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LOCAL NEWS Over two dozen exhibitors at Fair New Podcast for Downtown Walking Tour
Historic Everett wins top state award Photo shows from left to right: Greg Griffith, Dr. Allyson Brooks, Valerie Steel, and Russell Holter. (Greg, Allyson, and Russ are with DAHP; Valerie is president of Historic Everett.) The May 4, 2010 State Historic Preservation Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Historic Preservation was held in the Capital Dome Rotunda. Awards were presented in eight categories including Education and Career Achievement. READ MORE...
May 2010- The most recent changes have become more visible to passers-by than the interior renovation overhaul that has taken place this year. Primer paint has now replaced exposed siding and decorative rafter tails. Inspiration for the green and brown paint scheme came from scraping paint from original siding pieces and clues from original photos. Learn more Port Commissioners use Force to kill Collins
EVERETT: June 16, 2010 — The Port of Everett commission unanimously agreed Tuesday to tear down the Collins Building, saying the historic structure would be too costly to repair. Commissioner Mark Wolken suggested the move, saying that there is no proposed use for the building that would pay back the estimated $7 million that it would cost to fix up its core and exterior. A complete restoration to set the building up for tenants was estimated to cost $11.1 million. Supporters had hoped the building would include a public market, with a museum on the second floor and office and hobby spaces on the third floor. But a study by a Seattle architect suggested that those uses wouldn’t be very lucrative. “There’s no chance that sentiment alone would be enough to sustain the building,” Wolken said. “I cannot dream up something that works, as much as I’d like to. We need to move forward.” Supporters of the former casket company building, which is on state and national historic registers as the last example of the type of business that once lined the city’s waterfront, were devastated by the decision. “I thought with you two new guys, this beautiful old building would finally have a fair hearing,” said David Mascarenas of Everett. Mascarenas was referring to Wolken and Commissioner Troy McClelland, who agreed to re-examine saving the Collins Building after they won election to the three-member commission last fall. The previous commission had agreed last year to demolish the building for financial reasons, saying state law generally prevents the port from doing things that don’t make a profit. On June 5, the commission held an all-day meeting to look at issues such as cost, the need for a boatyard in the area to serve marine businesses, and the historic importance of the building. Commissioners said its historic significance and the love for it from supporters are obvious, but they added that cost had to be a key issue based on the laws that govern ports. “Some question the numbers, but they’re within 10 percent of the numbers from the process that has been undertaken over the last 11 years,” McClelland said. Commissioner Michael Hoffmann said he would like to consider values other than money, “but I, too, think it’s difficult to see this come together.” The resolution approved by the commission gives John Mohr, the executive director, the authority to approve a contract to “deconstruct” the building, meaning to take it apart so that portions of it can be reused elsewhere. Port officials are hoping to use the site for a portion of a boatyard that would accommodate about 28 vessels inside what it calls the Craftsman District. The port is consolidating all of its boat businesses in the district and also is constructing a new port administration building nearby. Jeff LaLone of Bayside Marine said he and his partner invested $4 million in their new building and that while he understands why people get emotional about the Collins Building, he got emotional when he learned the port was spending $100,000 to revisit its decision to demolish it. “It comes down to a business decision,” he said. “The business decision is this building has to go.” The 65-acre area had been identified for a $400 million redevelopment, but the port’s development partner, Everett Maritime, is now in bankruptcy. With the development in serious doubt, building supporters questioned why the port is rushing to tear down the Collins Building and why it can’t find a new location for its boatyard. “I don’t see the urgency,” Mascarenas said. Valerie Steel of Historic Everett agreed, noting that there are government grants and tax credits that would defray the cost of restoring the building if the port truly wanted to save it. She noted that the waterfront is populated mostly by “affluent white people” and that a public market could “really be the basis of Everett’s international district.” Architect Richard Sullivan, who has tried to save the building but couldn’t get financing for his plans, displayed a model of the area with the Collins Building as a showcase for the waterfront redevelopment. Developing it in phases would reduce the cost and “help the port come up with something they’re proud of for the future,” he said. Sue Pelligrini of Everett suggested the port sell the building to Historic Everett