Big Lots comes to Marysville Mall Nov. 8

Marysville Big Lots Store Manager Dan Hanlon shows off the store’s seasonal stock, ready to help shoppers get into the holiday spirit.— image credit: Kirk Boxleitner
Marysville Big Lots Store Manager Dan Hanlon shows off the store’s seasonal stock, ready to help shoppers get into the holiday spirit.
— image credit: Kirk Boxleitner

By Kirk Boxleitner, Marysville Globe Reporter

MARYSVILLE — Its official grand opening isn’t until 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, but the employees of the new Big Lots store at the corner of the Marysville Towne Center Mall have already gotten used to passersby taping on the glass to try and get a sneak peak.

Marysville Big Lots Store Manager Dan Hanlon explained that his roughly 60 employees have had 25 days to prepare for the ribbon-cutting, during which Big Lots District Manager Sheila Marquis will present a check for $1,500 to Totem Middle School.

“When I was working for Restoration Hardware and we opened an outlet in this area, I noticed that the folks from Marysville would buy more small shelf stock,” said Hanlon, who’s worked in retail “all my life” and lived in Snohomish County for the better part of a decade. “That’s when I knew that Marysville was looking for a good discount store. When I started working for Big Lots three years ago, they hired me to work here, but because of the construction on this facility, I worked at the Bellingham store instead for two years.”

Hanlon believes that Big Lots’ ever-changing selection of affordably priced goods is tailor-made for the shoppers of Marysville.

“We have a lot of people in Marysville who are blue-collar, hard-working and looking for great bargains,” Hanlon said. “We’re here for the community, and not just to offer them great deals. All of our workers are from the community. When we sent out the call for employees, we got 300 applications in three days.”

While Hanlon was promising first-day, first-through-the-door customers an assortment of giveaways, gift cards and other prizes, Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Caldie Rogers was singing the praises of the new store.

“Big Lots is a big win for our downtown core and community,” Rogers said. “How big a win? Studies prove that shoppers favor a shoppers’ destination, offering multiple shopping venues, rather than traveling to a single store.”

Rogers has no doubts that the shoppers who are drawn to Big Lots will explore the rest of Marysville’s surrounding downtown core of merchants.

“Add to that the win of new jobs that they have brought with them, and then double that win recognizing that the increased sales tax revenue generated will help our city fund the expanding services and infrastructure needs for our growing community,” Rogers said. “Welcome to the neighborhood, Big Lots, and thank you for investing in our community.”

 

Marysville All-City Food Drive returns Nov. 2

From left, Sean Overcash, Alwyn Galang, Vicki Steffen, Elaine Ferri and China Zugish represented the Marysville Kiwanis and Key clubs at the Marysville Albertsons during last year’s All-City Food Drive.— image credit: File Photo
From left, Sean Overcash, Alwyn Galang, Vicki Steffen, Elaine Ferri and China Zugish represented the Marysville Kiwanis and Key clubs at the Marysville Albertsons during last year’s All-City Food Drive.
— image credit: File Photo

Source: Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — With the holidays just around the corner, volunteers from several organizations will kick off the Marysville All-City Food Drive on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to help neighbors in need this season by collecting donations of money, food and unused toys.

Volunteers from the Kiwanis, the Lakewood High School Leadership Class, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, city of Marysville staff, Soroptimist International, HomeStreet Bank, the Lions Club, the local Junior ROTC, the Marysville Fire District and local youth groups will be collecting donations at various participating local grocers and retail stores.

“You can make a real difference in lives of children and families, knowing that your donations and gifts will go directly to families in the community,” Marysville Community Food Bank Director Dell Deierling said.

Year-to-date food and financial donations are down, while the number of families coming to the Food Bank is up 6 percent, making the need all the more real.

Volunteers will be collecting donations at the Marysville Fred Meyer, Grocery Outlet, Haggen, Albertsons, Walmart in Quil Ceda Village and east Marysville, and the Safeway stores in Marysville and Smokey Point.

Red barrels will be located throughout the Marysville community starting Nov. 2, and will continue to collect food and toys throughout the holiday season.

Donations can also be dropped off at the Marysville Community Food Bank, located at 4150 88th St. NE, behind St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

For more information about the All-City Food Drive, contact Tara Mizell by phone at 360-363-8404, or via email at tmizell@marysvillewa.gov.

