MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Banning the sale of bottled water at public places in Mountlake Terrace won’t solve the world’s environmental woes.
But it’s a start, city officials say.
Mountlake Terrace leaders are working on a new sustainability ordinance with the goal of making the city more environmentally friendly, Mayor Pro Tem Laura Sonmore said.
“It’s one of those things that’s in our face more than ever, and it’s really time for us to be responsible and think years out to protect our environment for the long run,” Sonmore said.
Among the new rules under consideration, the city might bar bottled water from being sold at parks and public buildings. The new ordinance might also prohibit city employees from idling their car engines for extended periods while driving city-owned vehicles.
Phasing hybrid or fuel-efficient vehicles into the city’s fleet, acquiring more park space and promoting environmentally friendly building codes might also be part of the new plan, Mountlake Terrace Planning and Community Development Director Shane Hope said.
A public hearing to review a draft of the ordinance is scheduled Aug. 4.
City officials hope to have the sustainability ordinance finished in time to guide the redevelopment of Mountlake Terrace’s downtown core.
“Looking at what can we do as an organization, as a city government, what can we do to set good examples and to do the right thing?” Hope said. “We also are looking at what can we do to encourage others in the community to be as environmentally sound as possible.”
Mountlake Terrace isn’t the first city in south Snohomish County to lean green.
Mukilteo and Edmonds city council members have discussed anti-idling ordinances. However, neither city pursued the idea because enforcing the rules would have been too difficult, officials from the cities said.
Also, Mukilteo’s new City Hall, under construction on the corner of Cyrus Way and Harbour Pointe Boulevard, is expected to be among the most environmentally friendly public buildings in Snohomish County when work is finished in early 2009.
A grass-covered roof, geothermal heating and natural lighting are among the features being incorporated into the $6.9 million building.
Mukilteo City Councilman Kevin Stoltz applauds the efforts in Mountlake Terrace to make sustainability a priority.
“As long as you’re consistent, it’s great to set the example,” said Stoltz, who had supported the idea for an anti-idling ordinance in Mukilteo. “But if you’re going to do things where you set the positive example in one case but do the opposite in another, then I’m not sure what kind of a message we’re sending when we do that.”
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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