Popular, well-received, even hailed.
Now, add to that list “jilted.”
The waterfront redevelopment designs created by two teams of Edmonds-Woodway High School seniors for the Edmonds2030.com contest made the rounds in Edmonds — council meetings, port meetings, in-school open houses — and they were almost universally admired.
But, they didn’t win the Edmonds2030.com contest, which had promised up to $15,000 in prizes.
Turns out, nobody won.
“It is a slap in the face to us. We have been working on this project so hard,” said Michael Putman, one of three seniors on the “Sunset Plaza” design. “The money is not even that big of a deal anymore. It is the principle.”
No money will be awarded, contest sponsors announced May 13.
The design contest was sponsored by Al Dykes and the Edmonds Shopping Center Associates, which owns about 10 acres on Edmonds’ waterfront. The group is attempting to redevelop the property.
A statement from the group blamed community apathy for the lack of prizes.
That is a hard sell, said the students and their architecture teacher, Tim Stensland.
“Maybe I could understand it if they said the (proposals) did not meet code, or if they did not pencil, if they said a simple, ‘Hey, this did not work,’” Stensland said. “That might make sense.
“But here? The community really responded. Both of these projects were viable,” he said.
Edmonds2030.com coordinator Roger Harman refused to answer any questions about the contest, and Al Dykes did not respond to multiple interview requests.
Harman’s May 13 statement said only three designs had been submitted, and that only one person had voted on any proposal — and that vote came from one of the designers, according to the statement.
Not true, said Edmonds Councilman Steve Bernheim.
“I don’t know what that means. I voted on their Web site, and I didn’t submit a proposal,” Bernheim said May 20. “I am sympathetic to (the students).”
Harman refused to clarify.
The “Sunset Plaza” design was created by Putman, Robert Edgar and Matthew Pirie. The “Brackett’s Landing” proposal was designed by Evan Langendorfer and Grant Roeter.
Both proposals emphasized connections between the property and the surrounding site, and stayed within current height restrictions. Dykes’ public comments have repeatedly stressed the importance of building taller.
The groups spent countless hours building three-dimensional models of their proposal — complete with buildings, fountains, benches, landscaping and even signage.
“I’m really disappointed,” Pirie said. “We worked on this so hard.
“In English class and calculus class, Robert and I would be passing back and forth designs — we were sketching all the time,” he said. “We should have been paying attention, but we were thinking about this.”
It is unclear what legal obligation Edmonds2030.com might be under to the students.
Since the contest opened in August 2007, contest organizers issued a series of rule changes — the most recent of which was actually posted after the contest itself had closed.
That could be a violation of contract law, said Kristin Alexander, with the state’s Attorney General’s office. It could be enforceable in court, but it would definitely be a private litigation issue, she said.
The students are unlikely to take that step, they said.
The whole thing is a shame, said Stensland, the teacher.
“If it was me sponsoring the contest, and I was a businessman, I would be out there, everywhere, taking pictures with these kids, taking them to meetings,” Stensland said. “There was an opportunity at a very small price to promote his citizenship and his community.”
Reporter Chris Fyall: 425-673-6525 or cfyall@heraldnet.com
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