for $1 and let it pursue grants, tax credits and donations. The commissioners said no. “It creates a liability for us to just sit and wait longer,” Wolken said. Comments deleted by The Herald when revised artiicle posted at midnight Two similar decisions in Snohomish County in one week Collins Building (No heading) To be expected "We need to move forward." Hey pal, care to wager that you'll be looking at a dead spot there till your dying days? There will NEVER be development (again) at the port! Game over! (No heading) I am sick about this decision. Port, preservationists begin new process for Collins Building EVERETT 1/10- After years of debate, the Collins Building process is getting a do-over. The Port of Everett Commission is starting at the beginning, launching a new engineering study that will be presented to the Port of Everett Commission and local residents June 5. “We need to commit to something and move forward,” Port Commissioner Michael Hoffman said. But first, the port needs to know what the historic Collins Building’s options are, commissioners said. The engineering study will update four studies conducted over the last 12 years on the building’s structure. The final report will include a cost estimate for adapting the building, which is the only remaining vestige of Everett’s lumber-mill days, into something residents could use, such as a museum, farmers’ market or office space. Residents thanked the commission for giving the Collins Building process another chance. “The landscape is constantly changing,” said Valerie Steel, who has been on the forefront of the movement to save the building. “We are in a different place today than we were in 2005,” Steel said, citing the last time the port conducted a study on costs for saving the building.
By JIM DEVER / Evening Magazine
Herald’s 2001 Waterfront Renaissance Project revisited Publication: The Herald / Published: 07/01/2001 Input on north marina comes at an ideal time (survey is from nine years ago) Parks, shopping, restaurants, light manufacturing, condos, boat rentals and an aquarium were amenities high on the list of potential north marina projects among those who voted in The Herald’s Waterfront Renaissance Project. Graham Anderson, lead planner with the Port of Everett, said he believes all those choices could be included in a proposed plan for the north marina area. "The timeliness of this information coming to us before we actually sit down and do the land-use scenerios is excellent," Anderson said. However, an aquarium in the north marina could be a challenge, he said. "While it is an interesting idea and certainly has a place in the realm of public access, the financing of it, the maintenance of it, the real solid fit of it in a development would have to be carefully scrutinized," Anderson said. The area owned by the port includes about 100 acres, roughly bounded by W. Marine View Drive and the waterfront and Lombardi’s Restaurant and the public boat launch. In its initial proposal to the port, the Chicago firm Maritime Trust Co. sketched a plan for a public gathering place and walkways, as well as significant commercial development that might include a new hotel, a park, retail spaces and a promenade. The area today is a random arrangement of marine and industrial businesses, including boat repair shops, yacht brokerages, commercial fishing businesses and a construction company. There’s also a conference center, sailing and boating clubs, a fire station, a firefighter museum and the Marine Spill Response Corp. Some of the businesses, which lease property from the port, may ultimately be relocated. That already has drawn some controversy. "I would like to be able to rent a rowboat and row over to Jetty Island when the ferry isn’t running," she said, adding that also being able to take her grandkids to an aquarium without driving to Seattle would be "delightful." "I love to walk by the water," she said. "I grew up walking the River Road. My main thing is (to have) places where we can walk that are not developed. " The first step to developing the north marina is to create a master plan, port officials said. That could happen this year. The second step is completing environmental studies and securing permits, which will also require a yet-to-be-determined amount of public money. The third step would be construction. Things to consider include the city’s zoning and shoreline laws. Total votes for north marina site: Park 1,415 OTHER REQUESTED USES: Trails, Boardwalk, Wildlife preserve, Skate park, Open space, Museum or interpretive center, Fishing pier, Waterslides, Grand Avenue access, Artificial reef, Scuba center, Working docks, Public/Farmer's market, Expand marina , Parking, houseboats, sports fields, harbor tours, pavilion, hotel, art gallery, move marina, boat ramp, commercial, and transit stop. Readers shared thoughts on waterfront development in 2002 Published: Sunday, January 6, 2002, The Herald The Herald asked a number of people who participated in the newspaper's Waterfront Renaissance project for their thoughts six months later about the future of the area's waterfronts. "The immediate need is for places where good people can enjoy citizen camaraderie - ball parks, boat launches and the restaurants and gift shops that follow, and kite flying or open places with toilets, parking