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.

Charging station parking spaces at the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center.

A close up of the charging station.

Story and photos by Doug Petrowski

The Mountlake Terrace City Council at its Monday, April 15 meeting is expected to approve the rate of 85 cents per hour (with a minimum charge of $1.50) for using the new electric vehicle charging stations. The charging stations will begin operating early next month, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 5 at 1 p.m.

The city received 10 dual-charging stations through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and placed them along the south edge of the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center parking lot, located at 236th Street Southwest and Interstate 5. The grant covered the cost of the stations, their maintenance and the subscription to a payment company through 2013.

The public will be able to access the stations for charging electric vehicles sometime during the week of Apr. 30-May 5. Payments are made by using a ChargePoint Network card or any credit card with a RFID tag.

The city will charge 85 cents per hour, with a minimum of $1.50 per session, through April 30, 2013. From May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014, the charge will be $1 per hour, with a minimum of $1.75 per session. After Apr. 30, 2014, the city will make annual adjustments to the rates according to operational costs.

Setting rates for use of the charging stations is a delicate balance for the city; rates must cover the cost of the electricity and maintenance (after 2013), but the city is not allowed to make a profit from the stations. The transit center is actually the property of the Washington State Department of Transportation; any profits generated on site must go to the DOT.

ChargePoint Network will be handling the financial operations of the system. The City of Mountlake Terrace will pay a subscription fee to ChargePoint (after the Department of Energy grant expires in 2013) for this service.

The city will activate five of the 10 stations initially, and city crews will monitor demand for the stations in comparison to the need for general parking in the lot. Mountlake Terrace police will issue citations to anyone parking in an activated charging station parking spot not being used to charge a vehicle. If demand for the stations is light, some charging stations will be turned off at times and those parking spots will be available for general parking use.

The City Council indicated that the three light rail stations would complement the 10 years of planning and implementation that the city has undertaken to encourage redevelopment of its Town Center. The 236th location was considered the most supportive of transit-oriented development in the Town Center to the east and to the mixed-use zone to the south.

“Our goal is to provide the greatest access to our two major redevelopment areas, which are envisioned to reinvigorate the city through two vibrant, walkable districts with new shops, plazas, homes and offices,” said Mayor Jerry Smith.

The Sound Transit Board will decide which of the alternatives should be studied in more detail. A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), including the station locations, is expected to be ready by about mid-2013. It will be available for public review and comment for at least a 45-day period. The Sound Transit Board will then review both the draft EIS and public comments before identifying the preferred alternative for a final EIS. Work on the Final EIS is expected to begin in late 2013 with publication scheduled for 2014.

The award recognizes projects that have transformed neglected properties into significant community assets. Mayor Jerry Smith presented the award to Jim Edwards, Sound Transit’s Deputy Executive Director for Engineering, at a dessert reception held at the Lake Ballinger Golf Course.

“The Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station serves as a catalyst for job creation and economic development, and it goes hand in hand with the city’s revitalization efforts by providing convenient transit options to those who live and work here,” said Mayor Jerry Smith. “Our thanks to Sound Transit for investing in our community.”

The freeway station, located in the Interstate 5 median at 236th Street Southwest, includes a covered pedestrian concrete bridge that crosses the northbound lanes of I-5 and connects to the third floor of Community Transit’s Mountlake Terrace Transit Center. The freeway station includes direct-access bus bays for northbound and southbound bus routes, fully accessible, weather-protected passenger platforms, attractively designed benches, and art-enhanced glass walls that minimize freeway noise. A waiting area features a large bronze log sculpture cast from a felled tree and a series of stainless steel “tree rings” by artists Nancy Chew and Jacqueline Metz.

