ARLINGTON — When looking back at 2010, people will remember it for a variety of reasons. The following are just some of the stories which appeared on the pages of The Arlington Times.
January
Putting residents back to work is his No. 1 priority in 2010, said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen. With nearly 1 in 10 Washingtonians out of work, that includes continuing to work with local municipalities on stimulus projects and passing items that would support small businesses, Larsen said Jan. 5 during an editorial meeting with staff members of The Arlington Times and its sister publications The Marysville Globe and The Bellingham Business Journal. “Until people are back to work, I know I can’t rest,” he said. “That’s what I think you should expect to see.”
An Arlington High School graduate doing missionary work in Haiti was found alive in the bottom of a collapsed building Jan. 12. Katherine Zook, 22, suffered bruises to her lungs and legs during the Jan. 12 earthquake, but did not suffer any life-threatening injuries said her father Greg Zook. Katherine Zook was in the Haitian Capital of Port-au-Prince when the magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit.
After nearly six years and numerous delays, construction crews began building a new Walmart in Smokey Point on Jan. 25. The 154,000-square-foot store will be constructed just east of Interstate 5 on SR 531 — also known as 172nd Street NE.
February
The Arlington City Council approved the $4 million purchase of the Country Charm Dairy Farm, which had been owned by Hank and Betty Graafstra, at its Feb. 4 regular meeting. The 150-acre farm contains about 2.5 miles of riverfront property. Graafstra said he would like the city to one day help renovate his old dairy facility into a community food processing plant.
Members of the Arlington School Board took the first swing in what will likely be a hard-fought battle with their 2010-11 budget. Facing a $2.4 million budget shortfall, the Board unanimously approved an enrollment projection for next school year during its Feb. 8 meeting, agreeing that an average of 5,100 full-time equivalent students will be enrolled in Arlington schools. Projecting student enrollment is important for the budgeting process as school districts receive funding based on their enrollment numbers.
A ruling by a King County Superior Court Judge has local school officials hopeful but realistic. In a lawsuit brought forward by a coalition of school districts, teachers and parents, Superior Court Judge John Erlick ruled that Washington state does not adequately fund public education as required under the state’s constitution. Arlington Superintendent Kristine McDuffy said, “There was lots of celebration but it was short-lived. I’m sure there will be appeals, but regardless it was significant.”
March
Remodeling the city’s first fire station topped the City Council’s list of priorities for 2010. What started as a top 10 list, grew to a top 13 list before it was approved by the Council at it’s March 1 meeting. In addition to obtaining funding for the remodel of Fire Station 46 on McLeod Avenue, other areas of emphasis include items relating to emergency management, economic development and transportation — rated Nos. 2, 3 and 4, respectively — among other goals.
After two years of narrowly avoiding the Arlington School District’s budget cutting board, Trafton Elementary could close pending a school district review. The School Board, on March 8, approved moving forward with an official 90-day district review regarding closure of the school, which has been in operation since 1888. Superintendent Kristine McDuffy said that last school year’s $3.8 million in budget reductions, paired with this year’s possible $2.5 million in cuts, played a big role in the decision to review whether Trafton should close.
Speaking from her home, Arlington native Katie Zook said she still can’t explain how she survived the Jan. 12 magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti that killed three of her colleagues and fellow missionaries. Zook said she spent three and a half hours buried under the rubble of a four-story building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, before she was pulled out and taken to the country’s United Nations Hospital for treatment. “All the people who saw the building fall said it was horrible,” said the 22-year-old Zook. “There are so many things that can be explained by miracles.”
April
For 21 years Verlin Elmore helped a lot of people while serving as senior pastor for the Arlington Free Methodist Church. Now he faces a new challenge — improving his golf game. “The church gave me a new set of Ping golf clubs,” Elmore said. “Now that I’m retiring, I won’t feel guilty about playing.” Elmore’s last service was Easter Sunday, April 4, at the church on East Highland Drive, which has been the second home for the Arlington resident during his two-plus decades of work.
