10 Years Ago 1997

Arlington City Council approved a five-year agreement with the NWEAA Fly-In on Monday, Feb. 3. The agreement allows the NWEAA Fly-In to use a variable portion of airport property for approximately 10 days per year each July beginning in 1997 and ending in 2001. While agreements must be arranged each year for police, fire and emergency services, the agreement shows the support of the city and the Airport Commission for the Fly-In and will facilitate long term planning said Barbara Lawrence, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Fly-In. This years NWEAA Fly-In is scheduled for July 9 -13. Also on Feb. 3, the City Council approved an agreement with Fire District No. 21 (Arlington Heights) for an increase in their Fire Services Contract. The current amount paid to the city by Fire District No. 21 is $18,000. The 20 percent increase in 1997 will result in $20,600 and another 20 percent increase in 1998 for a total of $25,920 paid to the City of Arlingtons Fire Department. Arlingtons Fire Department covers a segment of Fire District No. 21 which lies on the west side of the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River. The City Council gave permission to the Department of Public Works to call for bids for construction of the new wastewater treatment plant. The design of the plan is complete and permit reviews and SEPA review are underway, according to a memo from Public Works Director Ed McMillan. The bidding period, which will be launched this week, according to City Administrator Thom Myers, lasts 60 days. The city will begin surveying the right-of-way conditions for the portion of the Centennial Trail from the airport to the railroad ROW, after approval by City Council last Monday. The survey will involve establishing ownership, ROWs and other encumbrances over 5,500 feet along Cemetery Road, explained Myers. The Department of Planning and Community Development requested mitigation fees up to $7,000 to pay for the surveying. The request was approved by the Council.

25 Years Ago 1982

Tel-Med, a free health care information service available by phone, is celebrating its first anniversary in Snohomish County. Sponsored by the General Hospital Health Care Foundation, and endorsed by the Snohomish County Medical Society and the Snohomish County Dental Society, the Tel-Med taped messages are written by physicians and dentists and are intended to help callers maintain good health, recognize early sings of illness and adjust to serious illness. The tapes do not diagnose or replace medical advice. After dialing, the caller asks the Tel-Med operator for a tape by number or by subject. The operator inserts the appropriate tape into the Teletronix Information Systems semi-automatic, multi-channeled playback unit. When the tape is completed, the caller is automatically disconnected. In 1981, 30,062 calls were received by General Hospital Volunteers. Seventy percent of the callers were female, 20 percent male, and 10 percent young people. General Hospital Inservice Volunteers provided 3, 193 hours of volunteer time in providing this service. During 1981, 33 tapes were added to the library with the financial and technical assistance of the Snohomish County Medical and Dental Societies, North Everett Lions club, Everett Jaycees, Hospice of Snohomish County, Snohomish County Medical Auxiliary, Snohomish County Office on Aging, Snohomish County Rape Relief, General Telephone and Blue Cross of Washington/Alaska. According to Dallas Finnel, Executive Director of the General Hospital Health Care Foundation, the system can process seven calls simultaneously. We have installed Tel-Med at General Hospital of Everett as a public service to provide medically accurate health care information to our community, said Finnel.

50 Years Ago 1957

The mystery farm sleuths had no trouble in tracking down last weeks aerial photo of the Norman A. Sneve farm. Ninety-one entries correctly identified the pioneer Silvana landmark, with Mrs. Norman C. Hordyk of East Stanwood being the winner of last weeks drawing at Elmers Food Store. All correct entries for the week are included in a Monday night drawing to determine the winner of a prize from that weeks star sponsor. When Sivert Knutson staked out his homestead along the Stillaguamish in 1882, the name Silvana, meaning a place of woods, was poetically descriptive of that community. It might well have been lifted from the lines of the English poet, Dryden, who wrote, Betwixt two rows of rocks, a silvan scene Appears above, and groves forever green. Eight years later, Knutson sold his homestead, with 18 acres cleared, to Erick O. Sneve, who reared six children, Josephine (Henry), Silvana Terraces; Hattie (Pedersen), Seattle; Mable (Thompson), Roseburg, Ore.; John B.; Norman A.; and William O. Sneve who now lives on the home farm, where he operates a dairy, milking 30 head. Erick Sneve developed his farm in an era when the local sawmills were thriving on virgin timber, and the giant cedars of that day were being turned into shingle bolts. Norman Sneve recalls the great log jam, in the Stillaguamish river, famous for its length, stretching from the railroad bridge at Silvana, halfway to Arlington. The spring floodwaters eventually broke the jam, taking the railroad bridge with it. Such was the passing of the silvan scene as it was rapidly converted into farmland. Surrounded by change and industry, the Indians of the area maintained their old ways, salmon fishing along the river, smoking the fish, and sometimes selling salmon to settlers. Norman Sneve, recalling well-known Indian personalities of that day, told of going with his father to buy salmon from one Split-lip Jim. On one such foray, the elder Sneve gave a five-dollar gold piece in payment, small denominations of change being scarce at the time. Split-lip Jim was wont to hold coins in his mouth, while making change, which he did on this occasion, according to Sneves report. Perhaps it was a sneeze or cough in any event, the gold piece was swallowed to the great sorrow of all. Five dollars was a lot of smoked salmon in those days. Jim made a solemn promise to repay the loss, which he did several days later, when he came to the farm to report that after long search, he had found the coin. Small wonder, the fabled honesty of the Indian.
A start on Arlingtons much needed sewer program was launched at Monday nights session of the City Council, when Attorney J. P. Mathews, Jr., was requested to prepare an ordinance levying one dollar per month on all water patrons, same to be placed in a special fund to be used for sewer purposes. The Councilmen discussed the sewer situation, which poses a real problem, due to the great costs, and to the fact that apparently Arlington faces a three-phase sewer problem a disposal plant, a sanitary system and a storm sewer system. It was pointed out that while the present system has lateral extensions on Third and First streets that would permit construction of fairly extensive lateral systems north and south of First Street as far east as French Avenue, and north and south of Third Street as far east as Dunham Avenue, for a block or so each way, no additions to the present sewer system may be made until a disposal plant has been provided. Attorney Mathews informed the Council that it is possible to secure federal funds toward a disposal plant and this would be the least costly of the three-phase program. It was thought it might be possible that some device in the operation of a disposal plant might be used to divert the excess water in the system when storms occur, which would upset the working of the disposal plant. If this could be done the storm sewer part of the program might be eliminated. Engineer Myring appeared before the Council regarding the details of the Jence Thompson addition east of town, and the possibilities of clearing Hamlin Avenue, which will be extended south from the Pied Piper addition. Residents who reside west of the right-of-way of the proposed new Highway 1-A, Dr. E. E. Mose, J. E. Wage, and M. Molstad, in a letter to the Council, expressed their appreciation of fire protection afforded the district in the past, and inquired if this protection would be available following the building of the limited access highway. This concern is expressed because there are no fire hydrants west of West Avenue at present, and also the limited access highway will shut off all streets except Fourth, where Highway 1-E will intersect Highway 1-A. It is understood that the properties in question are outside the city limits, but the fire department has made it a policy to respond to calls from the country. However, the area in question is just outside the city limits, and can be served from hydrants at Third and West Avenue. Upon the building of the new highway, however, the hydrant at Third will not be available to the area, as Third Street crossing of the highway will be closed. The Councilmen, however, decided to investigate the matter. A communication from the sheriffs office informed the Council that new radio equipment is being installed at the sheriffs office which will change the frequency of the system, necessitating a change in local police and fire department equipment if they desire use of this same frequency.