Mill Creek will grow by 553 acres next month
Mill Creek will expand by 553 acres Dec. 1 as a result of last week's 5-1 City Council vote to annex the lucrative Thomas Lake area along its northeast borders.
The annexation will add about 2,200 residents to the city's population of a little more than 14,000, not counting the future occupants of 262 planned homes that the Snohomish County Council has approved.
The city's costs are projected to be covered by sales taxes generated by Thomas Lake Center and by a Wal-Mart that is expected to be built on 132nd Street Southeast.
The annexation is expected to generate an annual net income of about $650,000 over the first seven years.
EdmondsLand purchase averts legal fight
Edmonds preserved a quarter-acre lot near Shell Creek from development Monday by signing a $200,000 purchase agreement with Michel Construction.
Michel's planned residential development of the land, at 951 Main St., had been expected to cause a legal fight with residents concerned about environmental impacts.
Mayor Gary Haakenson said he had proposed the deal to balance Michel's rights with the public's interest in protecting the Shell Creek wetlands. The city has applied for a state grant to cover its expense.
Lake Stevens
$12.5 million link to Highway 9 opens
The $12.5 million Lundeen Park Way Extension west of Highway 9 opened to traffic last week.
Funding consisted of $2 million from the state, $7.7 million in county money and the balance from developers.
The extension connects Highway 9 to Highway 204.
EverettCultural panel to honor couple
The Everett Cultural Commission will present the 2005 Richard Wendt Award of Excellence to Clay and Hap Wertheimer at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Weyerhaeuser Room on the fourth floor of Everett Station, 3201 Smith Ave.
The award is given annually to individuals or corporations that have demonstrated commitment to the arts in Everett.
Hap Wertheimer is a past president of the Arts Council of Snohomish County and still serves on its advisory board. She was the district chairwoman of the PTA's Reflections, a nationwide school contest, and her company, Hap's Garden Design, has sponsored the biannual Art in the Garden show.
Clay Wertheimer is on the board of the Imagine Children's Museum, and his company, Everett Bone and Joint, has been a sponsor of the Arts Council of Snohomish County's annual H'arts art auction. The couple also support Cocoon House, the Everett Symphony, Habitat for Humanity and other organizations.
Information: Wendy Becker, 425-257-6309.
Everett
Land cleanup to be celebrated
The Everett Housing Authority on Thursday will celebrate the removal of the last contaminated soil on its property that was the former Asarco smelter site.
The cleanup was performed on 7 acres that housed a lead and arsenic smelter in the early 1900s.
During the 1930s, the smelter area became a residential neighborhood. The homes were torn down after high levels of arsenic were discovered in the 1990s. The site is southwest of the intersection of East Marine View Drive and Highway 529.
The cleanup was a joint effort among Everett, the state Department of Ecology, Bank of America, the Everett Housing Authority and other agencies.
The celebration will take place at 11 a.m. at 522 Hawthorne St. Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson and other dignitaries will take part in the event.
Compiled by the Seattle Times Snohomish County bureau