ARLINGTON — Residents of Arlington will remember 2011 for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the stories, by publication date, that appeared on the pages of The Arlington Times in 2011.
January 5
More than a dozen area residents greeted the New Year by braving the elements in a bracing fashion. The Dickson family of Arlington has been taking “polar bear” plunges for the past 14 years on New Year’s Day, but this year they included other families in their tradition. While they invited about 250 families, they were joined by two families and another two watched.
January 12
The Washington State Legislature’s 2011 regular session began on Jan. 10, and two Republican House members want to let their constituents know about the legislative challenges that lie ahead this year. State representatives Kirk Pearson of the 39th District and Norma Smith of the 10th District addressed concerns about the economy and the state budget, the latter especially as it pertains to education. They also spoke of the need for bipartisan governance and the importance of fostering dialogues between voters and elected officials.
January 19
Three Arlington softball players got to take the trip of a lifetime during their winter break as they traded the familiar sights of their hometown during the holidays for the landmarks and baseball fields of China. From Dec. 27 through Jan. 5 the Washington Cultural Exchange’s softball trip to China sent Brittany Bovard, Ronnie Ladines and Rachel Backlund to Guangzhou as part of a group of 27 high school players from across the state of Washington, so that they could compete against local Chinese players.
January 26
The Arlington Relay for Life’s fundraising season kicked off with music and congratulations Jan. 22, as American Cancer Society representatives praised Arlington for its record-breaking first-year Relay earnings and predicted even brighter prospects for this year. Arlington Mayor Margaret Larson spoke to the audience at the Stillaguamish Senior Center, pointing to the Relay volunteers in attendance as an example of her oft-cited “heart of Arlington.”
February 2
Dr. Kristine McDuffy presented her third annual “State of the District” address as Arlington School District superintendent, speaking to parents, school staff and community members in the library of Kent Prairie Elementary on Jan. 25. “We’re going to focus on the three ‘R’s of education tonight, although they’re different than the ones you remember,” McDuffy said. “They’re resiliency, resolve and results.”
February 9
Dedication to duty and team spirit are among the traits that have earned Arlington Police Officer Mike McQuoid recognition as the Arlington Police Department’s Employee of the Year for 2010 on Jan. 18. “This is not a popularity contest,” Arlington Police Chief Nelson Beazley said during the Arlington City Council meeting. “It’s about consistency, professionalism, effectiveness, quality and excellence in service.”
February 16
Kent Prairie Elementary became a big top circus on the evening of Feb. 11, thanks to students, school staff and community volunteers. The school PTA’s 11th annual fundraising carnival was packed with kids, activities, clowns, tasty treats and even a ringmaster, in the form of Kent Prairie Principal Kathy Engell.
February 23
A “ziggy-zaggy” might not sound like a serious teaching tool, but Eagle Creek Elementary students were eager to learn more about math through the handmade toy. Rick Hartman, a former grade school teacher who’s made toys for the past 17 years, met with more than 200 Eagle Creek students and their families on the evening of Feb. 16 to show them how they could use applied math to put together their own “ziggy-zaggy” toys out of the supplies that he’d provided that night in the school cafeteria.
March 2
Arlington High School students condensed several decades’ worth of generational musical touchstones into a three-hour extravaganza of colorful costume changes and elaborate light-and-sound effects. The AHS Jazzmine vocal ensemble’s annual stage show at the Linda M. Byrnes Performing Arts Center offered audiences a “Media Overload” this year, and its inaugural performance on the evening of Feb. 25 drew applause from a packed house of attendees throughout the night.
March 9
To Jim Kelly a simple glass jar of clear water is a compelling example of the value of his work. “This is untreated raw sewage,” said Kelly, director of the city of Arlington Public Works Department, as he held a glass jar filled with an almost black liquid. “And this is the effluent of our wastewater treatment plant,” he added, holding up the glass jar of clear water. On Feb. 28, Kelly submitted a letter of substantial completion to the Arlington City Council for IMCO General Contractors’ upgrades and expansions to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
March 16
Helping Hands could use a helping hand of its own.
