Imagine a sinking ship that creates a two-block scar in downtown Everett. This vision could become a reality if the city goes forward with plans to construct a boat-like arena at the corner of Hewitt and Broadway.
I strongly support most of the city’s efforts to revitalize the downtown core. Projects like Everett Station and the Pacific Avenue overpass speak to normally sound judgment on the part of the mayor’s office and the city planning department. What I do not understand is how Everett can support the stadium.
The city has a population of just fewer than 100,000. The arena design seats 10,000. This assumes that the rough equivalent of 1 in every 10 residents will be present at each and every home game. In a time when the city is losing thousands of high-paying Boeing jobs, it cannot afford to spend millions of public tax dollars to subsidize a privately owned professional sports team.
As an Everett resident, I urge my elected city representatives to return to their normally sound practice of conservative fiscal spending. We must abandon the sinking hockey ship.
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.