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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Local News Sweep Continued from page 1
also showed up at Marysville First Assembly Church to discard trash, appliances, even electronics, at no cost. n (Left) Carolyn Sanden and Glenn Smith, members of Marysville’s Sunrise Rotary, take a break from trash pickup along 88th Street on Saturday, April 18.
May 3-May 16, 2012 North County Outlook
That same week, city crews demolished eyesore structures in the downtown area, with the owners’ permission, and hauled away debris that included old tires, chunks of concrete and garbage. This past weekend saw Marysville’s Rotarians pitching in, with members of the Noon Rotary applying a fresh coat of paint to the I-5 4th Street overpass and the
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Sunrise Rotary organizing a trash pickup on 88th Street. As Mayor Jon Nehring wrote in an editorial in Sunday’s Herald, “Our goal with Clean Sweep was to create as much visible change as we could in a short period of time, and transplant this same approach to other parts of the community.” Thanks to dozens of volunteers, change happened.
How to Sell Your House Without an Agent
Compost: City fights expansion Continued from page 1
the impacts of the composting facility. Noxious odors that are suspected of originating at Cedar Grove interfere with outdoor activities and are even thought to present health hazards, especially on hot summer days. Residents have filed thousands of complaints, signed petitions, even developed a grassroots organization—Citizens for a Smell-Free Snohomish County—to find relief. “We’re not against composting, and we’re not against Cedar Grove as a business,” explained Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring. “But the process has to be done responsibly. The entire operation has to be reviewed holistically, not piecemeal.” The PSCAA has fined Cedar Grove for non-compliance with odor regulations, and after lengthy appeals, the company paid $119,000 in fines in 2011 to settle 17 complaints. Only two of those findings came from the Snohomish County operation; the rest were related to Cedar Grove’s facility in Maple Valley. In upholding the fines, the Pollution Controls Hearing Board found, “The odors emanating from the facilities have interfered with the reasonable enjoyment of life and property of a large number of surrounding residents.
P.O. Box 39 • Marysville, WA 98270 1331 State Ave. #B • Marysville, WA (360) 659-1100 • Fax (360) 658-7536 www.northcountyoutlook.com North County Outlook is published every other Thursday and mailed direct to households and businesses in Marysville, Arlington, Smokey Point,Tulalip and Quil Ceda Village.
News Deadline: Monday noon before publication editor@northcountyoutlook.com Ad Deadline: Thursday before publication 5 PM sales@northcountyoutlook.com Publisher/Editor . . . . . . . . Beckye Randall Writers . . . . . . . . Christopher Andersson, Sarah Arney, Brady Pierce Advertising Manager . . . . . .Sue Stevenson Ad Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brenda Felder Ad Assistant . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Glidden Graphic Design . . . . . . . . . . Carrie Harris Page Composition . . . . . . . Beckye Randall Proofreading . . . . . . . . . . . Anita Wuellner Contributing Writers . . . . . . Katie Bourg, Bob Connally, Crystal Linn, Emily McCann, Steve Smith, The Tulalip Chefs Member Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
In that regard, the violations are serious, and have been ongoing and repetitive.” Mike Davis, president of Citizens for a Smell-Free Snohomish County, agrees, but he doesn’t think it’s enough. “The fines aren’t a deterrent. It’s just part of doing business for them. They just fold the cost into their business model.” Marysville is also requesting that Everett deny Cedar Grove’s shoreline substantial development permit application, claiming that the facility is not a typical “industrial” use but rather a massive, permanent regional waste management facility. The operation’s impact on wildlife, specifically salmon, is also of major concern to the Tulalip Tribes. The Tribes, in partnership with the Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery Forum, identified the Snohomish estuary, including Smith Island, Steamboat Slough and Union Slough, as critical habitat
for endangered Chinook salmon. Since 2001, the restoration of the Smith Island wetlands and 1,200 acres of tidal marsh has been ranked among the highest priorities of the Forum, and the ongoing work is expected to have a final cost of $11,500,000. “Given the size, scope and significant continuing adverse impacts of the Cedar Grove composting facility,” writes the Tribes, “an EIS is the only means of assuring that governmental actions, policy decisions, and funding expended in the restoration of aquatic habitats of Smith Island are not adversely affected by the Cedar Grove operations.” Marysville leaders and tribal officials have allegedly tried working cooperatively with Cedar Grove, but to no avail. “They blamed the odor on skunks,” said tribal chairman Mel Sheldon. “We don’t want to shut them down. We just want them to do it right.”
If you’ve tried to sell your home yourself, you know that the minute you put the “For Sale by Owner” sign up, the phone will start to ring off the hook. Unfortunately, most calls aren’t from prospective buyers, but rather from every real estate agent in town who will start to hound you for your listing. Like other “For Sale by Owners”, you’ll be subjected to a hundred sales pitches from agents who will tell you how great they are and how you can’t possibly sell your home by yourself. After all, without the proper information, selling a home isn’t easy. Perhaps you’ve had your home on the market for several months with no offers from qualified buyers. This can be a very frustrating time, and many homeowners have given up their dreams of selling their homes themselves. But don’t give up until you’ve read a new
report entitles “Sell Your Own Home” which has been prepared especially for homesellers like you. You’ll find that selling your home by yourself is entirely possible once you understand the process. Inside this report, you’ll find 10 inside tips to selling your home by yourself which will help you sell for the best price in the shortest amount of time. You’ll find out what real estate agents don’t want you to know. To hear a brief recorded message about how to order your FREE copy of this report call toll-free 1-800-270-4033 and enter 1017. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get you FREE special report NOW to learn how you really can sell your home yourself.
This report is courtesy of KW NWRE. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. © 2012
Be a Part of the 2012 Official Strawberry Festival Program!
Celebrating 80 Years of Strawberry Festival! Share your advertising message with thousands of locals and visitors attending community festivals over the summer! Along with extensive Strawberry Festival coverage this guide includes information about: Sorticulture • Arlington Festival Arlington Fly-In Stanwood-Camano Fair Silvana Fair • Evergreen State Fair Summer Music Festivals & More!
Published May 31, 2012 Deadline May 17, 2012 To advertise, or for more information, contact your sales representative at
360-659-1100 sue@northcountyoutlook.com brenda@northcountyoutlook.com