Published April 2003

Business Briefs

Architect chosen to lead
Stanwood design team
DESIGN STANWOOD, a community effort to create a comprehensive plan for the city’s future, will get another push in April as a volunteer team of architects and related experts gather to form a design assistance team.

From April 25 through 27, the volunteer team will gather information from groups and individuals; study the town’s current demographic, geographical and physical layout; and create a document that offers design options to meet the problems and challenges the city faces.

Seattle architect Jerry Ernst, whose previous experience includes roles as project manager for regional/urban design assistance teams in Santa Rosa, Calif., in 1998 and West Valley, Utah, in 1997, will lead the team.

“What’s important for people in the area to know is that the design assistance team is purely volunteer. Our fund raising is dedicated to supporting their efforts while they are visiting us,” said Stephanie Cleveland, the city’s community development director.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity, and we’re especially grateful to the American Institute of Architects for supporting this kind of program,” she said.

For more information on the project, call Cleveland at 360-629-4577.

Arlington City Hall design moves forward
The city of Arlington is completing contract negotiations with Schreiber and Lane Architects to design a new police station and City Hall next to the existing ones. City staff were directed by the Arlington City Council at a recent meeting to negotiate a contract not to exceed $670,000 to design the new building.

Among architectural services listed in the firm’s fee proposal, preparation of construction documents would be the most costly — $153,000.

City staff previously advised the council it could afford purchasing bonds worth up to $8.35 million to pay for the project, although some council members are hoping it can be built for less.

No definite date has been set yet for completing the design phase.

Cascade Bank to open
branch in Snohomish
Everett-based Cascade Bank recently received regulatory approval to add its 16th retail banking office, to be located in Snohomish.

Targeted to open in January 2004, the Snohomish branch will be located at 1101 Ave. D, in the Kla-Ha-Ya Village, which is currently under construction.

“Our branch expansion strategy is progressing well,” said Carol Nelson, bank president and CEO. “We are enthusiastic about the visibility of the new location and our ability to serve existing and new customers in this community.”

Builders association sues Monroe
The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, opposed to a rise in park fees charged to developers, filed a lawsuit against the city of Monroe in March.

The group said it believes the fees, which were adopted in February, are illegal.

In the past, the fees were based on the value of the new construction. Under the new plan, the fees are based on the value of all the new park projects, and each new development is required to pay a portion of those projects.

The park fee means that an additional $4,600 will be tagged on to the cost of a new single-family home.

“We support paying our fair share to build and maintain parks,” said the association’s president, Todd Bennett. “However, Monroe’s new park fee is illegal because it places a higher burden on new development than what is allowed under law.”

This is not the first time the association has haggled with the city over fees. The builders filed a complaint with Monroe in December, claiming that the city failed to notify them about public hearings regarding changes to the fees. The city reopened the hearings to accommodate the association.

The builders also filed an appeal with the city hearing examiner. That appeal was later dismissed because the examiner didn’t have the power to rule on the issue.

Edmonds design firms merge
Edmonds-based firms Taylor/Gregory Architects and Butterfield Design Group recently merged. The new company, which has a combined staff of 29, will be called Taylor Gregory Butterfield Architects and will be located at 654 Fifth Ave. S., Suite 300, in Edmonds.

Along with the merger, Butterfield Design Group’s Brad Butterfield, who also owns Hammerworks Construction Inc., announced that John Taylor and Kent Gregory have become his new partners, a move that will “facilitate the continuing expansion of the design-build construction company,” according to Hammerworks.

Currently, Hammerworks is building several office, condominium and single-family residential projects in King and Snohomish counties.

Union Oil pledges funds
for Edmonds arts center
Union Oil Co. of California has pledged $100,000 for the renovation of the Edmonds Center for the Arts.

The Edmonds Public Facilities District is trying to raise $4 million in donations for the center. The PFD purchased the former Puget Sound Christian College auditorium in downtown Edmonds last year, with the intention of turning it into a first-rate performing arts center.

The district plans to spend about $16 million on the project, remodeling the auditorium so it will seat up to 800 people and accommodate professional theater, music and stage events. The 12-month project is scheduled to start in November.

The PFD also announced the launching of a project Web site, www.edmondscenterforthearts.org. In addition, the Edmonds PFD chose LMN Architects of Seattle for the project. LMN designed Benaroya Hall, Seattle’s new public library and other well-known buildings.

Insurance company buys
Lynnwood office buildings
An Iowa-based insurance company recently paid $17.5 million at a court-ordered auction to take over ownership of two vacant office buildings near I-5 in Lynnwood.

Life Investors Insurance Co. of America was the only bidder for buildings A and C at the Quadrant I-5 Center. It paid the required minimum bid, said Richard Muhlebach of Kennedy-Wilson Properties Northwest, which conducted the auction.

