Upon taking office unopposed in the November election, Karen was re-elected Mayor by her colleagues on council for a another two year term on January 3rd.

“I’m happy to continue my service to the citizens of this beautiful riverside city. There are some great things happening that we can celebrate as we move to the new year:
1. Increased funds to pay for street maintenance and two new street upgrade projects thanks to your passage of the sales tax;
2. Completion of the plans for the Pilchuck redevelopment District around the Boys & Girls Club, the Libray, and the Senior Center;
3. Construction of the first stage of the Centennial Trail Park near those great public ammenities;
4. Dedication of our new sewer pump station on 1st Street near Avenue J with improvements to 1st Street and access to a nature preserve along the river;
5. Slow, but steady increase of business activity in town, both in the Historic District and at Snohomish Station;
6. Receipt of state money for the expansion of our sewer treatment plant upgrades;
And 7. A functional and congenial council and staff committed to making this a great historic city in spite of some painful choices.

As you know, a depressed economy and reduced income has hit all levels of government service. We have had to let dedicated public workers go, a really difficult, but necessary choice. Our city staff is running very lean, working harder and longer hours. At the same time, these dedicated folks continue to offer quality service behind the scenes for our sewer treatment, water resources, and street maintenance.

As Charles Dickens put it: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times — it is a time of best and worst; yet, I believe it is a great time to be alive and participating in the life of this wonderful community. Doing what I can to help us grow, prosper, and bring more vitality to all of our citizens.

Part of that for me is in the celebration (pictured above) of the newly expanded Yoga Circle Studio, my business at 707 Pine Avenue.

Yoga is an important part of my life’s work, as is my art, and my political service on council as Mayor. I see them all as one unifying life purpose — to creatively open to the world, to join with others to make a difference.

Enlarging Yoga Circle Studio is a strong step in encouraging a healthier, happier place to live. Serving as Mayor, it is a part of my practice to encourage a more peaceful and productive life – where we can embrace all of our citizens and together provide a safe and healthy city. 

Health and Safety — the basic reasons for a civic structure — are also a part of the prime principles of yoga.  And, art is the expression of spirit, of being alive. ”

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Karen Guzak | PAINTINGS AND PRINTS

Karen Guzak | PUBLIC ART AND DESIGN

Karen serves at the vice-chair of the Steering Committee and since she was closely involved with the work of staff toward developing the county’s comprehensive plans, she was given the honor of speaking at the dinner and presenting staff planner, Ryan Countryman, an award for his dedication and to mark his departure to other efforts.

SCT Website

Jay Inslee, one of the leading candidates in Washington’s 2012 governor’s race, joined Mayor Karen for a tour of local business and a chance to talk with shop owners about the challenges they’re facing in the recession and ideas about how to help small businesses grow.

The historic downtown tour included Ruffles & Rust Square, Grow Washington, Fred’s Alehouse, Grilla Bites, and the soon-to-open Wine Cellars of Washington.

Jay’s final stop was just in time to join the Board of Artist Trust’s champaign toast to mark the end of its annual retreat at Karen’s studio AngleArmsWorks. Jay added a toast to Snohomish as a place of creative ideas that are manifesting for a more vibrant small town.

Karen welcomes the opportunity to join all leading candidates for Washington State governor on a similar tour of downtown Snohomish.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony of Snohomish’s new wastewater pump station was held on Tuesday afternoon, September 13th. The purpose of the new pump is to prevent untreated water from spilling into the Snohomish River, especially durning times of heavy rainfall.

Three and a half miles of pipe were installed from downtown to the treatment plant near Highway 9 along First Street. The project was funded by a grant of $5.4 million secured by Rep. Hans Dunshee, along with a $1 million storm water grant from the state Department of Ecology. The city of Snohomish contributed $900,000 using a public trust fund loan. City Engineer Steve Schuller supervised the project for the city.

Mayor Karen hosted the event, opening with words attributed to Chief Sealth (Seattle), that speaks to the simple truth that we are all connected. “A healthy river means a healthy city,” Karen said.

Rep. Hans Dunshee gave the keynote address, reminding listeners of the number of jobs created by the project along with keeping the river clean.

A highlight of the ceremony was Steve Schuller’s enthusiastic telling the project’s features, including the story of three people stopping to ask if the pump station was the Vistor’s Center, confirming Steve’s goal to create an attractive building at the one of the entryways into the city.

July 29, 2011 was a day of celebration for the City of Snohomish. We broke ground for the long awaited Centennial Trail that will complete over 30 miles of trail, from our riverfront, north to Arlington. The trail is largely funded with federal dollars, secured for us by Congressman Rick Larsen.

This trail will be a linear park through what we have named “The Pilchuck District.”  In addition to celebrating the beginning of the trail construction, we celebrated the completion of planning of the Pilchuck District. With help from a grant from the Cascade Land Conservancy, we were able to create design standards, code changes, preliminary SEPA review, a Transfer of Development Rights program, and some utility upgrades. All of these changes will invite development to the District where we plan for a more pedestrian oriented urban village with mixed use – shops, restaurants, town homes, and apartments.

The District is home to our award winning library, the Boys & Girls club plus a skate park, and our new Senior Center and senior Affordable housing. In addition, we were awarded a Vision 2040 plaque from Puget Sound Regional Council for excellence in planning.

We welcome both the trail and our newest District to the significant ammenities in the City of Snohomish.  Celebrate Snohomish!

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