Skykomish is moving

On spring days, a cool breeze slides through the town of Skykomish, tucked into the Cascades in the farthest reaches of King County. Scenic, snowy mountains provide a backdrop for the town and the raging Skykomish River.

Except for the railroad that slices through the town's center, it might be a Northwest paradise.

But Skykomish holds a dirty secret that soon will be exposed when a majority of its buildings are moved and the dirt beneath them removed.

Deep in that dirt upon which the town's historic buildings sit are years' worth of industrial pollution.

On a low-water day, oil can be seen seeping into the river that bears endangered chinook salmon.

Following nearly 80 years of servicing and fueling trains in Skykomish, BNSF Railway doesn't deny it's the responsible party. After another 20 years of discussing with the Department of Ecology how to remedy the environmental danger, BNSF soon will begin removing every square inch of contaminated soil and replacing it with clean dirt.

To do so, it will need to move a majority of Skykomish's downtown structures — historic homes and buildings — to a temporary location near where they now sit.

Some in town believe the three-year project will kill what is left of Skykomish, now a mere remnant of the logging town and rail center it was in its glory days.

But from the fire rises the phoenix, says Mayor Charlotte Mackner, and with a progressive vision, Skykomish will redefine its character.

Monday, dozens of construction trucks will begin moving in and out of town at a pace of one every four minutes: dump trucks, excavators, moving equipment and more.

While some will work to jack up five homes slated to be moved as part of this summer's riverfront cleanup, others will dig down 15 feet to the heart of the problem — heavy oil residues seeping through the town from the railroad line, where fueling stations refilled thirsty engines years ago.

From the 1890s to the 1970s, BNSF used the Skykomish rail yard for maintenance and refueling.

"We have a letter dating back to 1926 complaining of oil seepage from the railroad into the river," says Louise Barty, a Washington Department of Ecology site manager overseeing this project.

Thousands of gallons of oil already have been recovered from wells put in place during the 1990s. But continued degradation of the river makes necessary the removal of all the contaminated soil in town.

This summer, crews will replace 70,000 cubic yards of petroleum-laden soil and river sediment and rebuild a levee along a 700-foot stretch of the river's south bank. This first phase of the three-summer project also takes out the soil beneath the five homes being moved.

BNSF has relocated families whose homes are being moved and expects to spend between $40 million and $50 million before the work is done in 2009 — Skykomish's centennial.

Economically depressed

City Councilman and local bar owner Charlie Brown worries about the effects the cleanup will have on the already economically depressed town.

Thursday afternoon, about a half-dozen regulars lined the bar of the Whistling Post, Skykomish's main drinking establishment since 1903. Behind the bar, pouring beer with an ear cocked toward conversation in the low-lit room, stood Brown, the sounds of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison" in the background.

The Whistling Post, originally called the Olympia Tavern, has never been closed. Even during Prohibition, when alcohol was replaced with soda, it was a dance hall.

But during the summer of 2007, the Whistling Post will shut its doors while the building, with a footprint of more than 2,400 square feet, is relocated to remove contaminated soil underneath.

Brown, who along with his wife, Teddy, became the bar's fourth owner in 1980, fears the place may never reopen.

Locals won't lose their affection for the "town's center," Brown says, but he knows the Highway 2 crowd on its way to and from Stevens Pass — the visitors who keep the bills paid — could be more fickle.

"Come by once and see the place closed, they might not come back again," he says. "Can the few businesses in the town survive this?"

Business isn't the only thing disrupted. The town's one school must shorten its year by 10 days this fall, placing a burden on about two dozen staff who educate students in kindergarten through high school.

This year's graduating class of six will be among 70 students contending with high dust and noise levels before school lets out in June.

"Our biggest concern has been to keep the impacts on the students to a minimum," Superintendent and Principal Desiree Gould says as she unpacks a moving box. She lives in the "teacherage," a home traditionally used by the superintendent since it was built in 1915. It, too, is being moved.

Importance ebbs

A fairly busy logging town with a sawmill nearby during its early days, Skykomish has seen its importance ebb. As the mill closed and fewer trains stopped, the town's population, along with its economy, dwindled. According to the U.S. census, the population dropped from 273 in 1990 to 207 in 2004.

"At one time, the U.S. Forest Service had 30 permanent employees and about 70 seasonal workers here," says John Robinson, a 31-year veteran still working at the agency's Skykomish location. "Now, we're down to about 10."

Although Skykomish is part of King County, you have to take Highway 2 through Snohomish County to get there from Seattle.

Because of its remoteness, property values have remained stagnant for years, with many of the homes occupied only during ski season.

The town desperately needs to redefine itself, Robinson says, especially as development pushes east from Puget Sound. With more than 5,000 cars traveling daily on Highway 2 past Skykomish, recreation and tourism appear to be the key.

The town is surrounded by two wilderness areas and is the final stop before reaching Stevens Pass to the east, so city officials are hoping to find some good in the environmental misfortune.

With a $47,600 grant from Ecology, residents gathered last summer to dream of a new vision for the town.

On cusp of change

Skykomish is on the cusp of major change, says Michael Moore, the school's shop teacher, building-maintenance specialist and bus driver.

Moore also has moved to temporary housing while his house is relocated for this summer's cleanup.

The first project to be completed will be a new riverfront walkway, lookout and boat launch.

Another project that BNSF identified is a new sewer system for the town's business and historic district, which could put life back into the now-boarded-up Skykomish Hotel.

Other proposals include new signs, park improvements, high-speed phones and Internet service, train-depot restoration, a visitors center and a new Skykomish General Store — the last recommended by the town's youths.

"Not having any job opportunities here is one of the biggest problems," says Mayor Mackner, whose husband once worked for Great Northern, which now is part of BNSF. "We agree that tourism and recreation is going to be a lifeline."

The funding for many projects has yet to be determined, but Mackner believes they are the key to revitalization.

As his belongings are packed into a moving truck and carted away, Moore says, "I don't know how we'll make it all happen, but if we do, it will change things for the better."

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com