MARYSVILLE – Helping the homeless help themselves is one of Mayor Jon Nehring’s top initiatives for 2018.

Sure he’s looking forward to a complete makeover of First Street.

He’s excited about Bayview connecting with Centennial Trail, hopefully by fall.

And he’s happy about five lanes from 100th to 116th coming closer to reality, among other projects.

But he’s most interested in hiring more police to deal with the social ills related to the opioid and heroin epidemic.

Marysville, along with Arlington, will each have designated officers working with designated social workers. They plan to partner with Snohomish County, hopefully starting in March. “We will offer a sustainable, long-term solution for folks in this situation, whether they need drug or mental-health treatment,” Nehring said Tuesday.

The mayor said he hopes people choose to get off the streets because, “We don’t have much tolerance for those who commit crimes.”

“That addictive lifestyle drives most of our crime,” he added. “If they just want to satisfy their drug habits we’ll lock them up and make their lives miserable.”

Nehring said the community is tired of it; it’s been a revolving door. Criminals rob or break into stores and homes just to get their fix.

He said the officers and social workers from each city will hit the Smokey Point area first because it’s a shared community. The social workers know the system and can get addicts into three-day detox programs and then into 30- or 60-day recovery programs. They also know of programs, such as PARRI, that can help the folks pay for the treatment. Meanwhile, work on First Street west of State will continue and eventually look much like the revamped Third Street with greenery making it more walkable. Work on the bypass to the east also will continue, with design finishing up and construction ready to go next year. Nehring said it’s important to get that work done before work begins on the Highway 529 interchange at I-5.

Nehring said the Bayview to Centennial Trail work should proceed quickly as there are no property acquisition problems of land for the connecting trail west of Highway 9. Widening Smokey Point Boulevard to five lanes from 116th to 100th will be tougher. The city received a grant that will pay for 75 percent of the design work. No businesses will be fully taken by the project, but there will be challenges with the bridge, creek and intersection near Fred Meyer.

Also, regarding the Waterfront Park, Nehring said the city is studying options and getting environmental permits. Work should begin this year on the trail system on the east side, in the Sunnyside Boulevard area.

Nehring said the community is excited about development. He said he gets a call every week, with people asking when the new Sonic and Chick-fil-A eateries will open. “Even though they are fast food they are unique in what they offer, and there’s not a lot (of them) around” our area, he said.

Nehring said hotel stays are going up, and that’s why three new ones are on the way. “We’ve definitely seen some economic development benefits from that,” he said of entertainment at the Tulalip Resort Casino.

The city will soon find out if its project with Arlington receives official designation as a Manufacturing Industrial Center. Designation would improve chances for federal grants and would be a great marketing tool. “It would put us on the map,” Nehring said.

He said three businesses are already in the MIC, constructing or planning to be there, “before we even get going.”

A couple of issues he hopes are decided soon are the Regional Fire Authority and a Fourth of July event.

Regarding July 4, Nehring said even though the city has $15,000 budgeted for an event, presumably to pay for fireworks, it is still in flux because no community groups have come forward with any plans to help out. He said an at-large committee has been formed to take a look at what can be done and by whom. “We don’t want to just bumble our way around. We want to do it right,” he said, adding this first year may not get to have fireworks because the companies that do them book up fast.

As for the RFA, the City Council decided in December to drop Arlington from future talks. But Nehring hopes talks will continue with Fire District 12. He said he would be open to getting Arlington involved again, but that would need to be council-driven. Both newly elected councilmen Mark James and Tom King have supported that concept, along with sitting councilman Michael Stevens. So, only one vote would need to change for that to happen.

Finally, Nehring is feeling positive about the new leadership of Maryfest, the all-volunteer organization that puts on the annual Marysville Strawberry Festival.

“It appears it’s as strong as it’s been in several years,” he said, adding that a lack of volunteers put the entire event at risk. “So many people have strong ties to the community and have taken it personally to get involved. The future of Maryfest is in good hands.”