The Arlington thrift store that donates its proceeds back to the community is looking for a new home as the city of Arlington plans to reclaim the property used by both Helping Hands and the Arlington Food Bank for public works offices and improvements to Haller Park. “The city needs to get the park’s existing restroom facility onto higher ground as the current facility is flooded and damaged virtually every time we have a flood event on the Stillaguamish River,” Arlington Assistant City Administrator Kristin Banfield said.
March 23
No one was more surprised than Arlington Mayor Margaret Larson by her own recent honor. Larson was named the 2010 Citizen of the Year by members of the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce at the March 7 Arlington City Council meeting. “For once, I am speechless,” Larson said, after Chamber Executive Director Michael Prihoda announced that she would receive the Citizen of the Year Award.
March 30
Jody Davis was not only reunited with his wife Katie when his ship pulled into port after seven months out at sea, but he also met a new member of his family for the first time.
“I’m just kind of in shock right now,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jody Davis on March 24, as he held his five-month-old son Colby who was born while his father was still deployed with his shipmates on board the USS Abraham Lincoln which returned to Everett March 24 after a seven-month deployment.
April 6
Although the morning’s rain brought with it a significantly reduced attendance, the enthusiasm of those who did turn out for the Walk MS at the Tulalip Amphitheatre wasn’t dampened.
Patty Shepherd-Barnes, president of the MS Society’s Greater Northwest Chapter, conceded that her estimate of 400 walkers at Tulalip on April 2 was less than half of the turnout had been anticipated for this year’s Tulalip Walk MS, but she also noted that this year’s fundraising for the Greater Northwest Chapter as a whole was close to $1.1 million, as opposed to the $1 million that it had raised by this time last year.
April 13
The Arlington City Council not only unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the establishment of a permanent Emergency Medical Services levy, but also amended it to stipulate that the levy would not represent an additional tax on the city’s citizens. The City Council members wound up offering the only opinions voiced after they opened the floor to public comment during their April 4 meeting, which Arlington Mayor Pro Tem Steve Baker led off by reporting that he’d heard from a number of citizens who believed that the proposed levy did represent an additional tax.
April 20
The city of Arlington’s Country Charm Recreation and Conservation Area is currently on track to open by the fall of this year, and over Arbor Day weekend a number of partners throughout the region pitched in to help the city’s progress toward completing the planned campground, public garden and off-leash dog park. Seattle-based band Pearl Jam donated $8,000 for the purchase of native trees and shrubs that were planted along the Stillaguamish River at the former Graafstra dairy farm on April 9.
April 27
Arlington’s Easter Egg Hunt was held April 23 and Heather Logan of Cascade Valley Hospital, who handed out special prizes to kids whose plastic eggs contained gold-colored coins or award certificates, estimated that the day drew between 1,000 and 1,500 egg hunters to its three grassy fields filled with 10,000 Easter eggs, divvied up between ages 0-3, 4-6 and 7-12. This attendance is either twice or triple the number of kids who showed up last year.
May 4
Although the released results of the April 26 special election remain unofficial, supporters of the city of Arlington’s proposed permanent Emergency Medical Services levy are encouraged by what they’ve seen so far. As of April 27, the city of Arlington’s Proposition 1 had received 2,986 “yes” votes, or 84.69 percent of the votes counted, and 540 “no” votes, or 15.31 percent of the votes counted. From Fire District 21, Proposition 1 had received 1,679 “yes” votes, or 79.72 percent of the votes counted, and 427 “no” votes, or 20.28 percent of the votes counted.