Marysville goes multicultural with diversity fair

 

September 21, 2013

Everett Herald Staff

Comeford Park Photo source: City of Marysville
Comeford Park
Photo source: City of Marysville

 

 

MARYSVILLE — The city is planning its first Marysville Multicultural Fair to celebrate diversity in the Marysville-Tulalip communities and the many cultures who call the area home.

The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 28 in downtown Comeford Park, 514 Delta Ave. There will be music and dance from around the world on stage in the Rotary Pavilion, demonstrations and displays of traditions from other lands, and a food court where ethnic foods will be available for purchase.

The multicultural fair is sponsored by Sea Mar Community Health Centers, HomeStreet Bank, Marysville/North County YMCA, Molina Healthcare and the Marysville Free Methodist Church.

The day’s performances open with the Korean Dancers and Drums. The will be Celtic music from Seattle favorites the BOWI Band, Mariachi Juvenil Voces, American Indian flautist Peter Ali, American Indian S-du-hoo-bsh storyteller Lois Landgrebe, belly dance performances, and Karen Ann Krueger, a former paralympian and inspirational speaker on disabilities.

Some cultural food favorites include Mae Phim Restaurant (Thai), Sampaghita Cuisine (Filipino-American), Rosie’s Frybread (Tulalip/Native American), La Hacienda (Mexican), Craving Cajun Grill, Sons of Italy and others.

The multicultural fair will also have dozens of cultural resource booths, informational displays and hands-on activities for children.

For more information, contact diversity committee staff liaison Doug Buell at 360-363-8086, email dbuell@marysvillewa.gov, or visit the website at http://marysvillewa.gov/multiculturalfair.

Marysville adopts one-year moratorium on marijuana businesses

 

By Kirk Boxleitner, The Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — Marysville has given itself a year to work out how it will handle marijuana businesses within its city limits.

By a 5-1 vote on Monday, Sept. 9, the Marysville City Council approved an ordinance adopting a one-year moratorium “on the establishment, siting, location, permitting, licensing or operation of marijuana cultivation, production of marijuana or marijuana derivatives,” with Council member Rob Toyer casting the lone dissenting vote out of expressed concerns that the Council might wait to make its decision until shortly before the moratorium would be set to sunset.

According to Marysville Chief Administrative Officer Gloria Hirashima, the city needs to conduct local reviews of its zoning and licensing before it can even consider entertaining applications or licenses for marijuana businesses, especially since she expects the Washington State Liquor Control Board to release draft rules on the production, processing and retailing of marijuana for comment as early as October.

“We’ll be working through a local committee to conduct those reviews, with representatives from the City Council, the Planning Commission, local businesses and local citizens,” Hirashima said. “We’ve already done detailed mapping, according to the boundaries outlined in Initiative 502, of where marijuana retailers can’t be in Marysville, so we need to look at the remaining areas within the city, where they’re not restricted under I-502, and determine which of those areas we want to see those retailers allowed in, and under what conditions.”

Although Hirashima noted the number of citizens who have already expressed strong interests in this issue at Council meetings, which she believes is good for prospective members of a local review committee, she also acknowledged that the city would need to ensure that the interests of the citizens who do become members of the committee are relatively balanced.

“A couple of people who have come to Council meetings and followed this issue closely are also looking to open their own marijuana businesses, so their interests are obviously going to be different from those citizens who might be next-door neighbors to such establishments,” Hirashima said. “We need to make sure various opinions and perspectives are represented.”

Hirashima anticipates that the committee’s lineup will be finalized during the month of October, and reassured the rest of Marysville’s citizens that their voices would also be heard.

“We’re tentatively looking at potentially adopting our marijuana rules as soon as April of next year,” Hirashima said. “Before we do that, those proposed rules will go up for public comment in front of first the Planning Commission, then the City Council. It’s important that this process remain public and involve our citizens’ participation. This is a fast-moving area. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, but the state is initiating a system of licensing for it, so there’s still a wide range of opinions on this issue.”

