MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — City officials say they can no longer afford to put off building projects.
The last time building plans were postponed, the ceiling of the former Civic Center collapsed. The building was nearly 50 years old.
The only positive in that situation was that the ceiling fell during the early hours when the building was vacant, so no one was injured, city manager John Caulfield said.
“That could have been catastrophic,” he said.
What’s interesting and unsettling to Caulfield is officials knew for 25 to 30 years the building was aging and had safety hazards that needed to be addressed.
“The new City Council won’t let that happen again,” Caulfield said.
City leaders prioritized the list of projects and needs that require attention based off of a list of 12 criteria. Projects were ranked on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 being the highest priority.
Further, leaders measure projects on a scale from 0 to 5 to determine the need or urgency of when a project should be completed, with 5 as most urgent.
Establishing criteria and having a plan helps improve transparency with the community, said Don Sarcletti, recreation and parks director.
“It provides a level of confidence with the community and shows we have targets and goals to complete,” he said.
A new Civic Center would address infrastructure needs including an updated Police Station, Caulfield said. Voters will have a say on whether to issue bonds to build a new complex on the Aug. 7 ballot.
Another priority project is the Recreation Pavilion, built in 1968. After its first decade, Sarcletti remembers a former coworker saying the building was 10 years old but had 50 years of use due to high volumes of people.
Other projects with a 1 rating include upgrading an all-weather turf field (estimated at $1.5 million), park restrooms ($310,000) and the parking lot at Ballinger Lake Clubhouse ($280,000).
The costs are based off 2010 figures.
The decision to repair, remodel or renovate is weighed heavily against a variety of factors, including health and safety, city finances and return on investments, Sarcletti said.
When money goes toward repairs just to keep the doors of a building open and those costs impede serving the community, it’s time to act, he said.
At the same time, making smaller repairs and keeping up on maintenance can preserve a building so it can last at least 50 years, the expectation of the city’s new fire stations and proposed Civic Center.
The city’s library and police station were built less than 25 years ago. But the library was built to meet higher standards. The 24-year-old building needs HVAC and electrical updates, which pale in contrast to the police station’s needs. The station, built in 1991, needs a complete remodel and expansion, Caulfield said.
“When looking at options, doing nothing is an option,” he said. “It’s just not a good one.”
How old is old?
When major Mountlake Terrace public facilities were built:
• Civic Center, 1962 (demolished in 2010)
• Fire Station 18, 1964 (demolished in 2012)
• Recreation Pavilion, 1968
• Operations Facility, 1985
• Library, 1988
• Ballinger Lake Clubhouse, 1989
• Police Station, 1991
• New Fire Station 19, 2006
• New Fire Station 18, 2010
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