MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — City Council adopted an ordinance May 17 to place a capital bond proposal for construction of a new Civic Campus on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Council members at an April 29 work session were updated on project costs and financing options, which spurred the request for an ordinance to be prepared. That ordinance is the final step needed for the city to move forward in putting the measure up for public vote.
A public hearing is expected to be held June 7 for council to hear from residents. It is expected that council will consider support of a resolution supporting the new Civic Campus project.
“What we have in front of us is an exciting opportunity,” Councilman John Zambrano said. “This is the reason I came on council, to move Mountlake Terrace into the 21st century. I think we can do it with this. I say we go in November and let the people decide.”
Timing is part of the decision, City Manager John J. Caulfield told The Enterprise.
“One important aspect of this proposal is the City Council’s desire to take advantage of the very positive bidding environment that exists while at the same time minimizing the financial impact to our citizens until such time as the economy fully recovers,” Caulfield said.
He pointed to the fact that, should voters approve the measure, property owners would not be assessed until 2012.
The final cost for the project is an estimated $37.5 million, which would be financed through voter-approved 30-year general obligation bonds with a gradual implementation from 2011 to 2040. The property tax impact, based on the median home value of $256,200, would be zero in 2011, $3.48 per month in 2012, and increasing to $19.27 per month averaged from 2011 to 2040. Qualified homeowners may apply for a senior exemption.
The project has been the topic of study by numerous Mountlake Terrace City Councils since the 1980s. The current council has taken a methodical process, moving the city closer to letting the voters decide.
The process started in 2008, with council appointing an 11-member Citizen Task Force to come up with a fresh perspective and recommendations for the city’s aging public facilities. Late in 2008, following six months of public input, the Citizen Task Force recommended a new Civic Campus should be built on the existing site with council seeking voter approval for the construction. In March 2009, the City Council adopted a resolution accepting the recommendation of the Task Force.
The old facility has recently been demolished following the collapse of its roof in July 2008, which had made the building unusable.
“The old City Hall collapsed down around us because nobody made a decision,” Mayor Pro Tem Laura Sonmore said. “We either have to continue to pay rent or move forward on what the citizens have already told us to do for the last 20 years.”
Replacing the old Civic Center, the new Civic Campus plans retain the library and fire station while integrating new public spaces, community and senior activity centers, the police station, an emergency operation center, city offices and a civic green that will connect to Veterans Memorial Park.
The plans also incorporate sustainable design standards such as green roofs and walls including energy-efficient and environmentally friendly LEED Silver building techniques.
Other capital projects financed through levy efforts in Mountlake Terrace include: old Civic Center (1960); Recreation Pavilion (1964); Evergreen Playfield (1975); Sno-Isle Library District (1986); and Police Station/Fire Department Equipment (1988).
Updates on the Mountlake Terrace Civic Campus are available at www.cityofmlt.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