Hundreds turn out for Days of Caring

Volunteer Heather Hopingardner mows overgrown grass at the All-Breed Equine Rez-Q for United Way of Snohomish County’s annual Day of Caring.— image credit: Lauren Salcedo
Volunteer Heather Hopingardner mows overgrown grass at the All-Breed Equine Rez-Q for United Way of Snohomish County’s annual Day of Caring.
— image credit: Lauren Salcedo

By Lauren Salcedo, The Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — More than 800 volunteers spent their weekends painting fences, cleaning schools, picking up litter and more as part of United Way of Snohomish County’s 20th annual Days of Caring efforts on Sept. 13 and Sept. 14.

In the Marysville and Tulalip areas, volunteers from across Snohomish County visited the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club, All-Breed Equine Rez-Q and Pinewood Elementary to give back to their community by spending two days taking care of much-needed maintenance.

“We found out two weeks ago that we had been chosen for this day of service,” said Dale Squeglia, director of the All-Breed Equine Rez-Q in Tulalip. “It was a surprise. A very nice surprise. United Way is here mowing the lawn, weed-whacking and painting everything. It’s just amazing.”

The All-Breed Equine Rez-Q is a nonprofit that rescues horses from abusive or neglectful situations, and either keeps them on their property to live out their days or looks for appropriate places to re-home them. On Friday, Sept. 13, employees of Crane Aerospace in Lynnwood helped complete yard work, and prepared the rescue’s fences and barns for painting on Saturday, Sept. 14,  by Snohomish County Public Utility District employees.

“United Way is already a supporter of us financially and helps us out,” said Squeglia. “This is the first time we’ve had them actually come out and physically help us, so we are very excited.”

Volunteer Sharon Peck was responsible for filling out the application to participate in the Days of Caring.

“We have two armies of people coming out to work all day, both days,” said Peck. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the people of the community to become aware of our needs, and also to have someone do the work that we don’t have the volunteers to do on a regular basis, and they get to spend a day working outside. Our project was called ‘Four Legs and Two Big Brown Eyes: Helping Snohomish County Horses.’ Nobody could resist that.”

At Pinewood Elementary, representatives from Union Bank and the The Daily Herald newspaper volunteered to sweep the grounds, clean-up flower beds and gardens, pressure-wash playground equipment and pick up litter.

“We all know funds are being cut, and so we are here helping the kids,” said Tiffany Lock-Osterberg of Union Bank, who noted that her company participated in the Days of Caring at Pinewood last year. “We painted the hopscotch areas, helped clean up graffiti and painted a mural. Last year, the kids came out and said, ‘Thank you,’ and even helped out. They did that again this year and that’s really great to see.”

Marysville mayor Jon Nehring visited Pinewood Elementary on Friday, Sept. 13, along with United Way of Snohomish County Vice President Karen Crowley.

“A big part of Marysville is the volunteers,” said Nehring. “As mayor, that means a lot to me, especially to see them out here helping our schools. As a campaign chair for United Way, this is a great way to show what United Way is all about. I don’t think there is any other day of the year that is like this. There are 800 volunteers out in Snohomish County right now. It’s truly amazing to see all the work they are doing.”

Crowley said that the volunteer efforts at Pinewood Elementary specifically helped improve morale at the school.

“We had three companies volunteer here last year, and Union Bank was one of them so it is great to see them back again,” said Crowley. “What touched us is that it seemed that they felt they hadn’t been paid attention to. Last year, students put signs together saying, ‘Thank you,’ and you got a sense of real appreciation from them. There was a mural painted with kids and volunteers, and I remember chatting with a mom who was in tears and she said, ‘We thought our kids were forgotten.’ It was really powerful.”

In Snohomish County, 73 teams participated in 41 projects benefiting 30 different agencies as a part of the annual Days of Caring.

“That’s a total of 3,746 hours, which at the standard economic value for volunteer time — $22.69 per hour — would come up to $85,000,” said Neil Parekh, vice president of marketing and communications for United Way of Snohomish County.

For more information on United Way, and volunteer opportunities in Snohomish County, visit www.uwsc.org.

 

Marysville Walmart set to open Sept. 18

Source: Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — The long-awaited Marysville Walmart is finally set to open on Wednesday, Sept. 18, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m. The new store is located at 8713 64th St. NE and will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide Marysville residents with one-stop shopping convenience for their grocery and general merchandise needs, as well as pharmacy services.

Marysville city officials have welcomed this new addition, citing increased opportunity for economic growth, commercial development and job creation.

“We want to welcome Marysville’s newest corporate neighbor, Walmart,” Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said. “This is a grand opening that has been anticipated for several years, but will surely have been worth the wait for the many patient shoppers in our community and around the region.”

