This story yesterday in the Everett Herald finally brings to light something that has been talked about off-the-record since the battle over the location of a possible new UW North Sound branch fizzled in a stalemate at the end of the 2008 legislative session.
The Legion Memorial Golf Course in Everett is being discussed by lawmakers as a location which could be a potential compromise between proponents of the Everett Transit Center and Marysville-Smokey Point sites. Although the site was not offered by the city last year and has not been through a comprehensive evaluation, it is located at the very north end of the city, closer to north county residents and proximate to Everett Community College.
As you may recall, at the tail end of the last session, the Legislature provided $100,000 to the Higher Education Coordinating Board to convene interested parties from the region and develop a consensus recommendation for a campus site. There is no formal public process for this endeavor and the city of Everett is still evaluating whether or not the golf course could even be converted to an alternative purpose. Jerry Cornfield’s story goes on to mention that Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen (D-Camano Island) and Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish) have recently met to discuss how to move forward on the issue. Who knows if the Legion Golf Course holds the keys to a potential compromise?