Quality-of-life issues top city's agenda

Originally published Saturday, July 12, 1997

By DON CARTER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

A number of quality-of-life issues are on the city's immediate agenda, says Everett Mayor Ed Hansen. The city is now buying about 300 acres of old farmland in the Lowell area for baseball, soccer, football and tennis facilities.

"We also have a series of small projects -- upgrading the playgrounds, restrooms and parking in a number of parks," Hansen says.

But the biggest quality-of-life challenge now facing Everett is traffic and transportation, according to the mayor. As the area grows, so does the traffic, "and it's up to us in local government to try to stay ahead of the curve."

Most times of the day it's fairly easy to get from one place to another in Everett. "But there are getting to be more times when it's difficult," Hansen says.

The city is seeking funding for an analysis of Interstate 5's impact on the city and possible access improvements. Everett already has money in hand and is shopping for a site for a transit center to help buses and cabs mesh with commuter trains.

Other challenges facing the city are upgrading public-safety facilities and improving higher-education opportunities. Until recently, Everett had no four-year college or university. Now it has a small private college, but Hansen thinks the city needs a much larger institution -- possibly a consortium of state universities -- to offer a variety of advanced degree programs.

The mayor, whose Danish and Norwegian ancestors came to work in the mills, is so caught up with Everett's future needs that he has to stop and think a few minutes to list his city's recent accomplishments.

Getting the new Navy base was significant, not just for creating new jobs but for improving quality of life, Hansen says. When he visits schools, Hansen frequently runs into sailors who volunteer with school programs.

The major expansion at Boeing's Paine Field plant also has had a significant impact, says the mayor, while revitalization of Everett's downtown area "is still a work in progress."

Hansen has supported the construction of two downtown office buildings, the renovation of the old Monte Cristo Hotel into an arts center, construction of a new performing arts center, renovation of the historic Everett Theater and establishment of dozens of new shops.

"We still need to look for some kind of anchor, some large retailer that will draw in more shoppers," Hansen says.