May 11
“In our eyes, you won, Mom,” 13-year-old Anastaya Dickson told her mother, Arlington’s Stephanie Dickson, after she’d received the call from KING 5’s “New Day Northwest” producers. “In 10 million people’s eyes, you won.” Dickson, an active mother of six, made it to the final three in the TV show’s “Super Mom” contest, and while the phone call she received on the afternoon of the show’s May 4 taping informed her that she hadn’t won first place, she still walked away with second place and is set to receive some gifts from the TV producers.
May 18
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen wanted his senior constituents to know that he hears their concerns about health care. “I care because you care,” Larsen told his audience at the Stillaguamish Senior Center on May 16. “These are issues you want to have addressed.” Larsen fielded questions from an audience that was already receptive to his message of protecting health care for seniors, as he joined representatives of the AARP in discussing the potential impact of federal budget cuts on Medicare.
May 25
Cascade Valley and numerous other hospitals participated in “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” an emergency training exercise on May 18 which event organizers hoped would help them develop standardized region-wide response plans for such situations.
Roughly a quarter of Cascade Valley’s 125 staff members took part in the exercise, with hospital managers filling designated command roles and medical staff who happened to be free serving in support roles, the latter including an available labor pool of nearly 50 workers.
June 1
“There’s a lot of good information and good vibrations here today,” said Mel Sheldon Jr., chair of the Tulalip Tribes, to the crowd in the Tulalip Resort’s Orca Ballroom. “The goal and desire that we all share in common is to better our communities and our county.” Those words helped open the North Snohomish County Community Partners Economic Development Summit between the Tulalip Tribes and the cities of Marysville and Arlington on May 25, as those jurisdictions teamed up with Strategies 360 to discuss how cooperative planning between them can help lead the way to economic recovery for all of them.
June 8
After its absence last year, Arlington High School’s “Rock the Nest” concert returned this year with two rock bands that brought together AHS students and alumni. The stage of the Linda M. Byrnes Performing Arts Center hosted bands Sound Puppets and Dandy Lion on June 1, with many members of those bands applying lessons they’d learned in the AHS Jazzmine program under director Lyle Forde, who’s retiring at the end of this school year.
June 15
Olympic Avenue was choked with cars on June 11, but it wasn’t a traffic jam. Rather than honking their horns or simmering in exhaust fumes, visitors to downtown Arlington that day strolled along the street and complimented one another on their stylized and polished vehicles at the 12th annual Old Town Show ‘N Shine Car Show.
June 22
Leaving the safety of high school to enter the adult world can feel like a stormy transition for many graduates. The Arlington High School Class of 2011 found themselves weathering a literal storm during their June 14 commencement which forced graduating seniors and school district staff alike to don plastic rain ponchos over their black robes.
June 29
Dozens of participants gathered round the Legion Park gazebo for the start of this year’s “Friendship Walk” in support of Village Community Services, raising $1,420 on site for its arts and music programs.
July 6
The afternoon of the Fourth of July in Arlington opened with a brand-new activity and eventually led into a familiar favorite that was observed in a new way. The Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce’s first-ever “Mini-Marshmallow Madness” drew close to 300 attendees to Legion Park, according to Chamber Executive Director Michael Prihoda. Other events that day included the Peddle, Paddle and Puff triathlon, the firefighters’ pancake breakfast, the Kiwanis Auction, the Duck Dash, Kiddies Parade, the Grand Parade and fireworks.
July 13
While the skies might have turned slightly gray and rainy over the Arlington Municipal Airport by the next day, the first day of this year’s Arlington Fly-In treated thousands of children to aviation-themed fun in the hot summer sun. The traditional opening day Wednesday “Kids Day” on July 6 drew even more attendees than Arlington Fly-In Executive Director Barbara Tolbert could keep track of exactly.
July 20
After more than two decades, Arlington’s annual Street Fair still offered attendees new avenues of entertainment this year.
“The Purse Lady” Debbie Whitis chaired the event for the first time this year and credited pleasant weather, local newspaper coverage, and a mix of new features and familiar favorites with drawing plenty of foot traffic to Olympic Avenue from July 8-10.
