SNOHOMISH — Bonnie Carrick and her neighbors want the city to fix Holly Vista Drive, where she has lived since 1956.
But Carrick knows the city doesn’t have much money.
Indeed, the city doesn’t have enough money to pay for every residential road project after allocating its tight budget for fixing major streets such as Avenue D and Second Street, Mayor Liz Loomis said.
Facing the dilemma, Loomis suggested a new program.
The city created the Pavement-Sidewalk Partnership in which the city and homeowners split the cost of paving residential streets and building sidewalks, Loomis said.
The city would pay for labor and engineering, while homeowners would pay for materials, such as asphalt and gravel, Loomis said.
"This program is a creative way to partner with residents," Loomis said.
The city has appropriated $20,000 for the program so far, using the budget surplus in 2003, Loomis said.
Many homeowners in the Holly Vista Drive area cited paving the road as the No. 1 issue last year, said Loomis, who came up with the program from a similar one in Everett. She expanded Everett’s program to include overlaying streets.
Loomis said she plans to work with City Council members to secure $50,000 to $75,000 for the program in 2005.
Carrick said she and other area residents learned of the program in late February. Since then, 26 homeowners have formed an informal group and had two meetings with city officials about fixing the 1 1/2-block road.
The city estimated the cost would be around $65,000, Carrick said. The city and homeowners would split the cost.
Homeowners decided they needed more time to mull over how to raise the money, Carrick said.
"We’re waiting until next year," she said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or
For more information about the Pavement-Sidewalk Partnership, call Dan Takasugi, the city’s public works director, at 360-568-3115. The city needs to receive requests for the program by May 31 and will handle requests on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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