“We’re very pleased that Walmart is adding a second store to the Marysville community,” said Caldie Rogers, President and CEO of the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce. “Walmart has been a valuable community partner since its first store opened in 2001. Their Tulalip store has provided their customers with literally hundreds of referrals to neighboring business when asked for a product they do not stock. This newest store addition will provide even more opportunities for economic growth, both in referrals as well as in sales tax revenue for our city.”

Store employees expressed their aim to offer quality, value-priced general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, toys, sporting goods, and lawn and garden items, as well as a full line of groceries, including organic and natural selections, in addition to local favorites. The store’s physical site is intended to serve as a convenient location for a variety of communities, including east Marysville, Lake Stevens, and unincorporated areas of Snohomish County.

The pharmacy likewise touts a full range of products and services. Pharmacy team members can answer product and prescription questions, and customers can ask about health and wellness solutions.

The grand opening celebration is also slated to include presentations of $8,000 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local community groups, including the Marysville Boys & Girls Club, the Marysville Community Food Bank, the Marysville Police Department and the Marysville Sunrise Rotary. The new store will also host a day-long toy drive, in partnership with the Salvation Army, on the day of its grand opening.

The new store employs approximately 300 full- and part-time associates, and more than 1,000 applicants submitted interest in working at the Marysville Walmart.

“Our associates are looking forward to a fun grand opening celebration, and cannot wait to welcome Marysville shoppers as we open the doors to our new store,” said store manager Sonia Smith, who began her Walmart career in 1999 as an assistant manager.

The Marysville Walmart will give customers a chance to meet Smith, and enjoy family activities such as face-painting, cupcake decorating and free food samples, while supplies last, during the store’s “Big Family Welcome” from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21.

Area students named to Dean’s List at U.W.

 

Source: The Marysville Globe

Students from the Marysville/Tulalip area have been named to the Dean’s List at the University of Washington for Spring 2013 Quarter.

To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student must have completed at least 12 graded credits and have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (out of 4). Students are notified that they have achieved this distinction when they receive their grades for the quarter.

The students are listed alphabetically by hometown.

Marysville

Vicente Aberion, junior

Dominic Alhambra, freshman

Angela Ament, senior

Jake Blackman, sophomore

Blaine Bowman, senior

Casey Brown, senior

Stephen Calkins, freshman

Courtney Coombs, junior

Kyle Daggett, junior

Thomas Esser, senior

Mathew Featherstone, junior

Katelyn Frazier, senior

Claudia Furmanczyk, junior

Gabriel Gribler, senior

Alyssa Grisham, sophomore

Jade Hanson, senior

Nicholas Harris, sophomore

Reed Headrick, sophomore

Brian Hecox, senior

Samuel Hipp, senior

Tara Howes, senior

Eric Huswick, senior

Sam Josephsen, junior

Mikko Juan, sophomore

Emily Krueger, junior

Mikaela Lance, junior

Alicia Malavolti, senior

Aleksandr Melnik, senior

Taylor Olsen, senior

Gerard Pascual, sophomore

Cierra Purdom, sophomore

Joshua Rasmussen, senior

Brian Ronk, senior

Andy Sandhu, senior

Tyler Smith, senior

Zachary Smith, junior

Minh Ta, sophomore

Riley Taitingfong, senior

Ashley Tande, freshman

Nina Tran, junior

Alex Troupe, junior

Lakrista Vantrece, sophomore

Kate Vavrousek, junior

Hailey Zurcher, junior

Tulalip

Amanda Koerber, senior

Nicholas Marshall, junior

Climb aboard big rigs at ‘Touch A Truck’ Sept. 14

Source: Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — The city of Marysville invites area families to “Touch A Truck,” a free annual event that puts kids in the drivers’ seats of public works big rigs, police and fire vehicles, and other heavy-duty equipment that children see out on city streets every day.

“Touch A Truck” will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Totem Middle School’s Asbery Field, located at 1605 Seventh St. NE in Marysville. Admission is free.

“Kids are mesmerized by Marysville’s big shiny rigs, and ‘Touch A Truck’ is a way for our city employees and other participants to show off the work trucks and vehicles that they use out in the field every day,” said Andrea Kingsford, recreation coordinator for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. “Come out and run the lights and sirens, honk the horns, grab the steering wheels and push buttons just like the grownups.”

