Here's One Volunteer Who Knows How To Get Things Together

Last month, when Mountlake Terrace officials voted to spend up to $800 to decorate their city with yellow ribbons to honor the men and women in the Persian Gulf, they knew to whom they could turn for assistance.

But before they had the chance to ask, Dale Starkenburg had volunteered.

The Brier resident and mother of five, with the help of her oldest daughter, stitched 200 nylon yellow bows for the city to hang along its main streets.

Not only did Starkenburg, a professional seamstress, save the city labor costs, but she also negotiated a special deal on the 150 yards of fabric for the bows - helping save roughly half of what the city was prepared to spend.

``I almost feel selfish about it,'' said Starkenburg, 51, who was grateful for the opportunity to show support for U.S. troops. ``It's a way of being able to help.''

Starkenburg has become something of an expert at helping the city of Mountlake Terrace.

About seven years ago, before she joined the council, City Councilwoman Pat Cordova asked Starkenburg if she would be willing to sew decorative banners for the city's streets.

The answer, of course, was yes.

``It's kind of a fun thing to do,'' said Starkenburg, who has teamed up with the same daughter, Everett resident Jodi Grenzner, on the project.

For more than five years, the city has displayed the colorful banners - sometimes as many as 65 at a time - on light poles during the spring, summer and early fall.

The first year, the two made about 40 banners, Starkenburg remembers. Each was about 7 by 4 feet and included the city's logo. And almost every year, Starkenburg and Grenzner have either repaired the banners or made new ones. They charge a modest price for the work.

``We have probably made close to 300 over the years,'' Starkenburg said.

``She gives us an extreme bargain,'' said Elaine Brown, purchasing supervisor for Mountlake Terrace. ``I can't say enough good things about her.''

As a teen-ager, Starkenburg sewed her own clothes and as a mother, she made clothes for her sons and daughters. About 10 years ago, she began sewing professionally.

Earlier this year, when she heard the city was looking for a way to honor U.S. troops abroad, she decided to get involved.

The idea to decorate the city came from resident Carl Sarbu, who originally asked the City Council about hanging a huge yellow ribbon from the city's water tower.

Elaine Brown contacted Starkenburg to find out what the project would cost.

By the time city officials decided to go with the smaller ribbons two weeks ago, Starkenburg had volunteered to make them.

Already, Starkenburg and Grenzner have sewn more than 100 of the yellow bows - each of which takes 13 feet of material to make. Fifty of the bows have already been hung on traffic signals and light poles. City officials plan to keep them up until all U.S. troops are back from the Gulf.

Starkenburg and Grenzner plan to complete the work within the next several days.

``By next Monday, we'd like to deliver all the rest of them,'' she said. ``If we don't, we'll be late with the banners.''

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