Congressman Rick Larson plugs in the first all-electric car (a Tesla roadster) at the grand opening of the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center charging station. MLT Mayor, Jerry Smith assists. Also present, Miss 40s Washington, Community Transit's Oxy Gene, Mayor Pro Tem Laura Sonmore, and Councilmembers Seaun Richards, Michelle Robles and Kyoko Wright. (Photos by Mark Hopkins Photography)

One of the 10 charging stations available for use.

The City of Mountlake Terrace and Community Transit hosted the grand opening of 10 new electric vehicle charging stations Saturday at the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center. Several dignitaries were on hand to mark the occasion, including Congressman Rick Larsen, Mountlake

Oxy Gene from Community Transit was on hand for the ceremony.

Terrace Mayor Jerry Smith and Mayor Pro Tem Laura , Community Transit Board Member and Snohomish County Councilmember Dave Gossett and members of the Mountlake Terrace City Council.

This is the first large-scale installation of electric vehicle charging stations in the region outside of Seattle or Everett. The 10 electric vehicle charging stations can charge 20 vehicles and are a part of Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint Network, the largest network of independently-owned charging stations in the world.

The stations are available through a grant to Coulomb funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act under the Transportation Electrification Initiative, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Congressman Rick Larsen, Mountlake Terrace Mayor Jerry Smith, Community Transit Board Member and Snohomish County Councilmember Dave Gossett and other dignitaries will be on hand to plug in the first electric vehicle. Officials from Charge Northwest, EV Support (Puget Sound Solar), Seattle Electric Vehicle Association, Snohomish County PUD, and Sound Transit will also be onsite.

“We invite the community to come and get charged up in Mountlake Terrace,” said Virginia Olsen, the City’s Community Relations Director. Numerous electric vehicles will be on display, along with Community Transit’s double-decker bus, Community Transit’s mascot Oxy Gene, and refreshments.

This is the first large-scale installation of electric vehicle charging stations in the region outside of Seattle or Everett. The 10 electric vehicle charging stations can charge 20 vehicles and are a part of Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint Network, the largest network of independently-owned charging stations in the world.

The stations are available through a grant to Coulomb funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act under the Transportation Electrification Initiative, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Workers perform repavement work Friday.

Story and photo by Doug Petrowski

Construction crews will be repaving 55th Avenue West from 236th Street Southwest north to 230th Street Southwest Friday, May 4 and Monday, May 7, and again on May 18 and 21. Drivers can expect delays and are advised to consider an alternate route.

The construction work on 55th Avenue West has been part of the Town Center water main work begun earlier this year. The water system upgrades are being made in anticipation of new building development expected in the downtown core of Mountlake Terrace along 56th Avenue West over the next few years.

Children go on adventurous quests to exotic destinations, becoming financial gurus along the way.  Meanwhile, parents and teachers have access to an administrator tool where they can track progress and assist in the learning experience.

Financial literacy is at an all-time low in the United States, the bank notes, and  research shows that 91 percent of parents are interested in providing a better financial education for their kids.

“As an active member of our community, a big part of our responsibility is helping at the local level, and educating kids about money-management is a great way to make an impact,” says Laurie Stewart, Sound Community Bank president and CEO. “Offering MoneyIsland helps parents and teachers address an important challenge for the children of our community and instill lifelong financial literacy lessons.”

The MoneyIsland curriculum has already been successfully piloted by public schools in Iowa and Texas. There are lesson plans for every level of the learning experience, along with ongoing educational resources for teachers and parents, and the plans are aligned with national standards published by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.

Contact Sound Community Bank at the MLT Cedar Plaza Branch, 800-458-5585, Ext. 100 for more information on enrolling individual children or a group.

Large appliances, car batteries, cell phones, computers, monitors, printers, televisions, stereos, ink cartridges, medical equipment and scrap metal will be accepted at the free recycling event. Participants can also bring up to 20 banker boxes full of shredding materials to the Windermere North office, 4211 Alderwood Mall Blvd., between 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

“This is a great way to clean out your garage and help the environment to boot,” notes Lena Maul, broker/owner at Windermere North. Non-perishable food donations to benefit the Lynnwood Food Bank are welcome, but not required.

1 Green Planet provides free recycling drop-off for everyone and free recycling pick-up for businesses. For more recycling information, contact 1 Green Planet at 866-422-3755.

Leonard Daniel, left, helps a customer.

Story and photos by Doug Petrowski

The State of Washington has finished auctioning off its 167 state-run liquor stores; some are closing, the rest will have new owners. And large grocery, discount and warehouse stores are preparing to stock shelves with liquor and spirits for sale. So what changes are coming to Mountlake Terrace Liquor and Wine on 44th Ave. W.?

