Looking good: Snoqualmie celebrates ?visual transformation of ?historic downtown

There is still work to be done on Snoqualmie’s current infrastructure project, but city officials recognized the visual transformation of Historic Downtown Snoqualmie in a small, but well-attended ceremony in Railroad Park.

By Carol Ladwig • September 1, 2015 6:29 pm
Wendy Thomas of Carmichael’s Hardware gets a little help from the audience as she sings “On the Boardwalk” in celebration of Snoqualmie’s nearly complete phase of work on the Historic Downtown infrastructure project
Wendy Thomas of Carmichael’s Hardware gets a little help from the audience as she sings “On the Boardwalk” in celebration of Snoqualmie’s nearly complete phase of work on the Historic Downtown infrastructure project

There is still work to be done on Snoqualmie’s current infrastructure project, but city officials recognized the visual transformation of Historic Downtown Snoqualmie in a small, but well-attended ceremony in Railroad Park.

Mayor Matt Larson welcomed guests and introduced speakers representing local businesses, the State Department of Transportation, HUD and King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, but first, he introduced the project itself.

“This project represents great leadership, great vision, and a promise kept,” Larson said.

The leadership and vision came into play about 20 years ago when the city was developing its Comprehensive Plan, he said.

The delivery of the beautiful new Main Street, although not quite done, is the promise kept, to attract some of the nearly 2 million visitors who come to Snoqualmie Falls, while staying true to Snoqualmie’s historic past.

Guest speakers included Josh Brown, president of the Puget Sound Regional Council, which helped to secure $1.6 million for the city’s project; Steve Gorcester from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board; Jack Peters from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Ross Marzolf from Kathy Lambert’s office.

Marzolf first congratulated the city on behalf of Lambert, who was out of state.

Then, consulting a last-minute e-mail he’d received from her on his phone, he added, “Make sure to tell them how much I enjoy their city.”

After a pause to wave at train passengers going by the park on their way to Snoqualmie Falls, Mayor Larson continued introducing guest speakers, including Ryan Seal of Sigillo Cellars, who commended the city and the project, which he said “has definitely brought new life to downtown,” and Chamber of Commerce officer Carlos DeImus.

In what has become a tradition, Larson said, the program ended with some words, and a song, from Wendy Thomas of Carmichael’s Hardware.

She sang, with the audience’s help, “On the Boardwalk,” a modified version of a 1964 Drifters hit song.

The project was funded by a combination of grants from the Federal Highway Administration, Housing and Urban Development, the state Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Transportation Improvement Board state fuel tax.