News from around the county

Snohomish County

Biogas partners awarded for work

A regional salmon-recovery group has honored the Tulalip Tribes, dairy farmers and Snohomish County for their collaborative work on promoting agriculture while protecting fish habitat.

Shared Strategy for Puget Sound, which is working on a collaborative and cost-effective salmon-recovery plan, announced the award last week during its two-day conference in Tacoma.

The tribes, county and Snohomish County Farm Bureau have been working on a Snohomish Basin Biogas Partnership to transform farm waste into fuel. Shared Strategy Executive Director Jim Kramer offered that project as an example of the kind of work his group is promoting.

The biogas plant is being built near Monroe on a 227-acre site that was once the Monroe Correctional Complex's honor farm. It will convert cow manure into biogas that can be burned to generate electricity.

Snohomish County

Building permits to go online

Starting next month, Snohomish County's building permits will be available online, County Executive Aaron Reardon announced this week.

The county will offer the permits through a Web site co-owned and managed by several cities in King and Snohomish counties, including Bothell.

The Snohomish County planning department will offer residential mechanical, residential plumbing and re-roofing permits through the site, www.mybuildingpermit.com. A homeowner or licensed contractor will be able to apply for a permit online, pay fees and obtain the permit without having to fax, e-mail or mail a document to the county.

The site's members hope to be able to make other types of permits available soon.

Mukilteo

Storm-damaged Ivar's set to reopen

Ivar's Mukilteo Landing restaurant is to be back in business Tuesday with an open house, more than a year after a storm destroyed much of the building.

An opening-day preview will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day to mark the 15 months of remodeling since waves washed through the building Oct. 28, 2003.

Along with serving food, the restaurant will display a restored wooden carp, a fixture of the restaurant deck that was washed away in the storm.

Ivar's President Bob Donegan noted that the carp had been "marinated" in Puget Sound for two weeks before it was recovered on a beach about two miles south of the restaurant. The carp has been refinished and will be displayed at the revamped restaurant.

The restaurant features a new entrance and fireplace, a redone deck and a remodeled kitchen.

Mill Creek

Dumas Road to be closed for 5 months

Mill Creek will close Dumas Road to through traffic Monday for the next five months to make road improvements.

The $4.5 million project, spanning from the Bothell- Everett Highway to 132nd Street Southeast, will include replacing 10-foot-wide lanes with 12- to 14-foot lanes and paving sidewalks.

In addition, crews will put in 15-foot-tall retaining walls, center turn lanes, streetlights, curbs, storm drains and a landscaped median.

Other road projects

Everett

Office aide given Public Works award

Lonnie McBride has received the Everett Public Works Department's employee-recognition award for 2004.

McBride, an office assistant, develops an internal department newsletter, works on the city telephone switchboard and helps with many other office duties. She started in the city prosecutor's office 14 years ago and has worked in the Public Works Department for 10 years.

Marysville

Touches of home, history in new logo

Marysville has a new logo.

The design picked by the City Council last week includes an outline of a roof shape that represents the city's historic Comeford Park water tower and suggests a home, community or tribal longhouse; an image of Mount Pilchuck; and "swooshes" in shades of blue to represent the meeting of fresh- and saltwater in the Snohomish River estuary, said Doug Buell, Marysville's community information officer.

The logo was developed by Rusty George Design of Tacoma. The design will be used on city stationery, business cards, shirts and decals on official vehicles.

Marysville

Growth-plan copies available for review

Copies of Marysville's draft 2005 comprehensive plan are available from the city.

The draft provides an updated presentation of land-use policies to address growth through 2025.

The document includes major updates to all sections, including a sewage plan. The updates also include adoption of 2004-09 capital-facility plans by the Marysville, Lakewood and Lake Stevens school districts that will affect impact-fee amounts collected by the city.

The city is accepting written comments on the plan for 60 days from the date of issuance, which was Jan. 13.

A printed copy of the plan is available for $50 plus shipping; a compact-disc version is available for $5, or $10 for both the plan and appendixes.

The documents also may be reviewed at the city's Community Development Department. Written comments may be sent to the attention of Gloria Hirashima at the department, 80 Columbia Ave., Marysville, WA 98270.

Snohomish

Annexation adds 54 acres to city

Snohomish continues to expand its boundaries: The city has annexed the Eden Farms area along the Bickford Avenue corridor.

The 54-acre property, south of Weaver Road and north of 72nd Street Southeast, is designated for business parks and single-family homes.

The City Council adopted an ordinance last month to complete the annexation, which became effective yesterday.

Last year, the city annexed 176 acres along 99th Avenue Southeast.

Sultan

Real-estate agent fills council vacancy

The Sultan City Council has selected Kristina Blair to take Jeff Everett's recently vacated seat.

Blair, a real-estate agent, has worked as an office manager in the business for the past eight years. She has been treasurer of the Sultan Education Foundation and volunteered with Sultan Harvest.

She is to take her seat at next Wednesday's council meeting.

Everett resigned in December, saying his new work schedule at Boeing conflicted with council meetings.

Snohomish area

Final study released on radio-tower plan

Both sides of a debate over proposed radio towers near Snohomish say a final environmental study that was released this week helps their case.

Now that the study is out, Snohomish County can issue a conditional-use permit for the four towers in the Upper Snohomish River Valley, but neighbors who say the towers would endanger the environment and block their views will continue to fight, said Lee Bennett, the vice president of a group opposing the towers.

The study says the impact of the towers for KRKO-AM (1380) would be mostly aesthetic. They would block the views of about 20 homes.

Edmonds

Church invites football disciples

Faith Community Church plans a community Super Bowl party, showing the game on a big-screen TV.

Guests are asked to bring a cash or food donation for the Edmonds Food Bank and a snack dish to share. Portable sports chairs are optional. Prizes donated by businesses will be awarded each quarter.

Washington Huskies receiver Craig Chambers and former team captain Mike Rohrbach are scheduled to speak during halftime.

Doors will open at 3 p.m. Sunday at the church, 10220 238th St. S.W. Information: 206-542-8883.

Edmonds

Volunteer sought for Library Board

The Edmonds Library Board is seeking a volunteer to serve a five-year term.

The five-member board meets once every other month on a Monday evening. The board advises the mayor and City Council on library policies, rules and administration.

Applications are available at City Hall, 121 Fifth Ave. N., and are due by 4:30 p.m. Feb. 25. Information: 425-771-0247.

Edmonds

Rotary meetings to go international

The Rotary Club of Edmonds has an international theme for its February meetings, held at noon Tuesdays at the Edmonds Yacht Club.

Tuesday: Club member Tom Shilling will talk about his trip to Ethiopia as part of a Rotary International polio-immunization project.

Feb. 15: A speaker from Ten Thousand Villages, a Seattle store, will talk about a North American campaign to sell crafts from developing countries and to benefit the villages where the work was produced.

Feb. 22: Rotary members Carol Kinney and Meena Swenson will speak about joint projects with a sister club in Thailand, including tsunami responses.

The Edmonds Yacht Club is on the water side of the Port of Edmonds building on Admiral Way. Meetings are open to the public; lunch costs $15. Information: 425-771-1744.

Compiled by the Seattle Times Snohomish County bureau.