In the wake of the recently concluded special session of the state Legislature, the budget crunch for the Arlington School District may not be as severe as originally anticipated. Superintendent Kristine McDuffy said that now the district will likely have to cut between $1.6 million and $1.8 million out of next school year’s budget. District officials were anticipating, at worst, having to make up to $2.5 million in reductions for the 2010-11 school year.
Terry Marsh doesn’t volunteer for the recognition — the Arlington resident does it for the people. “It’s not about the projects I’ve done, it’s about the relationships that I’ve built doing those projects,” said Marsh, of Arlington. “I love to volunteer. It’s always been a part of my life.” In recognition for his contributions to the community, Marsh was named the 2009 Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce “Citizen of the Year.”
May
Arlington sewer rates will increase by $5.35 per month starting in June and increase annually through 2013 when they’ll top out at $73.30 per month. Water rates were not increased. City officials have said that the new rates are necessary for the city to pay for the state and federally mandated capacity and treatment technology upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant, which is currently under construction.
The basic design concepts are in place to redevelop the Smokey Point, Island Crossing and West Bluff areas of Arlington. Now it’s up to the community to decide how that process moves forward. The Arlington Planning Commission, along with city officials, held a public meeting May 20 to gather more input on the city’s long-term plan to change the area’s streetscape, development practices and zoning regulations in west Arlington.
Alan Bowers didn’t let raining weather keep him and his sons away from the Arlington Cemetery on Memorial Day. “This is the day to come to honor those that have died,” said Bowers, who was in the U.S. Navy for 20 years and lives in Arlington. Bowers and his sons were among the military veterans and community members to remember fallen family members and friend during American Legion’s Post 76’s annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 31.
June
Many Arlington School Board members described it as the most difficult decision they’ve ever made. But in the end, their vote was unanimous — Trafton School will close. Despite a handful of verbal jousts from meeting attendees, the Board voted June 14 to shut down the 122-year-old school. More than 50 community members, parents and students packed the Arlington School District administrative building for the meeting, which capped a three-month long review regarding whether the state’s oldest continuously operated school should close.
Students from schools big and small, public and private, recently all shared one thing in common — graduating as part of the Class of 2010. During the past week and a half, hundreds of seniors from Arlington and Lakewood high schools received their diplomas, turned their tassels and simultaneously ended and began chapters in the individual lives. The area’s largest graduating class came from Arlington High School where more than 350 seniors received their diplomas at the John C. Larson Stadium on June 15.
July
The city of Arlington and the Stillaguamish Tribe are teaming up to repair one of the busiest stretches of local roadway. They will be splitting the bill on the approximately $275,000 asphalt overlay construction project on Smokey Point Boulevard between 175th Street NE and 184th Street NE. Approximately $145,000 of the funds required for the project will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Stillaguamish Tribe received the money to pay for maintenance and upgrades to Arlington roads that are listed on the Indian Reservation Road inventory.
Community members didn’t let the threat of rain get in the way of their Fourth of July celebrations. Despite drizzly conditions in Arlington on July 4, thousands of residents came out for the annual Independence Day events which included Pancakes in the Park, the Kiwanis auction, parades, Great Stilly Duck Dash, fireworks and the Pedal, Paddle, Puff triathlon.
Unhappy with the Arlington School Board’s decision to close Trafton School, a group of parents whose children attended the school have filed an appeal against the district asking that a Snohomish County Supreme Court judge order a reversal of the Board’s unanimous decision to close Trafton, which had been continuously operated since 1888.
August
With temperatures hovering near 90 degrees, attendees of the 21st annual Stillaguamish Festival of the River and Pow Wow did their best to stay cool as they checked out the free celebration Aug. 14 and 15 at River Meadows Park. Event organizers estimated that between 15,000 and 16,000 people attended the festival, which featured performances by the Neville Brothers and Jake Owen.
In a move to accomplish what it had deemed it’s No. 1 priority in 2010, the Arlington City Council voted Aug. 16 to go out for bid on a proposed renovation project on Fire Station 46 that would demolish the station’s existing living quarters and replace it with a 3,900-square-foot structure. The city is slated to advertise for bids in September and break ground in October.
