The Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce started off 2015 with a State of the Valley address, given jointly by officials from Skykomish, Index, Gold Bar and Sultan.
The luncheon, which took place on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Sultan City Hall (319 Main St. No. 200), featured presentations by Index Town Councilmember Blair Corson, Gold Bar City Councilmembers Bob Strom and Davi Martin, Skykomish Town Councilmember Henry Sladek, Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick, Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Debbie Copple and Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Board President Brian Copple.
"One of my main goals is to help us get the most out of our Sky Valley Chamber membership,GÇ¥ Brian said. "Most of us join the chamber to support chamber functions and be part of the community ... -áI feel it's also important for our businesses to reap a tangible benefit from their membership.GÇ¥
Debbie announced that the chamber is beginning to gear up for its annual fundraiser, an April dinner auction. This year's theme is "Hollywood,GÇ¥ along with the motto, "The Sky Valley, where the stars shine brighter.GÇ¥
There will be an increased emphasis on networking and collaboration this year, and there are plans in the works to partner with the Sky Valley Arts Council, GROW Washington and the Sultan School District. The 2015 calendar of events has been established with the 17th-annual Sky Valley Community Awards Celebration kicking things off at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7 in the Sultan High School commons (13715 310th Ave. S.E.).
Chamber meetings take place on the first Wednesday of every month. For more information on joining the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce, visit: www.skyvalleychamber.com, or call Debbie Copple at 360-793-0983.
Skykomish
Skykomish Town Councilmember -áHenry Sladek talked about a few of the town's 2014 accomplishments, and provided a peek into where the town is headed in 2015. Located about 25 miles from Stevens Pass, the town of Skykomish has continued work toward recovery after an invasive environmental cleanup effort began in 2006 and continued on for several years.
"We're now sort of still in that redevelopment and recovery phase and things are going well,GÇ¥ Sladek said.
2014 marked the second year of operation for the Great Northern & Cascade Railway, a small-scale, passenger steam locomotive. The miniature railway, located in the center of town, operates every weekend from May through October.
"They average about 250 to 300 riders a day, which is a great little attraction that's been added to our town,GÇ¥ Sladek said.
The town completed a small street and sidewalk project on the south side of the railroad tracks, which has added cohesion and continuity within the downtown core. Due to the extensive cleanup project, much of the town framework on the north side of the railroad tracks had already been replaced including the streets, sidewalks, storm drains and the water and sewer mains.
"That's really built a nice infrastructure-base for redevelopment, especially of businesses in town,GÇ¥ Sladek said. "We're still in the process of pushing and encouraging businesses to come along.GÇ¥
Sladek said that progress is being made at the Skykomish Hotel, the vacant, rugged structure, which greets visitors as they cross the bridge into town. The town has been actively working toward transitioning the ownership of the historic hotel, which was built in 1905 and has fallen into grave disrepair. Sladek expects ownership to change this year.
In 2015, the town hopes to continue increasing recreational opportunities, enhancing economic development and increasing the town's capacity for overnight accommodations. They hope to work towards re-establishing the Sky River Inn, which was demolished during the cleanup, and there is still the possibility of additional development along the north side of U.S. 2, provided certain criteria are met. Additional overnight accommodations are a key priority for the town.
They will also promote the new Maloney Creek Trail, which was completed in October. The new 900-foot trail, which runs along Maloney Creek near the Skykomish Post Office, was a collaborative effort between the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Skykomish Environmental Institute, the U.S. Forest Service and community volunteers.
Index
Index Town Councilmember Blair Corson said that, in 2015, Index will work toward increased recreational opportunities and improved connectivity.
For many years, access to places like Quartz Creek and Blanca Lake has been hampered due to the November 2006 Index-Galena Road washout.
While still accessible, many recreational areas can only be accessed via Beckler Road, which is -áeast of Skykomish. Corson said they expect to have at least a dirt road punched through the Index-Galena washout area by the end of summer.
New trails are being planned for Heybrook Ridge County Park, an approximately 143-acre forested park, northeast of town. The park was acquired by the county in 2008 via a public-private partnership between Snohomish County Parks and the nonprofit organization, Friends of Heybrook Ridge (FOHR).
Phase one of the trail building, which is expected to begin in the spring, will include a two-mile trail that starts at the trailhead area southeast of town along Index-Galena road.
In town, Corson said, the Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) will instal new LED lighting, and the town is working with PUD to see if the poles can be lowered so as not to interfere with stargazing.