and a welcome, safe, patrolled aura." "Six months later, I still feel the same way - that the more diverse the waterfront areas become, the more it will benefit our community." "I continue to have occasional hopes about how nice it would be to have a more vibrant and diversified waterfront with retail shops, dining and nice hotels or B&Bs. Sort of a smaller version of Seattle's Pike Place Market and surrounding area, or La Conner's picturesque waterfront with its antique shops and charming B&Bs." "I still think that the waterfront project should first and foremost be a river/salmon restoration project. Salmon are a worldwide food source, and it is criminal to drive them to extinction for a few short-term bucks. As much land as possible should be restored to wetlands and estuary. The remainder of our publicly owned land should be planted with trees that will one day provide large woody debris for the river. However. I am under no delusion that anything of the sort will ever happen." "I remain strong in my beliefs that this is one of Everett's most important projects. Except for a few small parcels of land, the waterfront has not been considered people-friendly. It is important that the city continue to push hard on this project, and that the people find ways to integrate ideas and insights." "Everett is so fortunate to have so much valuable waterfront property that is not developed. How wonderful it would be to have open-air concerts in the summer with the setting sun slipping behind the Olympics and the stars slowly coming out. It would be as close to heavenly as is possible here." "I have hoped that the requests six months ago were not a pipe dream, but a true hope to expand and create new activity areas in Everett. Another thought, watching New Year's celebrations around the world, was it would be nice to have a place to celebrate, memorialize and gather. Everyone gathers around a monument or attraction (Space Needle, Waterfront Park, Pioneer Square in Portland). Especially after Sept. 11, it would be great if there was a place people could gather to welcome the sailors home or celebrate in the summer." "A healthy community would be looking seriously at how best to invest in its natural assets, especially those that set it apart from potential competition such as our saltwater-freshwater- estuary shoreline. ... The city of Everett and Port of Everett seem little interested in input other than from major property owners or prospective financiers of revenue-producing redevelopment (even regarding use of publicly owned shoreline - the one category that should most logically support other uses in the public interest)." Incredible old building' endangered EVERETT — Mayor Ray Stephanson paused to appreciate how the lingering afternoon light filtered in through the lofty spaces of the 1920s-era Collins Building at the Port of Everett's North Marina. "It's an incredible old building. You can imagine what possibilities it may have. I can see shops, restaurants or open-air markets," Stephanson said. Stephanson was among a group who toured the empty Collins Building and the Weyerhaeuser Office Building last week as part of growing community interest in what will happen to the structures as the Port redevelops the marina. Though the mayor may be supportive of the idea of saving the three-story Collins Building, which was built about 1924 and once held a casket-manufacturing company, ultimately the structure's fate will be up to the Port. A decision probably will be made sometime in the next year, said John Mohr, the Port's executive director. "There's definitely a strong interest in preserving this building," Stephanson said. "Hopefully, there will be some meaningful discussion about that." The three-story Collins Building sits on Port-owned land that is part of the North Marina redevelopment plan. The project, a partnership between the Port and Maritime Trust, is to include offices, retail stores, a hotel, condos, walkways and an amphitheater. The 12-year plan would redevelop 64 acres of waterfront land off West Marine View Drive and cost $200 million to $300 million. However, some residents think the plan should be amended to save the Collins Building. As the group, including members of the Everett Historical Commission, moved through the building, several people offered ideas of renovating it and turning it into a restaurant or a market area similar to Pike Place Market in Seattle. According to a recent Port-contracted study, it would cost an estimated $200,000 to preserve the piling and foundation under the building. Although no formal estimates have been done on restoring the entire building, it would probably cost around $1.5 million for a complete restoration, said Ken Olsen, the director of land development for Maritime Trust. "Anything can be done if you throw enough money at it," Olsen said. "The question is, what is the return to the community from that investment?" The Collins Building is not included on the Everett Historic Register. If it had been, it would have to go through a public-hearing process before it was modified or demolished. However, the register is voluntary, and the city cannot stop property owners from demolishing historic properties, said Dave Koenig, Everett's manager for long-range planning and community development. "It's