Among the items presented during the Feb. 1 city council meeting was the Interurban Trail easement with Snohomish PUD, which was reviewed and authorized for approval at the Thursday, Feb. 8 meeting.
Since the easement agreement for the Interurban Trail expired in January 2022, Mountlake Terrace and PUD have been negotiating a replacement and operating under the conditions of the expired easement.
“This is a culmination of three years of work between Snohomish County PUD and the City of Mountlake Terrace,” Recreation and Parks Director Jeff Betz told the council.
The previous Interurban Trail agreement between PUD and Mountlake Terrace was a 25-year easement for recreational use. The city provided public access to the trail for $1 a year but was also required to maintain a 12.5-foot area on each side of the centerline of the paved trail for a total of 25 feet. PUD agreed to maintain the areas outside of the 25-foot area.
The new easement agreement is for 25 years at a rate of $1 a year, but the obligations have changed.
Rather than being responsible for 25 feet of embankment along the edges of the paved trail, Mountlake Terrace is responsible for 20 feet, 10 feet on each side.
Other conditions in the agreement are expanding trail use to include pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchairs and power-driven mobility devices such as sit-down scooters.
Future uses will include Class 1 and 2 electric bicycles with a top speed of 20 mph, as commuters on bicycles frequently use the route.
The City of Mountlake Terrace will be responsible for maintaining its 20-foot-wide area and any trail-related amenities directly supporting trail usage, such as signage, access control fencing, bollards, asphalt and adjacent vegetation.
PUD will be responsible for all maintenance of vegetation, tree trimming, mowing and perimeter fencing as well as stormwater infrastructure maintenance and installation.
The city and PUD are equally responsible for the costs of patrolling the area for garbage and cleaning up after encampments and garbage dumping.
The property is owned by PUD and is located on the 24-mile route of the former Seattle-Everett Interurban Trolley, which ran from 1910 to 1939.
Betz noted that at one point during the trolley’s almost 30-year lifespan, it went as far as Bellingham.
The Snohomish County section of the trail is 11.8 miles long and runs through Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds, Lynnwood and unincorporated Snohomish County communities.
The agreement has been moved to the Feb. 8 consent calendar.
New zoning code for single-family residential zones.
After a review and public comment session, the city council moved the proposal for city code changes allowing private recreation facilities in single-family residential zones to the Feb. 8 consent calendar.
It was initiated by Forest Crest Athletic Club (FCAC) after the club discovered it could not renovate its facilities and stay within current city code.
Among the speakers advocating for FCAC was Ace Out Hunger board member James Freeman.
Ace Out Hunger is a Mountlake Terrace-based nonprofit organization that raises non-perishable goods for the Mountlake Terrace Concern For Neighbors Food Bank.
Freeman explained that Ace Out Hunger works in conjunction with Basha Tennis, which holds its annual tennis-related food drive events at FCAC.
“In a nutshell, Ace Out Hunger wants to lend its support for this proposal, which will enable us to continue doing our food drive events,” Freeman said. “Forest Crest Athletic Club is actually providing a relatively unnoticed beneficial contribution to the Mountlake Terrace community, and we’d like to see that continue.”
The revised language allows private recreation facilities such as FCAC to be in areas zoned for single-family residences and addresses signage, light fixture height, fencing and parking.
Further, it addresses privacy and nuisance prevention. Outdoor activity hours are restricted to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and facility lighting should be turned off between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Mickey Corso Clubhouse Lease
Among the items also approved Feb. 1 is the lease for the Mickey Corso Clubhouse at Lake Ballinger, with six “yes” votes and one abstention.
This agreement will allow the Edmonds Waterfront Center to take over for Mountlake Terrace Senior’s Group (MTSG) in providing local senior services and will also forgive MTSG’s lease debt of $10,500 with the city.
The lease agreement is for $10 a year for five years, with an option to renew for another five.
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Proclamations for February 2024
Thursday’s meeting also included two proclamations. The first was for Black History Month, which began on Feb. 1. Accepting that proclamation was Councilmember Steve Woodard.
During public comment, William Paige Jr. of the Mountlake Terrace Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission spoke highly of Councilmember Woodard and his dedication to the community.
“Steve Woodard is a smart, witty, intelligent and compassionate man,” Paige said. “They don’t make many like him anymore.”
In addition to his work on the council, Woodard serves on the Snohomish County African American Black Heritage Committee and multiple boards and committees that serve the community.
The origins of Black History Month date to 1915 with Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s founding of the organization known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
It celebrates the achievements and contributions that African Americans have made in shaping our society, our country and our local communities.
Each year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History sets a theme for Black History Month. The 2024 theme is “African Americans and the Arts,” spanning Black Americans’ many impacts on visual arts, music and cultural movements.
Visit www.asalh.org to learn more about the event’s origins.
The city council also made a proclamation honoring the Lunar New Year, which runs from Feb. 10, 2024, to Jan. 29, 2025. It is the Year of the Dragon.
“Also known as Tet in Vietnamese culture, it is one of the biggest holidays in many East Asian cultures and is celebrated by billions of people around the world and in the city of Mountlake Terrace,” the proclamation read.
The next council meeting will start at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 at Mountlake Terrace City Hall, 23204 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace.
To attend the meeting online, visit zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID 810 1113 9518; no passcode is needed.
To make a public comment remotely, complete the registration form within 24 hours of the meeting’s start. The form can be found here.
To listen via telephone, call 1-253-215-8782 and enter the same meeting ID.
You also can view livestreamed meetings and past video recordings at www.youtube.com/cityofmlt.
The complete agenda can be viewed here.
— By Rick Sinnett
For the unlit section near the 228th crossing (south side), my understanding is that is shared responsibility between Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds, and the PUD. The area is completely unlit (and unsafe), and the graffiti and garbage is proliferating in the last few months on fences. Are there any plans to assist with cleanup and solve the lighting situation, particularly due to the fact the light rail station will be opening this year? It is hard to imagine people feeling safe going through that alleyway in the dark on a regular basis. As a 6ft+ man in good shape walking through that area, I feel completely unsafe walking through there in the dark.