Index group promoting informational kiosk

By Frances Read

Last fall, Index Community Group member Allan Peterson walked door to door handing out flyers illustrating three kiosk designs.

"We wanted community involvement, so we had the town vote on the design,GÇ¥ said Peterson of a proposed kiosk for Doolittle Pioneer Park in downtown Index.

The group wrote a grant for the structure and will find out whether it is approved in February.

According to the Snohomish County Washington website, the hotel/motel tax grant that the Community Group applied for "is available to non-profits and municipalities GǪ to support projects with marketing dollars that encourage tourism activities in Snohomish County and which advance the goals of Snohomish County's Strategic Tourism Plan.Gǥ

It is common to see folks, after driving the mile off U.S. 2 into Index, walk around town with no idea of where to go or what to do and asking locals where to find food, coffee and other services.

"A kiosk will make visitors feel welcome,GÇ¥ Peterson said. "One side of it will feature a map of the immediate area with information on hikes, rafting, kayaking, climbing, shops, river access for swimming, overnight accommodations and places to eat. The other side of the structure will focus on local history, hopefully getting people to visit our Index-Pickett Historical Museum.GÇ¥

With the opening last summer of gift shop Ellie & Clarence, plus the historic Bush House Inn's renovation and impending opening, there will be even more options for tourists and townies alike. Yet some see the prospect of a kiosk as a possible threat to the personality and charm of the city of Index.

Longtime resident Kim Peterson (no relation), who has watched Index shift about over the decades, sees the arrival of a kiosk from a different angle.

"I don't "not want the sign,' GÇ¥ she wrote in an email, "what is discouraging is the loss of the community for the sake of the community that it represents. Tourism is the goal of the sign, clearly and unabashedly. I believe that anyone's time and energy spent to "support' Index should be done as a real, tangible community betterment. Tourism (read any of the major studies) is not a truly successful sustainable, economic burst for a community (though some individuals will prosper) unless you want to turn yourself over to that (Leavenworth, Methow) and I don't.GÇ¥

In a piece Peterson penned last fall, she expands on this sentiment: "In the 1980's and 1990'sGǪevery holiday was celebrated with proper applaud and the focus was centered on the community, its local inhabitants and "the kids.' The Index Haunted House started in back rooms at the Bush and the Old Fire Hall with rolls of black plastic and a great deal of silliness. Local kids got scared to hell by local adults. After a few years it expanded to the Sportsmen's building and over a few more years became so big, so popular (hundreds of visitors), it was its own demise. The pre-holiday moment of lighting the park lights (big trees or not) is truly a local moment. Standing in the rain or the snow, singing with each other and listening to those who step up to perform creates a true sense of the "town for the town.' Index has changed, not for the better or worse but creating and giving to the community for the community is no longer the focus and I fear that is what we all come here for.Gǥ

Perhaps fate, in the form of Snohomish County's grant decision, will decide what is to be. Yet for now, recent resident Allan Peterson is enthusiastic.

"We will never be Leavenworth, nor do we wish to be,GÇ¥ he said. "But the unique thing about Index is it is a magical environment. Just look around, every day is different ' the environment, the scenery, the weather. A kiosk will just be an extension to say "we are glad you are here.' GÇ¥