Post-season prep forecasts
Historical tea a success The Marysville Historical Society’s annual tea and fashion show raised $10K toward a museum. Page 10
Brady Pierce looks at playoff prospects for teams from our local schools. Page 6
Olé! Music teaches heritage
Handy trick for great tomatoes
A local mariachi band focuses on teaching music to its young members. Page 11
The Whistling Gardener, Steve Smith, shares some discoveries for NW plants. Page 15
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Arlington Depot opens The City of Arlington celebrated the official opening of its new visitors center and public restroom facility next to the Centennial Trail in downtown Legion Park on Saturday, April 28. With water fountains, bike racks and informational
displays about the town and the trail, the new Arlington Depot was an immediate hit with locals and trail users. The $160,000 project, a replica of the city’s former Northern Pacific railroad depot, was completed with grant funding, and Rep. Kirk
Letter carriers collect food
Pearson was recognized for helping to keep the project alive despite the state’s budget crunch. Saturday’s celebration included a performance by the Brass Menagerie Band and several group bike rides along the Centennial Trail.
By Beckye Randall Staff Writer/Editor
Volunteers make a clean sweep By Beckye Randall Staff Writer/Editor Marysville’s streets and neighborhoods shine a little brighter these days, thanks to the coordinated efforts of volunteers, city departments, local businesses and organizations. This year’s Clean Sweep Week expanded to include activities over three sunny April weekends. From planting trees to removing debris and covering graffiti, the volunteer efforts displayed a sense of community pride and unity against blight. A tree-planting at the Qwuloolt Estuary on April 14 was paired with the annual Graffiti Paint-Out event and various street improvement projects. The annual Shred-a-Thon, held April 21, saw record turnout as residents took advantage of the opportunity to shred sensitive documents for free. Overflow crowds See SWEEP on page 3
staff photo by beckye randall
n Former Rotary president Gayl Spilman (left) and Gary Baker (right) were joined by scores of Marysville Rotarians Saturday morning, April 28, to paint over graffiti and provide a fresh, clean aesthetic to the walls and columns supporting the I-5 4th Street overpass. The project was part of the city’s Clean Sweep efforts.
Appeals filed to halt Cedar Grove expansion By Beckye Randall Staff Writer/Editor In early April, just before the public comment period expired on an application by Cedar Grove Compost to build an anaerobic digester and fill acres of wetlands at its Smith Island facility, the City of Marysville and the Tulalip Tribes each submitted extensive documentation appealing the City of Everett’s Proposed Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance (MDNS) for the project. Marysville and Tulalip have asked Everett and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) to require Cedar
Grove to complete a full Environmental Impact Study (EIS) before proceeding with any expansion plans. The City of Everett and PSCAA are co-lead agencies for the permit application. The document states, “It is appalling that the Smith Island facility, which Cedar Grove’s own consultant admits has become ‘the largest combined yard waste and food waste composting facility in the world,’ has never been the subject of an EIS.” The application to expand Cedar Grove’s operations is ambiguous, claim the appellants, and even misleading. Certain language refers to
the company’s eventual plan to install seven anaerobic digesters and three Gore pads, all designed to turn food and yard waste into compost while capturing a biogas byproduct, although the application specifically mentions only one digester. The original permit for Cedar Grove’s operation, issued in February 2004, allowed the company to process 123,000 tons of waste each year. However, because the estimated time for “curing” compost was decreased through new technology, and traffic impacts were less than initially anticipated, the company has successfully
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gained incremental permission to increase its output to 228,521 tons per year without undergoing any supplemental review. The company’s original plan also stated that the tub grinder would be fully enclosed with a ventilation system that trapped emissions. More than eight years later, the grinder still operates in the open air. In 2011 the PSCAA ordered Cedar Grove to enclose the grinder building, but allowed open air grinding to continue until May of 2012. Marysville and Tulalip residents are familiar with See COMPOST on page 3
The Marysville Post Office is gearing up for its annual Letter Carriers Food Drive, set for Saturday, May 12, to benefit the Marysville Community Food Bank. Be on the lookout for a yellow collection bag that will be delivered to your mailbox prior to pickup day. This drive has never been more important than it is this year. The number of visits to the food bank is up 8 percent over last year. “Ideally, I would like to see the amount of donations meet the level achieved in 2009—40,000 pounds,” said Dell Deierling, director of the Marysville Community Food Bank. Deierling has seen a decline in donations of 20 percent each year over the last two years, but he knows what the community is capable of. The food bank received over 95,000 pounds of food from the community during the final quarter of last year to stock the shelves and support the holiday and spring timeframe. The Letter Carriers Food Drive is essential for covering the summer period when kids are at home and family needs are high.
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