July 27
The Everett Clinic broke ground on its planned two-story, 60,000-square-foot, $24 million facility north of 172nd Street NE and west of I-5 on July 21, as Everett Clinic Chief Operating Officer Mark Mantei explained that the 3.6-acre site would serve as the grounds for an even bigger building than their branch in Smokey Point, hosting a broader cross-section of health care services than any Everett Clinic outside of their main offices in Everett itself.
August 3
In spite of what one might expect from Washington state weather, organizers of the Silvana Fair take pride in pointing out that it’s almost never rained on the day of their fair. The 64th annual Silvana Fair proved to be no exception as the day’s warm sun and cloudless skies seemed to attract even more attendees than usual to Silvana’s Viking Hall and the adjacent fields on July 30.
August 10
The 28th Annual National Night Out Against Crime, was held Tuesday, Aug. 2, at the Food Pavilion in Smokey Point. The event, which is held nationwide, was designed to heighten crime and drug awareness and generate support for anti-crime programs.
August 17
One month after the Marysville City Council voted unanimously to impose a six-month moratorium on the establishment, licensing or permitting of medical marijuana dispensaries or collective gardens, the Arlington City Council did the same. The Arlington City Council’s unanimous vote in favor of their moratorium during their Aug. 15 meeting followed a discussion on the issue during their Aug. 8 workshop. Arlington Police Chief Nelson Beazley not only acknowledged that Arlington’s moratorium was inspired by those of “sister cities” such as Marysville, but assured the Council that he would be working with Marysville and its fellow cities to ensure that Arlington’s zoning of medical marijuana dispensaries and collective gardens is consistent with those of other municipalities.
August 24
“We left last Sunday and came back today,” Brian Price said on Saturday, Aug. 20, of the round trip he and three of his fellow Arlington firefighters took to New York City, “but we’ll never forget what we saw.” Arlington firefighters Price, Kirk Normand, Dan Hargroves and Jason Abrahamson received a heroes’ welcome home from cheering crowds on Olympic Avenue Aug. 20, as they brought back a 13-foot, 4,373-pound steel beam from the World Trade Center that had been destroyed by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
August 31
Presidents Elementary once again found its playgrounds packed with local families in need of supplies to start the school year as the second annual “Back2School Rally” drew more than 500 attendees. Event coordinator Brandie Broadhead, the children’s pastor at the Arlington Assembly of God Church, explained that backpacks containing school supplies were made available not only to the 510 pre-registrants for the event on Aug. 28, but also to as many as 100 walk-ins.
September 7
The city of Arlington is mourning the passing of City Council Member Scott Solla, who served the city from 2006 until his passing on the morning of Sept. 3. Solla passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. In his honor, city flags were flown at half-staff on Sept. 3. Solla was appointed to the Arlington City Council in May of 2006 to fill an unexpired term. He was then elected to the seat in 2007 and re-elected in 2009.
September 14
The first day of school is enough to make any kid a bit nervous, even if she’s a veteran of first days of school like Kent Prairie Elementary fourth-grader Makenzie Leathers. Makenzie and other students started the new school year on Sept. 7.
September 21
Gray skies and drizzling rain couldn’t keep visitors away from Pioneer Hall on Sept. 17, as the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum’s annual “Pioneer Days” attracted a large number of first-time attendees to the event, not only from neighboring Marysville and Everett further south, but also as far away as Moses Lake.
September 28
Motorists and pedestrians passing through downtown Arlington have probably noticed some black marks on the city’s image, literally, on Olympic Avenue since Friday, Sept. 9. The annual Drag Strip Reunion and Car Show didn’t begin in earnest until Saturday, Sept. 10, but with a number of auto enthusiasts arriving in town the night before, the rubber met the road hard enough to leave skid-marks that have remained visible since.