The insurance company had been the main lender for the buildings’ former owner, Rosche One Interests LP of Corpus Christi, Texas. The federal bankruptcy court there ordered the auction after the buildings failed to sell.

Rosche One defaulted on its loan and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. That came after the Boeing Co. vacated the three office buildings that make up the Quadrant I-5 Center. The third building, which is under different ownership, was leased by Washington Mutual in early 2002.

Located on 44th Avenue W., the vacant buildings, one with seven stories and the other with two, contain 236,000 square feet of premium Class A office space. They have an assessed value of $24 million.

U.S. Navy donates boat to police
The Everett Police Department is getting a 23-foot inflatable boat to replace a slower boat it has used for years.

The U.S. Navy is giving the department the Zodiac Hurricane for free. The surplus boat is faster and maneuvers better than the aluminum boat the department previously had used, Police Chief Jim Scharf said. The Zodiac can travel up to 40 miles per hour.

The boat will be used to investigate crimes and gather evidence and to help boaters in distress, Scharf said. The boat also will be used for search-and-rescue missions on the Snohomish River.

YMCA to receive $20,000 grant
The YMCA of Snohomish County has been selected to receive a $20,000 grant from an alliance between Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colonel’s Kids charity and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to strengthen the YMCA’s infant/toddler child-care program at its Mukilteo Branch ACES child-care center.

The goal of the Mukilteo YMCA ACES Infant/Toddler Center is to improve the lives of, and provide support for, teen mothers, helping to facilitate their graduation from high school, according to the YMCA of Snohomish County.

“The ACES program meets a critical need in our community and supports the Y’s commitment to its mission of building strong kids, strong families and strong communities,” said Jerry Beavers, president and CEO of the YMCA of Snohomish County.

Bank aims high with new
real estate group
Washington Banking Co, the parent company of Whidbey Island Bank, has formed a new real estate lending subsidiary, the Washington Funding Group, which will underwrite loans and sell the majority of them to secondary market investors, the company said.

The move will expand the bank’s current wholesale mortgage lending business, based in Burlington, by adding Oregon offices in Bend, Coos Bay and Portland, in the next three months.

Whidbey Island Bank originated $168 million in residential real estate loans during 2002. The company said it will spend about $300,000 to launch the new unit, but it expects the new subsidiary will be profitable in 2003.

Grocery chain asks customers for input
Brown & Cole Stores, which operates under the Food Pavilion and Cost Cutter trade names, is using customer input to design a program to reward regular shoppers.

“We need to find special ways to reward our regular shoppers, and we want them to have a big say in how it works,” said Sue Cole, public affairs director.

The company is using small focus groups of consumers to test ideas. It also will begin broader community surveying to determine customer preferences on issues such as choice of rewards. Following consumer input, the company will formalize its plans for a rollout of a program later this year.

Test markets to be used initially include Everett and north Snohomish County as well as Whatcom and Skagit counties, Oak Harbor, Wenatchee, Moses Lake, Okanogan and Woodland.

New businesses, locations
n Rockman LLC has relocated its offices to 1106 Vernon Road, Suite D, in Lake Stevens. The company, which has experienced tremendous growth in the past two years, has added four dump trucks and three excavating machines and hired 10 new employees in that time. Rockman also has expanded its scope of business, from acting solely as a sand and gravel material broker to becoming an excavating company. The company can be reached by calling 425-397-9273.

n Martha’s Coffee & Pastries has opened at 2930 Rucker Ave. in downtown Everett. Along with edible goodies, the shop features work by local artists. The alternative art gallery/coffee shop is the creation of Martha Augustson and Joy Bezanis and is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. The shop can be reached by calling 425-258-1744.

n Certified hypnotherapist Lori Michalec has opened an office at 16404 Smokey Point Blvd., No. 206, at Smokey Point. She offers individual counseling as well as workshops in relaxation and stress reduction, pain management, goal setting and weight mastery. Her number is 425-231-7914.

n Horizon Bank recently celebrated the grand opening of its Lynnwood office at 19405 44th Ave. W. For more information or to reach the branch, call 425-775-1945 or go online to www.horizonbank.com.

n The Lake Stevens Buzz Inn Steak House celebrated its grand opening in March. The restaurant, the 15th location for the steak-house chain, is owned by Craig Ohm and partners. It was formerly the Lake Shore Inn.

n Qdoba Mexican Grill has opened in the Alderwood Plaza at 18700 33rd Ave. W. in Lynnwood.

n Mike’s Automotive Maintenance Inc. has opened at 4233 76th St. NE. in Marysville. The 5 Star Muffler Center distributorship, opened by Mike and Donna Durbin, will offer exhaust system work and a variety of other mechanical services.

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