going to take a real effort of people to encourage the Port to keep the building and allow citizens to enjoy it," said Ed Morrow, a historical commissioner and a former Port commissioner and Everett city councilman. "But when you think of the grants that are out there, $1.5 million isn't that much." The group also toured the Weyerhaeuser building, which sits on a nearby site that may be developed into office space as part of a different plan with another developer, Mohr said. The vacant building, once the home of the Everett Chamber of Commerce, is on the national historic registry and would likely have to be relocated, Mohr said. The Gothic-style Weyerhaeuser structure was built in 1923 as a lavish office building. It was originally constructed at the wood-products company's Mill A on Port Gardner Bay, and the building was eventually barged north to Weyerhaeuser's Mill B site along the Snohomish River. In 1983, it was donated to the chamber and again barged to its current location at 1710 W. Marine View Drive. Among the proposed sites for the Weyerhaeuser building is American Legion Memorial Park, 145 Alverson Blvd., and a parking lot next to the Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave. Rachel Tuinstra: 425-783-0674 or rtuinstra@seattletimes.com Historical panel aims to save 1920s-era building The Port of Everett will take public comment on its proposed North Marina redevelopment project until March 29. Comments may be submitted by e-mail to comment@portofeverett.com or mailed to the Port of Everett, c/o Graham Anderson, Senior Planner, 2911 Bond St., Suite 202, Everett, WA 98201. EVERETT — The Everett Historical Commission will send a letter to the Port of Everett recommending that it make room for an 8-decade-old building in its North Marina redevelopment plans. The letter is in response to the Port's unveiling of four proposals for its North Marina project. The project would redevelop 64 acres of primarily industrial and commercial zoned area — much of which is occupied by recreational-boat-repair businesses — into more-upscale commercial businesses, office buildings, condominiums and a hotel. The 60,000-square-foot red Collins Building, erected about 1924 at 1210 W. Marine View Drive, is not included in any of the Port's initial proposals. It is the last wooden industrial building on the city's waterfront, although it is not listed on the Everett Historic Register. "The Port has a very lovely plan; I think it's great to make the Port a more accessible place," said Vicki Rosenau, an Everett resident and a historical commissioner. "But this (building) is the last remnant of Everett's lumber past. None of the plans they are proposing contains the Collins Building. They are making the assumption it's going to be gone." The Historical Commission is an advisory board to the city of Everett and has no power over the Port of Everett. The Port has the ultimate decision-making power over the fate of the Collins Building, which sits on Port-owned land. "We'd like to see the Collins Building as an integral part of the redevelopment plan," said Mary Dean, an Everett resident and the chairwoman of the historical commission. "We haven't brought it up before because we didn't realize it was in jeopardy of being demolished. It has not been on anyone's radar screen." There are several reasons why the Port is not including the building in its redevelopment proposals, said John Mohr, the Port's executive director. The Collins Building sits in the middle of what the Port hopes to redevelop as a boat-repair and marine-craftsman district, Mohr said. The wooden building would not be an appropriate place to house marine repair, which uses highly flammable materials, he said. "Where it is located now, it doesn't fit in with the overall redevelopment project," Mohr said. A preliminary engineering study on the building done several years ago indicated that the structure did not meet safety or building codes. Retrofitting the building would require major rehabilitation, Mohr said. "Doing the necessary life and safety upgrades to the building would effectively destroy the character of the building," he said. Mohr said that although no formal cost estimate has been done on restoring the three-story building, it would likely cost at least $1.5 million. The Port plans to hire a consultant to do a more in-depth analysis of the building. It is also considering alternatives, such as deconstructing the building and using the material to rebuild the structure in another area. "We will review the Collins Building and what potential could be done with it," Mohr said. "But I don't want to create false hope." Rachel Tuinstra: 425-783-0674 or rtuinstra@seattletimes.com Church Calendar available in Everett Heritage Turkeys of the Year Port's Good Faith Contradicted in Memo OCT. 2009, EVERETT, WA- The Port of Everett’s development partner, Maritime Trust, proposed budgeting tens of thousands of dollars for a public relations strategy that would remove the Collins Building from the Everett waterfront. A memo dated April 15, 2004 was discovered during a public records search detailing the methodology, allies, targets and budget to make sure the last vestige of Everett’s industrial past was scoured clean. No Wrecking Ball Today for
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