MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — At last, Mountlake Terrace city offices have a place to call their own.
After the collapse of the former city hall’s roof in July 2008, the city moved into an interim space, the second floor of the Redstone Building at 6100 219th St. SW, this July. Plans are to redevelop an area into a Civic Campus by 2015.
Over the past year, the city has used a variety of community spaces, including the Mountlake Terrace Library, Ballinger Clubhouse and Merrill Gardens Retirement Center, to hold meetings by the City Council and various boards and commissions.
To celebrate the new space, the Mountlake Terrace Interim City Hall is scheduled to be open between 5 and 6:30 tonight before the City Council meeting. Residents can visit the council chambers and office areas and ask questions of staff.
“The interim City Hall provides a professional facility that can better accommodate those who want to come and watch the council meetings,” Mayor Jerry Smith said. “In addition to safety hazards, the old council chambers did not have enough room and the audience was not able to see the presentations like they can in the new space.”
Live Internet streaming is once again available for City Council and planning commission meetings. Audio recordings are available through the Web site www.cityofmlt.com, under “most requested services” and “online public meetings.” Because of technology challenges, this service was unavailable in the various locations where meetings were held over the past year.
“The interim City Hall is a huge improvement over our previous building,” city manager John Caulfield said. “We no longer have to be concerned or worried about safety and structural deficiencies. Also, the interim facility is designed in a way that makes it as simple as possible to access city services.”
Among the improvements is the new utility-payment drop box in the parking lot of the interim space. The gray metal box is on the right side of the entrance.
The community and economic development department is now able to directly provide plot plans and answer more property questions for customers at the front counter. The upgrade was possible, in part, because the move to the new interim City Hall site provided an opportunity to improve the GIS connections and allow permit specialists to access certain property information right at the front counter.
“We hope to be in the interim space for no more than five years,” Caulfield said.
Every six months, the council will review cost estimates and economic conditions working toward constructing a new Civic Campus.
The Civic Campus, anchored by the existing library and fire station, could include a new police station, new council chambers, a new city hall, a state-of-the-art emergency operations center, a senior activity center, community recreation facilities, and an open outdoor area for a wide range of community events, including a farmers market and arts events.
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