More than 73 percent of voters in the Warm Beach, Freeborn, Bryant and northern Arlington area voted in favor of funding North County Regional Fire Authority/EMS’s expiring levy. The levy, which appeared on the Aug. 17 ballot, will pay for firefighter/paramedic wages, training, supplies, apparatuses and support vehicles and will cost taxpayers 50 cents per $1,000 of assess value to maintain the authority’s current level of service. The current levy was to expire at the end of 2010.
September
Less than two years ago, Nelson Beazley was a finalist for the open Arlington police chief position. Now, the job is his. On Sept. 7, the City Council approved an employment agreement with Beazley to take over as chief less than three weeks after current Police Chief Robert Sullenberger announced his resignation. Beazley, a former captain in the Fresno, Calif., Sheriff’s Office, will begin serving in his new position Sept. 20.
Despite Trafton Elementary School closing in June, a yearly fair sharing the school’s namesake continued. As it has for more that half a century, the 56th annual Trafton Fair drew an estimated 250 attendees Sept. 25.
Citing inadequate capital and severe loan losses, the Washington Department of Financial Institutions closed North County Bank on Sept. 24. The bank, which had branches in Smokey Point, Marysville, Lake Stevens and Everett, reopened Sept. 27 as branches of Whidbey Island Bank which had purchased North County.
October
Budgets may be tight, but the Arlington community did not hold back when it came to supporting art as a record crowd turned out for this year’s “Fall into Art” auction, held Oct. 16 at the Medallion Hotel. The Arlington Arts Council’s annual art auction raises funds for public are throughout the city.
It’s a temporary fix, but it is as much as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County could do to get the soccer field neighboring their Arlington club ready for afternoon players Oct. 20. Before their meeting at the Arlington Boys & Girls Club, the athletic directors and other volunteers from several Boys & Girls Club throughout the county took to the Arlington soccer field to re-lay the grass and sod that had been ripped up when one or more apparent joyriders broke into a van at the Arlington club and tore the neighboring athletic fields apart with their tires.
The new Arlington Walmart store rolled out a two-tiered greeting to the community Oct. 26-27, by handing out a number of grants to community organizations and giving a select number of community members a sneak preview of its selection and layout the evening before its official grand opening on the morning of Oct. 27.
November
It was a race that pitted one Arlington native against another, and by the final night of their campaigns one of the few things that both candidates could agree on was that it was too soon to say how the Nov. 2 election would turn out. Although U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen initially trailed Snohomish County Council member John Koster in the early returns of the Congressional District 2 race, the following day saw him overtake his opponent. Although the totals remained close, Koster conceded defeat on Nov. 10.
A two-alarm fire caused an estimated $1.5 million in damages to the National Foods Corporation plant. The fire, which broke out just before 2 p.m., Nov. 10, had fire crews from across north Snohomish County working to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings, according to Arlington Fire Department spokesperson Christine Badger. Badger reported that roofing work had shortly preceded the fire and that roofing crews responded to spotting smoke with fire extinguishers. An estimated 100 employees were safely evacuated from the plant.
Veterans Day in Arlington was observed though several remembrance ceremonies conducted by the community, including the annual parade down Olympic Avenue.
December
The generosity of a local potato farmer allowed students from Lakewood High School to help round out the holiday meals of area food bank customers. LHS freshman Molly Stuller and senior Cameron Howard coordinated the bagging of an estimated 12 tons of potatoes, which eventually saw each student at the school filling an average of 15 bags of potatoes for the Arlington and Marysville community food banks. Before they were bagged, the potatoes filled a 20-foot by 30-foot enclosure that added up to a mountain, that at its height, stretched taller than the high school students who worked on it.
The city of Arlington’s “Hometown Holiday” on Dec. 4 drew an estimated 26 entrants to the annual parade down Olympic Avenue and had more than 200 families line up at Legion Park gazebo to have their pictures taken with Santa Claus.
Flooding on the Stillaguamish River set a new record high Dec. 12, as the overflow swamped a couple of parks and left some locals unable to return to their homes. The water level reached 21.16 feet shortly after 4 p.m., surpassing the historical high crest of 21.06 set there on Nov. 6, 2006.