Not many, says the owner of the only store in town where you can currently purchase a bottle of bourbon, whiskey, vodka or other hard liquor.

Leonard Daniel, and his wife Lori have owned and operated the state-contracted liquor store at 22402-44th Ave. W. since June 2010. They plan to “stick to it,” said Daniel, even after their exclusive outlet for liquor sales in Mountlake Terrace gets some competition starting June 1.

Mountlake Terrace Liquor and Wine is one of 162 privately-owned liquor stores in the state; these stores will be allowed to continue to operate when new laws and regulations concerning liquor and alcohol distribution and sales go into effect June 1. The changes are a result of Initiative 1183, which was approved by state voters last November.

In Mountlake Terrace, the number of stores selling liquor will likely go from one (Daniels’ store) to four — Rogers’ Market on 56th Avenue West and Albertsons at 44th Avenue West and 228th Street Southwest have already applied for their liquor licenses and started remodeling to accommodate stock; QFC on 44th Avenue West is expected to follow.

Concerning the coming competition for liquor dollars, Daniel claims he’s not worried. “My competitive advantage is in selection, with 1,300 items in our store,” Daniel said. He speculates the big stores will likely only have dozens of bottles in stock at any one time.

With 1,300 items in stock, Daniel is proud of the store's liquor selection.

“I also have knowledge of the products,” he added. “If you walk into Albertsons and ask how to make a mojito, they might say, ‘There’s the rum aisle; good luck.’”

There is one thing that will change at Mountlake Terrace Liquor and Wine come June 1: The prices will go up. Daniel explained that the state will start collecting a 17-percent fee on liquor sales on top of the already existing sales taxes. The new private liquor distributors (the state had been the sole distributor in the past — now distribution will be privatized) will also be hit with fees from the state. The bottom line is higher prices to the consumer. “I have to raise prices to cover my costs,” Daniel said.

Daniel will continue to be supplied with liquor through the state Liquor Control Board through mid-May. After June 1, it will come exclusively through private distributors.

The Daniels seem to be the perfect pair to take on the challenges of new rules in the liquor business. Before opening Mountlake Terrace Liquor and Wine, Leonard was already in the field of sales, and Lori had worked for 27 years at the Liquor Control Board.

During a recent late afternoon rush at the store, Daniel interacted with customers effortlessly, calling many of them by name. “My customers seem to be very loyal,” he said. “I have customers who drive by other liquor stores to get to ours.” It’s this loyalty that Daniel is counting on to keep the store going despite all the changes coming in the field.

Mountlake Terrace Liquor and Wine is open seven days a week.

Stanford worked during this past legislative session to win support for an $800,000 appropriation in the supplemental 2011-2013 capital budget to assist in paying for a new Scriber Creek Pedestrian Bridge. This updated construction budget won final legislative approval near the very end of the recent special session.

A December 2007 flood damaged the bridge, he said.

“Those devastating flood waters eroded the creek bank. In fact, the creek bank took such a battering that two of the four pilings supporting the bridge were exposed,” Stanford explained.

“I’d like to express my appreciation to Rep. Stanford and his staff for their efforts assisting the City of Brier to acquire the funding needed for this project,” said Brier Mayor Bob Colinas. “The city will now be able to make the repairs ensuring that the bridge, sewer line and the fragile ecosystem of Scriber Creek will be maintained.”

Nicole Gaudette, Brier City Planner, said that “rebuilding the Scriber Creek Bridge will protect salmon-bearing waters, critical infrastructure, a pedestrian pathway, and the public health. The state’s partnership in funding this project is crucial to its success.”

The Scriber Creek Pedestrian Bridge not only provides a major trail link in Brier, it also carries a sewer pipe over Scriber Creek, which is a salmon-bearing waterway. As an emergency measure after the flood, a rock wall was installed to protect the exposed pilings and prevent the bridge from falling.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have declared that the rock wall can serve only as an emergency provision, which means that it must be removed fairly soon to prevent further damage to fish habitat. So when the rock wall is taken out, the bridge and sewer pipe are once again vulnerable if there’s another flood. And if that happens, the sewage dumped in Scriber Creek would pollute the water, the waters downstream and, eventually, Lake Washington.

According to Stanford, the state’s capital budget emphasizes public-school improvements, among other construction work. The budget will help leverage federal, local and private funding, and it also helps preserve and maintain state facilities. Since it is primarily funded by the sale of bonds,  it “doesn’t do anything to add to the serious shortfall currently confronting our state’s biennial operating budget,” he said.