"A lot of people like to come up there at night and just walk in the evenings,GÇ¥ Corson said, explaining that with the lights down lower, views of the night sky would not be inhibited. "So that you can get the stars and still have enough light to feel safe out on the streets.GÇ¥
Corson and his family own the River House event venue and coffee shop, the recreational company Outdoor Adventures, as well as the Bush House Inn. The family has been working for more than two years to renovate the Bush House (308 Fifth St.), which had fallen into disrepair by the time they purchased it from Loyal Nordstrom in 2012.
Stymied by legal issues, Corson expects resolution in 2015 and looks forward to completing renovations on the historic inn, which was first established in 1898.
"That should be resolved in the next three months and then we'll be able to open, so now, I just have to wait a little bit longer,GÇ¥ Corson said of the "legal quagmire.GÇ¥ "But I can finish, so all my permitting has been cleared as of, actually, three months ago.GÇ¥ A local restaurateur is interested in operating the restaurant once the inn is open.
Gold Bar
Councilmembers Bob Strom and Davi Martin filled in for Gold Bar Mayor Linda Loen, who was out of town. Strom and Martin gave an optimistic update on the current situation in Gold Bar, both looking forward to moving the city in a more positive direction.
Since 2009, the city has been bogged down by numerous public records requests and lawsuits, many of which were initiated by local open-government advocate Anne Block. Strom said he had checked in with Gold Bar's city clerk that morning to find out if the requests had slowed down at all.
"No, not really,GÇ¥ Strom said. "A little bit, some name changes, but still the same stuff.GÇ¥
In a letter dated Jan. 9, Loen stated that she will seek to make a few procedural changes when it comes to the city's public-record-request fulfillment policy. She said that having only one person designated to satisfy the requests is problematic. Loen has been processing the records herself since being sworn into office in 2014.
Strom said that several of the lawsuits have concluded, which has allowed the city to utilize funds for additional staff and plans are underway to beautify and enhance city aesthetics.
Financially, they've transitioned to the Coastal Community Bank from Bank of America, and city staff have been undergoing financial training to help the city's accounting systems become more robust.
Strom said that during its Jan. 6 council meeting, they discussed ways to increase public participation in city operations.
"People have been scared off from city hall these last few years and we don't get enough real conversation in our council meetings,GÇ¥ Strom said.
They also hope to inspire increased levels of volunteerism among members of the Gold Bar community, and would like to obtain training from a grant writer to increase city cleanup funds. The hope is that by making Gold Bar a more beautiful place, U.S. 2 travelers might be more inclined to stop in and have lunch or enjoy one of the area's parks.
"We are moving away from a defensive position to a positive, forward direction,GÇ¥ Martin said. "I'm also impressed with how we are all getting along and moving in the same direction, with a healthy city as our common objective.GÇ¥
Sultan
Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick presented a state-of-the-city address on Sultan, giving a comprehensive overview of the city's accomplishments throughout 2014.
"This is going to be my eighth year as the mayor of the City of Sultan,GÇ¥ Eslick said. "It has been an unbelievable journey for me; I've mostly enjoyed every minute of it. I most often get up in the morning and am very excited to be part of this community.GÇ¥
Sultan typically shines when it comes to obtaining grant funding, and 2014 was no different. It received a total of $570,950 in grants throughout the year, which were used on such projects as the Alder Avenue reconstruction project, the reconstruction of High Avenue, the Fourth Street overlay and the design of the pedestrian and bicycle bridge.
Sultan also has success with community volunteerism. The community volunteered 14,450 hours in 2014.
Eslick attributed the increase in volunteer hours to the new Sultan Community Task Force, which meets every Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Sultan City Hall (319 Main St.). The task force was formed as a proactive measure to help clean up the city, focusing on issues like homeless individuals camping and leaving trash in the city parks, petty crimes, car prowls and loitering.
It partnered with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department, which brought in heavy equipment in July to clean the area along the Skykomish River south of U.S. 2. More than 12 tons of trash was removed from the area, which is a popular spot for illegal camping.
The task force also created a youth chapter, to mentor to young members of the community who have needed help completing their education, fulfilling court requirements and obtaining employment.
"That's the kind of work that we have to do in order to make our community better and so I'm thrilled that that has happened here,GÇ¥ Eslick said.
Eslick said that she meets weekly with Sultan Police Chief Monte Beaton to work on issues, including a few drug houses, which shd hopes to removed within six months.
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