10 years ago 1996

Four sites in Marysville, Smokey Point and south Arlington are the finalists in a property search for Snohomish Countys planned jail. While the jail will be built for 300-500 inmates, the county plans to expand it to a 1,000-bed facility in the future, said Richard Smith, director of the county Executives office. That way it wont be necessary to go through the siting process again, Smith said. A siting committee narrowed the list of 14 proposed sites down to five. The fifth site, located in the city of Snohomish, was recently dropped because of zoning. That leaves four properties: the 13-acre site at the former Hewlett Packard building between Marysville and Tulalip; two 15- and 17-acre sites in Smokey Point, near 152nd and 162nd streets; and one 24-acre site in south Arlington, near the county transfer station. No one wants a new jail, but we need one, said County Executive Bob Drewel, who recommended environmental impact statements for the four properties. Stiffer state laws and state sentencing guidelines have caused the number of inmates in the county jail to explode. The new facility will house minimum-to-medium security inmates from around the county, relieving overcrowding at Everetts 500-bed county jail. It will double as a regional booking and holding facility, allowing city police and county deputies to return to duty, rather than having to transport prisoners to Everett. Individuals needing maximum security may be booked into the facility, but will be transferred to the maximum-security facility in Everett. The majority of offenders will be low-risk model prisoners, Smith said, serving sentences of less than one year for crimes like drunk driving, domestic violence and malicious mischief. The Hewlett Packard site is near the Marysville School Districts Elementary School No. 10 on the Tulalip Reservation, scheduled to open next fall. The Smokey Point sites are near the district-owned youth soccer fields at 152nd Street. This property is slated for elementary and secondary schools in the near future. Proximity to schools, day cares and other vulnerable populations will carry weight in the EIS process, Smith said. During the EIS, the consultant will hold public hearings for each of the four sites. The consultant will then make a final recommendation to the County Council by next summer, Smith said. The next step is to find the money, Smith said.

25 years ago 1981

Safety was one of the main concerns of Monday nights 1982 budget review. But some are concerned the addition of a dispatcher for the Marysville Police Department may not be enough. Councilman-elect John Doyle said a majority of some 2,000 people he talked with while campaigning this fall for the recent city elections told him one of their main concerns centered on additional police protection. Last week I proposed two patrolmen, Doyle said addressing the Council from the gallery. Im concerned about patrolmen not having back-up people. I talked to about 2,000 people and most say we need more police. The budget for the new year covers the hiring of a dispatcher which will free a patrolman on a shift where he is normally called off his beat to handle the switchboard. Doyle said if the new budget doesnt allow for additional officers, we could supplement this by enforcing whats in the code. He pointed to violations of truckers not staying on the truck route. Its an inadequate police department, he continued. Theyre fine men, but there just arent enough of them. City Administrator Rick Deming admitted there may be violations of the code concerning the truck route, but said he didnt think it was wise to tie in such violations with officers salaries. Were trying to keep away from traffic fines to pay for patrolmen, Deming told Doyle. Chief John Faulkner, who was appointed to the post in 1976, agreed the department could probably use more men, but said the budget wont allow for that this year. In such an event, Faulkner explained the part-time people would be hired from the pool of talent in the police reserves. Because of the busy County Sheriffs frequency the Marysville Police Department uses, Faulkner said the department has applied for a radio license for its own frequency the over-all change expected to cost between $2,500 and $3,000. It has to be done sooner or later, said Faulkner. If it werent for our CB radios, wed be out of touch with the patrolmen in busy times. The police department budget for the new year totals $527,905 compared to its current budget of $439,465. The 1982 budget, which reflects normal inflationary increases, and the addition of one position in communications, represents an increase of 20.1 percent over the preceding years budget.

55 years ago 1951

As its annual project, the Marysville Garden Club will again sponsor a Christmas decoration contest this year to inspire Marysville homemakers to make the town beautiful for the holiday season. Assured that colorful outdoor decorations and lighting effects bring favorable attention to the town as well as affording pleasure to local people, the club offers prizes of $10 and $5 to the winners of the first and second awards in the 1951 contest. Many unusual and imaginative displays have been seen in recent years here in response to the Garden Clubs promotion. Although stores and shops are urged to decorate, no prize is offered for commercial displays this year.

The proposed new fire hall for construction of which the city voted a special millage measure this year, will be located at the site of the old city hall, it was decided at City Council meeting Monday evening. This vote followed the information that the volunteer fire department membership had voted 15 to 8 in favor of the old Third and Delta location rather than to add the fire station at the rear of the new city hall. The Council plans a meeting Dec. 10 at which an architect will be invited to discuss preliminary planning leading toward the drawing of plans. Several architects will be interviewed.