We are making progress on the thorny issue of the future of Rosehill Community Center. In a major concession, the Mukilteo City Council examined the funding options for building a new community center in tandem with the proposed city hall. We now have preliminary estimates of costs: a new community center would cost about $6 million and the city hall about $5 million.
However, council has not publicly committed to building a new community center at the site. Council ignored the suggestion that a community center task force be created. Council has not demonstrated any loyalty to the present Rosehill tenant-stakeholders (the people responsible for community center programming) and has put them on month to month leases. This is tantamount to eviction and makes it difficult to plan on-going programs. Council had not explored the possibility of obtaining arts-based grants.
Throughout this process we have observed an on-going communications disconnect between the stakeholders and the council. Our observations and questions are not responded to when presented at council meetings. This is not constructive public dialogue.
The solution: create a community center task force comprised of the various stakeholders including the city, school district, the current tenants, Rosehill patrons and the general public. Mayor Don Doran and Council President Cathy Reese have told me that they feel such a task force would disenfranchise the public. We respectfully disagree. Creation of a task force would be mutually beneficial and would signal the council’s sincerity in being responsive. We urge the council to reconsider its opposition to this solution. There is a lot of work to be done and we are ready to go. We want the Mukilteo City Council to work both for and with us on this issue.
Rosehill Coalition
Mukilteo
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