Our View

Old Town revival may be in the air

By Paul Archipley

There was a time when “Old Town” Mukilteo was an all-but self-contained community. Homes, businesses, churches, government — all were situated within a few blocks of the waterfront. Even into the ‘90s, an Old Town resident could still go to the library, post office, City Hall, pick up some milk and stop at the bank without needing a car. “Buy local” was a way of life.

Much has changed. Growth up the hill lured businesses and services away. Now, a car — or patience with the transit system — is indispensable. Many needed products and services simply aren’t available anywhere in Mukilteo. It’s off to the mall for shirts and shoes.

But we’re encouraged that the pendulum could be swinging back. Soon, Old Town may once again be a more balanced neighborhood. No, the library, post office and City Hall won’t be back.

But city officials are interested in establishing clear boundaries between commercial and residential areas that will assist the business community and calm downtown residents worried about commercial “creep.” Planners are looking at squaring off the commercial zone, implementing architectural devices like roundabouts in intersections to make the separation between business and residential areas clear, and becoming more engaged with business owners to help build a more robust commercial sector throughout Mukilteo.

In addition, there’s renewed interest in mixed-use projects that combine businesses and homes into a harmonious blend. In fact, communities from Seattle to Mukilteo are rediscovering the benefits of such projects, bringing the advantages of small town life to cities large and small. Examples include Seattle’s Belltown, Harbour Pointe Village, and Old Town’s Lincoln Courtyard.

Of course, some types of businesses likely won’t return to the north end. You’ll likely see more commercial growth in central Mukilteo than Old Town.

Still, the right kind of business can thrive near the waterfront, drawing residents from all parts of Mukilteo. An anchor, such as a new community center, can be a catalyst for needed synergy. That could lead to an artists’ colony, galleries and other cultural enhancements.

Ferry traffic doesn’t help Old Town. City and state transportation officials continue to work on fixes designed to shorten ferry lines and ease congestion. That would make it easier for Old Town residents to get in and out of their neighborhoods, and encourage Harbour Pointe residents to drive down the hill to take advantage of the many fine restaurants and other businesses that already are near the waterfront.

And, if ever there was a need for a silver lining on the cloud of high gas prices, more and more residents are looking for ways to reduce their driving. Businesses that are a walk, bicycle ride or short drive away will benefit, and buying local will once again become the norm.

Guest View

Eastside growth affects westside students

By Dr. Marci Larsen, Superintendent

Sometimes people are surprised to learn that the Mukilteo School District provides education for students who live far beyond the Mukilteo city limits. Students attend Mukilteo schools, and taxpayers support our schools, who live as far east as Glenwood Avenue in Everett, almost as far east as the Everett Mall, and even in the area surrounding McCollum Park east of Interstate 5.

Our school district also extends as far south as 148th Street and encompasses the Picnic Point area, Lake Serene and Lake Stickney.

I bring this up because the Mukilteo School District is often dealing with issues that many residents within the city of Mukilteo may not see first-hand. A large number of our students come from households that are struggling to make ends meet, for example.

In many of our schools, half of the students qualify to receive free or reduced-price meals through the federal subsidy program. We also serve many students who don’t speak English.

Also, while housing growth hasn’t been a huge issue within the city of Mukilteo, it has created significant challenges in some of the areas that our school district serves. In particular, we are facing the need to find classroom space for hundreds of students who are moving into new housing developments in the area near Lake Stickney.

Odyssey Elementary School, which serves the Lake Stickney area, was opened almost six years ago with enough classrooms to serve about 575 students.

Then, the housing boom hit. We added four portable classrooms to the school a few years ago to handle the increasing enrollment, but the number of students quickly exceeded the capacity they provided.

This year, the school has more than 760 students, and our projections for next year had the enrollment reaching 860, which would have made Odyssey larger than all four of our middle schools!

We can’t just tell these children, “Sorry, no more room.” Instead, we have to either put the new students in classrooms that are already full or find other classrooms for them.

Some students living in the area are already being bused to Picnic Point Elementary to help relieve the overcrowding at Odyssey. We’re also planning to bus all of Odyssey’s kindergarten students to Serene Lake Elementary next year so those students and their teachers can use classrooms there.

The school board also approved a limited boundary adjustment so that new students moving into the Odyssey attendance area north of 128th Street and Airport Road will instead attend either Olivia Park or Discovery elementary schools.

However, those are only temporary fixes. On the longer term, the solutions to our overcrowding may be more drastic and will likely impact schools throughout the Mukilteo School District.

While we have a proposal before voters to build a new school in the Lake Stickney area, we also are being prudent in making plans in case that measure isn’t approved.

We are organizing a committee of parents and staff members who will redraw the attendance boundaries for all our schools to help spread the growth to others areas. They also will look at other solutions, such as changes in the school calendar.

The Mukilteo School District is a big community, which means that while enrollment growth may not be happening in your neighborhood, its impact will be felt by all of us.