10 years ago 1998
Eagle Hardware is proposing to build a 200,148-square-foot store on 15 acres east of Interstate 5 and south of Food Pavilion Shopping Center in Smokey Point. The hardware, building and garden supply company, which also has stores in Mount Vernon and Everett, recently applied to the Snohomish County Planning and Development Department for a building and grading permit. The proposal is in the review process at the county. Its a large project, said Monica McLaughlin, one of five project reviewers assigned to the proposal. McLaughlins specialty is zoning. Other reviewers look at traffic, building codes, fire codes, drainage and wetlands. Several issues could make the already large project more complicated, McLaughlin said. That includes the proposed filling of a wetland and traffic impacts. According to the proposal, the stores main floor would be 183,604-square-feet, with a 16,544-square-foot mezzanine. Parking spaces are proposed for 586 cars. Water and sewer will be provided by the city of Marysville. The main entrance is planned from Smokey Point Boulevard at 169th Place NE just south of Kentucky Fried Chicken. A second entrance is proposed from 172nd Street NE, near the entrance to Seafirst Bank, which continues behind Food Pavilion. A third access road, for deliveries, is proposed at 168th Place NE, near the Smokey Point Animal Hospital and across from the entrance to Country Manor, the 185-home Navy housing project. Traffic lights have been proposed at 169th and the countys public works department also suggested a light at 168th, McLaughlin said. Because 172nd Street NE is a state highway (SR 531), the state also will review the project for traffic impacts. Depending on what issues arise and how difficult they are to solve, the review process could last for months, McLaughlin said. Once the issues are addressed, a building permit could be issued, she said. The building permit application is good for two years. Once the permit is issued, its good for another two years and the applicant can apply for another two-year renewal. That means breaking ground could be as close as four months away or as far as four years. Smokey Point Animal Hospitals Ron Huitger, who shares a property line with the proposed store, said he isnt sure what Eagles arrival will mean for him. Am I in favor of it? I dont know. Somethings got to go there. It might as well be Eagle. It may be better to have one large store than a bunch of small ones, he said.

The proposed landing of Eagle Hardware in Smokey Point hasnt created a sense of impending doom for local businesses competing for many of the same customers. It has focused attention on what matters most, however. The nuts and bolts of the hardware business is service, owners say. And that wont change. Smokey Point True Values Dave Belcher said Eagle will do some good for the community. Eagle will make Smokey Point more of a center of commerce in north Snohomish County, he said. But he does see some negative impacts. Its going to change the community and increase traffic. Im sure it will have an impact on businesses such as myself, here in Smokey Point, and on those in surrounding areas like Arlington, Stanwood and Marysville. But worrying about it wont help, instead, he said, we need to emphasize the aspects of our stores that differentiate us form the big stores. That includes, he said, providing personal service, being available to answer customer questions and offering things that Eagle doesnt such as True Values Just Ask Rental service. I think those are all important factors the smaller stores have got to offer, he said. Mike Jones of Arlington Hardware and Lumber agrees. Im not terribly worried, Jones said. We will continue to offer good customer service. Generally, he said, The people who stay home and mind their own business keep their business. We have good customers. Jones expects business will drop off after Eagle opens, while people check out the new store. Once the initial curiosity is appeased, he expects his customers will return. People my find [Eagles] service is not as good or the wait is longer or its not easier to find things. Our strength is we have sales people and clerks who know how to fix things. If someone has a problem with an electrical connection or a leaky faucet, we have people on staff who know how to take care of it. Were going to continue to do what we do, he said. Weve got a nice, comfortable store with happy customers. Im hoping it stays that way. Im philosophical about it.

25 years ago 1983
The water in Arlington tasted funny last week, said many residents who flooded city hall with complaints. A week later after numerous tests no precise evidence of a cause for the bad taste had been found, but the city was taking no chances. A new $3,400 chlorinator has been ordered and is expected to arrive Wednesday. Complaints started coming in over the weekend and hit a high mark on Monday, Jan. 3. The number of complaints dropped off during the week. Only one concerned water customer registered a complaint this Monday. Utilities Superintendent Barney Brenne said it was the first time in his 20 years here that such a large number of complaints had been received and he was at a loss to explain the cause. Four floods in one month might be a reason for the chlorine taste many said they noticed, he said, but all tests taken revealed nothing unusual in the city water. Tests were conducted for conductivity, iron, hardness and manganese with all levels reported to be consistent with past testing. The citys chlorinator is 20 years old he said, and it may have malfunctioned. The new machinery is much more sophisticated, he said. City crews drained and scrubbed out the half-million gallon reservoir on Burn Hill but nothing unusual was found. The 2 million gallon reservoir on the Woodlands property was also visually inspected. Cases of bad tasting water are rare, said Brenne, and usually are local problems attributed to dead end: water lines or problems with residential plumbing. The city supplies it customers with about a half-million gallons of water per day during the winter and up to 800,000 gallons a day during the summer. All city water comes from three 40-foot wells located adjacent to the river near Haller Park.

Plans for a Deer Creek hydroelectric plant are being kept alive by a Lacy construction firm, Capital Development Corp. An informal neighborhood meeting was held last week at the Oso General Store to bring the community up to date of the firms plans, said Phillip Pinard, an engineer with CDC. A more substantial public hearing will be held in late February, to which everyone is invited, he said, including all government agencies which would be affected by the proposed project. CDC received a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission three-year permit a year ago to examine the Deer Creek site in terms of technical challenges of building a dam, pipeline and powerhouse in the area, as well as the cost effectiveness of such a project. The Snohomish County PUD also applied for the same FERC permit but missed their chance when their application didnt arrive in time. At the end of the three-year period, CDC has to decide whether or not to proceed with the project, which would then necessitate the acquisition of 21 major environmental and building permits before any building could begin. Pinard noted that if they go ahead with the hydroelectric complex, CDC expects to spend $50 million to $60 million and employ about 100 union contractors. The construction itself would have little affect on the local Oso economy, he said. Construction would take 2-3 years. Tentative plans call for construction of 15-20-foot concrete diversion structure (dam) about 8.5 miles up Deer Creek. A 10-foot diameter pipe would connect the dam with the powerhouse six to seven miles downstream. The powerhouses two turbines could produce 23 to 40 megawatts annually over the 35-50 year life of the project, said Pinard.

50 years ago 1958
County Superintendent of Schools Dorothy Bennet notified the school board at its regular meeting Monday night that the terms of three directors will expire and must be filled at the election this coming March 11. Those whose terms expire are Clifford Rod, Director Dist. 2; Julius Norman, Director Dist. 3; and William Roal, Director Dist. 4. At the Monday night session the board gave consideration to the recommendations of the Advisory Council that a proposition be placed on the ballot in March asking the voters to approve the sale of $300,000 in bonds to complete the most urgent building needs of the district. If those bonds are approved the district would be eligible for 42 percent of state matching funds. Only if approved would such matching funds be available. Chairman Wangsmo, in discussing the proposition, pointed out that the school district levy is 15 mills lower in 1958 that in 1957, and that the approval of the new bond would not increase the taxes over the 1958 level, also the bonds would eliminate the two 20-mills levies previously thought necessary to complete the junior high school building program. The board acted favorably on the councils recommendation.