“Ready, shoot, aim” is a humorous quality improvement phrase applied when actions are taken prematurely and reports gather dust. As one of 32 Everett Vision Team members, I helped “dream” a future in a well-studied, not reckless, way. No one imagined the debilitating economic changes causing our “aim” to be off seven years later. Of course, it’s never unwise to dust off one’s hopes.
Wednesday’s editorial “Imagining Everett in 2025” is a reminder to re-oil the vision process the mayor convened in 2004-05. Successes of his earlier effort should be recognized: an arts district, SWIFT buses, WSU/Everett, and Paine Field’s commercial air service potential (where is that long overdue FAA report, anyway?). As the economy inevitably improves, Everett is gradually transforming itself. In the area of parks and culture, the newly improved Kasch and Lions parks (and soon-to-be completed/named downtown plaza park) take no back seat to the plans for Powder Mill Gulch and Henry M. Jackson Park. And “yes,” Everett should target the central business district, the water and riverfronts, and infrastructure.
In this revitalization re-set, the city might consider Tom Hoban’s July 26 Herald Business Journal’s article: “Everett must overcome its income problem.” Our annual household income is $10,000 per year under (20 percent less than) Washington state’s median. The city’s major employers, aerospace and medical, are supported by an ever-increasing pool of upper-income residents who live in amenity-laden bedroom communities.
Only 20 percent of Everett residents have a bachelor’s degree — the national average is 31 percent. We need to figure out ways to encourage the education and business communities and those building new housing to bolster the working-class heritage of many of our 19 neighborhoods. Hoban concludes this would entail zoning protections in neighborhoods, a commitment to meaningful revitalization of downtown, and an accessible waterfront compatible with new business.
May I underscore new Opinion Page Editor, Peter Jackson’s bottom line: Let’s continue to do a proactive job of ensuring Everett is an even better place to live, work, and play.
Erich Franz
Everett
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