Since Sound Transit opened the facility, ST Express ridership on Snohomish County routes serving the station experienced the largest increases for the second quarter, particularly Route 511 from Lynnwood, where peak levels doubled. Total ST Express ridership increased 11 percent from last year.
Three ST Express and three Community Transit bus routes serve the freeway station. ST Express buses to Seattle arrive at and depart from the facility seven days a week. Four Community Transit routes and a King County Metro route continue to serve the adjacent Mountlake Terrace park-and-a-ride garage. The station’s unique design allows swift transit access from the freeway to the facility, enabling transit agencies to run more frequent morning and afternoon peak, midday and evening service – and operate weekend express bus service to Seattle for the first time in the city’s history.

“Thanks to Sound Transit’s partnership with the City and Community Transit, the Mountlake Terrace freeway station provides fast and convenient access to 11 regional and local bus routes,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.

The $35.4 million project was funded with $22.6 million from Sound Transit, a $5 million Regional Mobility grant from Washington state, and $9 million in federal funding, including $4.6 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies. The City of Mountlake Terrace and Community Transit provided planning assistance.
The Mountlake Terrace Evergreen Awards, partially funded by a grant from the Snohomish County-Camano Association of Realtors (SCCAR), recognize property owners and renters who take pride in their community by beautifying, renovating, and improving their homes, condominiums and businesses and adding features that promote sustainability.

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One is a light rail route that would follow I-5 to Lynnwood. The other is mostly elevated light rail route that would travel along Highway 99. The agency released a comparison of the two options.

The Highway 99 route is 10.2 miles long with five stations. The I-5 route is 8.5 miles long with four stations.
The travel time between Lynnwood and Northgate is 18 minutes for the Highway 99 route and 14 minutes for the I-5 route.
Year 2030 ridership for the Highway 99 route is 48,000 a day compared to 52,000 a day on the I-5 route.
The early cost estimate to build the Highway 99 route is $2 billion to $2.3 billion and between $1.4 billion and $1.6 billion for the I-5 route.
The alternatives that weren’t identified as promising include a bus rapid transit system using I-5, SR-99 and 15th Avenue NE, and so-called Transportation System Management that features a bus baseline with new bus routes, traffic engineering, and park and ride expansions.

Sound Transit is planning three meetings in October to gather public feedback. In December the Sound Transit Board will identify which alternatives will be considered in a draft environmental impact study.

During staging and the Tour de Terrace parade, 56th Ave W will be closed between 220th St. SW and 236th St SW.

All side streets intersecting 56th will be blocked off and drivers will have to take alternate routes.

All buses will be operating on 58th Ave. W from 4-9:30pm or until the street reopens. Community Transit Route 112 will serve stops on 58th Ave between 236th Street SW and 230th Street SW.

Routes 130, 810, and 871 will serve temporary stops on 58th Ave W, at the following locations:

Northbound on 58th:
North of 232nd St SW
North of 227th St SW
North of 224th St SW
South of 220th St SW (by church)

Southbound on 58th:
North of 224th St SW
North of 227th St SW
South of 232nd St. SW

View a map a full size map [PDF] of the road closures by clicking the image below.

The 2011 project provides for the treatment of streets along 212th Street SW between the Interurban Trail and 52nd Avenue W, 216th Street SW between the Interurban Trail and 66th Avenue W, and 244th Street SW between 56th Avenue and Cedar Way. The existing roadway pavement on these heavily traveled routes is worn and deteriorated and in need of repair and resurfacing.

Two of the routes (212th and 244th) straddle the boundary between Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood and Lake Forest Park respectively, so the project was designed as a joint jurisdiction project.

The City of Mountlake Terrace is taking the lead role in the project and will be reimbursed approximately $90,000 for the costs incurred to resurface the portions of 212th and 244th that are within Lynnwood and Lake Forest Park. The net project cost for Mountlake Terrace is approximately $156,000.

The chip seal work consists of applying crushed rock to a liquid asphalt layer that is applied to the existing road surface. After compaction, a coat of diluted emulsion “fog seal” is sprayed on to the surface to bind the aggregate, providing a finished surface.

The 2011 Chip Seal Project is scheduled to begin in August.

View 2011 MLT Chipseal in a larger map