October 5
The Arlington City Council gave itself some extra time to consider the issue of medical marijuana during their Oct. 3 meeting. After a public hearing during which no one stepped up to offer any testimony, the Council voted unanimously to extend their moratorium on medical marijuana collective gardens within the city limits, from six months to a full year, dating from Aug. 15 of this year.
October 12
The clock is ticking for Helping Hands of Arlington.
The thrift store at 127 W. Cox Ave. has until the end of October to find a new home, but without some outside intervention even the most inexpensive of options will be well out of their reach. The city of Arlington is reclaiming the property used by both Helping Hands and the Arlington Food Bank for public works offices and improvements to Haller Park.
October 19
It was a project 30 years in the making, and those who pushed it forward are already planning the next stages of its development. On Oct. 15, the Armar Road Trailhead served as the site for the dedication of the final stretch of Centennial Trail between Arlington and Snohomish.
October 26
More than 30 area teens descended on the Arlington Library for the second in a four-month series of programs designed to give them a taste of something new: “Chopped: A Library Foodie Competition.”
November 2
Pirates and zombies made their debut at Arlington’s “Hometown Halloween” this year, and they were joined by plenty of familiar favorites. Karen Ricketts noted that Arlington Hardware conducted its 20th annual pumpkin-carving contest on Oct. 29, a tradition that began with a pumpkin weigh-in during its first year.
November 9
Half a dozen members of the Arlington Lions Club braved a cold downpour to spruce up the Arlington Cemetery as part of an international campaign by their organization. Wing-Kun Tam, international president of Lions Club, called upon Lions to continue planting trees after they’d surpassed his initial goal of 1 million trees planted, and Arlington Lions did their part on Nov. 3 by planting close to 40 arborvitae evergreen trees.
November 16
The day’s heavy downpour failed to drown out the community spirit of the crowds who lined both sides of the street to cheer for Arlington’s Veterans Day parade this year.
November 23
Debora Nelson is an Arlington business owner who’s served as president of the Downtown Arlington Business Association and was a candidate in this year’s primaries for the Arlington mayor’s race. As of Nov. 21, she can add another title to her list of roles after being sworn in as the Arlington City Council member for Position 3.
November 30
The Arlington City Council continues to winnow its budget to try and reduce what began as a roughly $2 million deficit. While a combination of COLA and position eliminations, reallocations of funds and reductions of expenditures could shrink that deficit by $1,330,000, Arlington City Administrator Allen Johnson posed the problem of how to close the remaining $670,000 deficit in the city’s general fund to the City Council on Nov. 21.
December 7
The Arlington community marked the start of its winter holiday season on Saturday, Dec. 3, with the return of its “Hometown Holidays.” “We usually get big crowds for the Hometown Holidays, but we’re seeing way more people this year,” said city Recreation Coordinator Sarah Lopez.
December 14
Those in need in the local community will find familiar helping hands at a new location as the Arlington Community Food Bank opened its doors for the first time at the Arlington Municipal Airport on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Arlington Community Food Bank Board President Sharon Moon estimated that more than two dozen volunteers moved close to 10 tons of food from their former facility at 137 N. Cox Ave. to their new home, albeit a temporary one, at 18810 59th Dr. NE.
December 21
A split vote and harsh words marked the Arlington City Council’s adoption of a budget for 2012. While the Council was unanimous in its approval of the proposed tax rate increases introduced by Arlington City Administrator Allen Johnson on Monday, Dec. 19, Council members Dick Butner, Marilyn Oertle and Steve Baker voted against the budget concessions obtained through collective bargaining negotiations with Arlington police officers and firefighters. The trio then voted against the adoption of the 2012 budget later that same meeting, turning the vote count into a 4-3 passage of the budget.
December 28
The Arlington Community Food Bank’s first Christmas basket distribution at its new location met expectations and exceeded last year’s demand, according to food bank volunteers who served an estimated 400 families or more on Thursday, Dec. 22.