Cameras are not required, but parents will be glad they brought them.

Marysville Public Works, Police, Parks and Recreation, and Fire District personnel will bring young people face to face with their favorite municipal vehicles. Kids will get to explore dump trucks, a vactor truck, a street sweeper, garbage trucks, police vehicles, fire engines and many other vehicles, while learning all about them from the skilled employees who drive them. Sirens and horns are permitted from 10 a.m. to noon only.

The Marysville Noon Rotary Club will offer special activities for kids, while the Marysville Kiwanis Club will have treats for sale to raise money for local youth programs. Bring a canned food item and help support the Marysville Community Food Bank.

For more information, call the Parks and Recreation Department at 360-363-8400. No pets, please.

Touch-Truck

‘Early fall’ is Walmart date for Marysville store opening

Christina Harper / Special to The HeraldGwyn Porras (left) and Roderick Brogan stock shelves at the new Walmart store on Highway 9 at Highway 528 in Marysville.
Christina Harper / Special to The Herald
Gwyn Porras (left) and Roderick Brogan stock shelves at the new Walmart store on Highway 9 at Highway 528 in Marysville.

Christina Harper, Herald Business Journal

MARYSVILLE — Walmart staff members insist that there is no fixed date for the grand opening of the new 147,000-square-foot Marysville store. Judging by the huge Halloween section overflowing with scary monsters and black-and-orange garb, shoppers can safely bet that the one-stop shopping experience on the corner of Highways 9 and 528 will be ready to roll back prices in the next few weeks.

“Early fall,” said Sonia Smith, manager at the new store.

With 270 full- and part-time workers on board, the store now is being set up. Staff are stocking baby formula is on the shelves, setting up electronics and emptying dozens of cardboard boxes.

Kayla Corley of Marysville will switch to part-time work from full-time once the store opens.

“This is my second day,” Corley said.

Corley previously worked at the Tulalip Quil Ceda Village Walmart then took time off to have her children. After an eight-year break, she is back and happy to be employed in sporting goods.

“It’s a good company to work for,” Corley said. “Good benefits.”

Rumors abound that the Tulalip Quil Ceda Village Walmart will close once the Marysville store is up and running. The Quil Ceda store is not closing, Smith said.

The Marysville store took eight months to build and includes a garden center, food, pharmacy and firearms. The store also has a sewing and craft section with bolts of fabric that can be measured and cut.

“Customers are asking for it,” Smith said.

Freezers light up as shoppers approach pizza and other frozen food displays adding to Walmart’s commitment to energy saving and sustainability, Smith said.

There is no tire and lube section, but inside the store, shoppers can stop for a sandwich at Subway or a trim at the Smart Style hair salon.

Walmart has long been criticized for stocking shelves with goods from China. This long-term relationship could mean that company’s recent commitment to “Made In America” goods, which Walmart hopes will bring more manufacturing jobs to the United States, might be met with skepticism.

But Smith is one of many Walmart employees involved with a local vendor program where people who have ideas for locally made goods they want to see on shelves can contact her at the Marysville store. Local goods including “Big Foot” mugs and caps are likely to prove popular with shoppers, Smith said.

For Roderick Brogan, of Everett, and Gwyn Porras, of Marysville, Walmart is a new venture. The two will be working in the store on Walmart.com, checking for website orders and getting them ready for customer pick-up.

As the men sorted socks from boxes and hung them on wire hangers, they each said they were excited about opening day. Whenever that is.

“It might be crazy,” Porras said. “But I am looking forward to it.”

Touch-A-Truck coming Sept. 14

The City of Marysville invites you to Touch-A-Truck on Saturday, Sept. 14, an event that puts your kids in the driver’s seat of Marysville’s biggest heavy-duty rigs. Honk the horns, set off sirens, kick the tires on a variety of big rigs – dump trucks, backhoe, vactor truck, police vehicles, street sweeper, Marysville Fire District fire engines, garbage trucks, an aid car and more. Come join the fun!

Marysville Noon Rotary Club will offer special activities for kids, and Marysville Kiwanis will have tasty treats for sale.

For more information please call (360) 363-8400. Please bring a donation for the Marysville Food Bank. No pets, please.

Touch-Truck

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