a proposed arena for sports and concerts was 530 signatures short of the required 2,829 on Thursday.
But Michael Cox, spokesman for the initiative group Citizens for a Better Arena, said that was no problem. With more than 50 petitions yet to be turned in, reaching the necessary number is not an issue, he said.
"I’m definitely confident," Cox said.
But Thursday was the self-imposed deadline the group had set — and now has missed — to reach their signature goal. Cox set a new deadline for Dec. 28, although the final deadline to get the initiative on the ballot is Jan. 25.
"On the one hand, I’m disappointed, but I established my goals in complete ignorance of the process," Cox said. "On the other hand, I’m happy with the additional eight days."
This is the first petition drive Cox has spearheaded. As a result of lack of experience, several errors in the petition-signing process have occurred, causing several completed petitions to be worthless.
For instance, some petitions came in with signatures written on both sides of the petition. Valid petitions can have a maximum of 20 signatures on the face of the petition. And one petition was sent back to Cox with the top of the petition cut off and only the signatures remaining.
"He just sent me the signatures, thinking that was the important part," Cox said. "But that does invalidate the petition."
With the new Dec. 28 deadline, Cox hopes to go over the petitions and have them sent to the city clerk by Jan 4. Cox believes that’s enough time to allow 10 days for the clerk to validate the petitions before sending them off to the city council.
The council will have to file the initiative with Snohomish County by Jan. 25 if the issue is to appear on the March 12 ballot.
Citizens for a Better Arena began its initiative drive in late November to prevent construction of the $75 million arena at Hewitt Avenue and Broadway.
The group isn’t opposed to building the arena in Everett. They object to the placement, which will force the destruction of historic buildings in a two-block section of Hewitt, including two buildings on the city’s historic register and the Scottish Rite Temple on Oakes Avenue, which is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
City leaders believe construction of the arena, which will seat 8,000 for hockey and 10,000 for shows and concerts, will bring necessary jobs to the city in a time when the economy could use a boost. They also believe the project will help revitalize downtown.
A separate public facilities district has been established to operate the arena once its built. The project will be paid for through the sale of bonds and a state-mandated sales tax rebate.
Everett’s city attorney, Mark Soine, has a simple answer if the group fails to collect enough signatures: "The project will certainly go on."
And if the group does get enough signatures?
"A serious question to the validity of the petitions comes up," Soine said.
The city attorney said the petition might have flaws. For instance, he said copies of the ordinances referenced to in the petition should be attached to the petitions, and they’re not.
Soine also pointed to one initiative in King County that disputed the location of the Kingdome in Seattle. That initiative was thrown out by the state Supreme Court because the court decided it was too late in the game. When the initiative was filed, the site selection had been made for the Kingdome, certain properties had been bought and money had been paid to the architects, Soine said.
All of that has already occurred with the Everett arena project.
"We don’t know what we’re going to do or what the public facilities district will do, or whether a citizens group will come forward and challenge the initiative," Soine said. "A variety of things could happen. And until it starts to really unfold, we won’t know the full implications of filing."
Should a special election be held in March, it wouldn’t be cheap, costing taxpayers about $250,000, Soine said.
"It comes out of the taxpayers’ pockets, and it’s not inexpensive," he said.
You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097
or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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