By Shannon Sessions
For The Herald
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — As the eight-week "City Pride Program" wraps up this week, there’s still time to get abandoned cars or nonworking vehicles out of some yards before they are towed.
Two more areas are left to be checked by city staff: 244th to 228th streets between I-5 and 56th Avenue; and the area between 52nd and 44th avenues and between 220th and 236th streets, said Joie Worthen, crime prevention officer for Mountlake Terrace.
City officials have been working to get towing services for people who have significantly limited abilities and finances. Wally’s, Shannon’s and Tom’s towing businesses have pitched in.
"The tow companies were great about this, and we very much appreciated their help," Worthen said.
She and her team also are working to get other services for a limited group of residents and are looking to get them some extra time and resource information.
"But we have a few who will never have the means to take care of some of the issues on their property, and those are the ones we are trying to get donated services for," Worthen said.
Since the program started, Worthen and her crew have been answering residents’ concerns about the efforts to clear the city of old and nonworking vehicles that are parked where they shouldn’t be.
"Still the two conditions we are seeing the most are cars parking in the front yard on grass (instead of hard surfaces) and … the inoperable car," she said.
Some have complained that removing one inoperable car isn’t doing much to help the city’s appearance, Worthen said. But when that one car adds up to more than a hundred just like it, it makes a difference.
Worthen added that the program is being implemented equally across the board.
"We could not justify one inoperable car being any less a violation than four or five to the person who has the four or five cars, who would be accusing us of selective enforcement," she said. "We had to implement this program fairly."
The city’s cost for the project has been an issue with some people, but Worthen said it "has not generated a single overtime hour and has required no additional staff."
"We are all going to take vacations when this is over, but when we get back, we will have many less reported complaints to address and will be able to utilize our time in service-oriented areas. So this is actually going to be cost-effective in the long run."
As for favorable comments on the temporary program: "We had one response that thanked us for ‘lighting a fire’ under him so he would finally take care of something he has been meaning to take care of for a long time," Worthen said. "We appreciate those who share a little humor with us."
For questions or comments, residents can use the form enclosed in a city letter about the program or comment at the city’s Web site at www.ci.mountlake-terrace.wa.us.
Shannon Sessions is the editor for the Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace editions of the Enterprise Newspapers. You can call her at 425-673-6531 or send e-mail to sessions@heraldnet.com.
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