10 years ago 1997

At six feet, three inches tall and 300 pounds, Officer Dave Vasconi is hard to miss. Hes also hard to find. At any given hour, Vasconi might be deep in the suburbs, looking for a loose Rottweiler. He might be strolling near Comeford Park, chalking the tires of cars parked in two-hour parking zones. Or he might be at a car accident on State Avenue, helping officers clear the scene. Vasconi, 31, is about to celebrate his one-year anniversary as the animal control/parking enforcement arm of Marysville law. After a year, hes no stranger to the challenges of his job. He confronted a man whose pit bull didnt have a leash, only to discover the man was a felon with a large silver-handled knife tucked in his shirt. He issued parking tickets to people whose cars, technically, should have been towed, only to be called unsavory names. He had to tell people their new puppy was hit by a car while running loose. The job can be taxing, but Vasconi said he loves it and hopes to stay at the MPD until retirement. Even though he has volunteered as a reserve deputy with the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office for eight years, he doesnt want to be a traditional police officer the stress that cops on the streets endure is not worth it for him, he said. To Vasconi, it is satisfying to simply help people in need, and educate the public to take better care of themselves and their pets. Last year, Vasconi issued more than 200 animal-control citations for everything from loose dogs to animal cruelty. Virtually every ticket, he said, was preceded by a warning. Some of the tickets were third or fourth violations of the same offense, which gets expensive someone who violates the leash law is fined $66 the first time, $150 the second, and $250 the third. Talking to people about their pets can be more uncomfortable than youd think, Vasconi said. As a regular deputy, he has driven to houses and told parents their son was picked up for burglary, and the parents are often very nonchalant, he said. But if you confront them about their barking dog, people are ready to fight you tooth and nail. It almost seems like people care more about their pets than about their own children sometimes. Acting Police Chief Walt McKinney agreed. With people, theres two things you dont mess with: their ears and their dogs. Vasconis strong point is his calming presence, McKinney said. He knows how to diffuse a volatile situation. Ive never heard him raise his voice, no matter what the situation. Dogs may not carry drugs or guns, but sometimes their owners do. A leash law violation can turn into a felony any day of the week, Vasconi said. When an encounter gets nerve-wracking, as it did with the silver-handled knife carrier, Vasconi calls for backup. An angry dog can kill a human in 60 seconds, Vasconi said, so safety is his main concern. The dog in question doesnt have to be a pit bull to warrant careful treatment, because dog behavior (like human behavior) has most to do with how they are raised, he said. To catch loose dogs, he first tries simply telling them to go home. Often they just trot obediently back to their yards, which makes Vasconis detective work much simpler. He also uses a fetch pole, which is a long handle with a collar at the end. Mace works well on violent dogs. Hell also hold out his metal police baton to give the dog something to bite other then his arm. Using the baton is for emergencies only. Vasconi said he sympathizes with pet owners who cant get their dog to stop barking, as well as with commuters who have trouble finding available parking in the wee hours. But expensive encounters with this gentle giant can be avoided with a few simple measures: license your dog. Keep it in the yard. Lock it in the garage at night if it barks. Leave for work five minutes earlier to find a free parking space, so you dont have to sneak into a two-hour zone.

25 years ago 1982

The recent snow and rainstorms which assaulted the Marysville area were of little help in the Agrarian Corporations bid to gain approval for construction of a condominium on 47th Avenue near 80th. While storm drainage never seemed to be a major arguing point in the three previous hearings on the proposal, it turned out to be one of the major roadblocks in Agrarian getting the OK. Im in favor of a rezone, said Councilman Ken Baxter during the hearing at Monday nights regular Council meeting. But, I want a guarantee tat nothing will be done until the water problem is taken care of. Council decided to continue the issue at its
Feb. 8 regular Council meeting, in forming Agrarian representative Gary Wright they would like to see the number of one-story units reduced from 14 to 11, and want the drainage problem in the area solved. Council also is considering the formation of a Utilities Local Improvement District for the installation of a storm drainage system over a broader area. The way the land stands, its of no value to the city, said Councilman Dennis Graves. I feel theres a chance to work with the developer on this. Maybe we should go down to 11 units; and make it part of the contract that something should be done with drainage. Maybe we can find out what is needed regarding drainage. Right now, we have an open field with water. Its unattractive. Some quick figuring by the Council revealed that it could cost the developer as much as $75,000 to install storm drainage for the 1.44 acre site. Council also pointed out an over-all drainage system for the city is far from complete. City attorney James Allendoerfer said the city currently is working on a storm drainage ordinance. Mayor Daryl Brennick also expressed concern for a city-wide storm drainage system. That costs millions of dollars, the mayor said. Its similar to the sidewalk issue. We try to put them in as the areas are developed. The water table is a big problem in some areas. One of the major concerns at previous meetings on the issue dealt with population and traffic in the area of 47th. The planning commission had approved a 16-unit condominium for the site at a July 20 hearing, but the city denied the application outright at its own public hearing Aug. 24. The planning commission then approved a rezone from single to multiple family at its Dec. 9 hearing when the Agrarian Corp. and president Michael Ellison agreed to lower the number of units from 16 to 14. The developer has made considerable compromises, said Gary Wright of Gary Wright Realty, acting as agent for Agrarian Corp. He originally asked for 16 units. That wasnt acceptable. Now, hes asking for 14, what it was previously zoned for. And hes agreed to condominiums, not apartments. We feel were meeting the needs of housing in the community. There are few single-story condos for rent in the city; there are a fewer for sale. Theres a demand for single-story affordable condos. Don Chamberlain, a citizen of the area, said a petition shows the people of the neighborhood have spoken overwhelmingly against it.

50 years ago 1957

Richfield Oil Company will locate a complete refinery in this area, on Port Susan, just north of Tulalip reservation, to include Kayak Point, it was disclosed at a luncheon meeting at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle Monday. Ray Triechel represented The Globe at this meeting for the press. The 1,000 acre site being purchased by Richfield lies west of the Lake Goodwin area and north of the Fire Trail Road. It will be connected with the oil pipeline which now supplies refineries in the Anacortes and Ferndale areas. Deep water shipping facilities will be located somewhere in the Kayak Point vicinity to accommodate the largest oil tankers afloat and now in the planning stage, it was stated by Richfield officials. Products of the refinery will all be of the fluid type. About 300 to 500 people will be employed, the monthly payroll anticipated to be in the neighborhood of $150,000 to $200,000. Raw material will arrive at the refinery site for processing by both pipeline and ship, the finished products to be distributed by water and by truck transport. Only engineering work has been started so far. It was revealed that construction on the refinery itself may begin in about 18 months. Construction will bring about 1,500 workers to the area. The installation is to cost $55 million to $60 million. Many facets of the relation of the Marysville community to the coming of the Richfield refinery were discussed at length with Treichel by company representatives who expressed interest in Marysville as the residence location for many employees. Reasons given for choosing the Kayak Point location include the accessibility by good highway routes and protected deep water location for dock facilities, favorable residence areas and available worker personnel. About 25 percent of the refinery staff will be technical people brought in, it was stated, the remainder to be employed from this area. Company spokesman said their contacts with property owners had been agreeable while making option arrangements. In each case a fair price was asked by owners.