Choose Monroe February 2023

SHOP LOCAL | LOCAL FITNESS | LOCAL NON-PROFIT

A LOCAL’S GUIDE TO MONROE

healthy living issue GET YOUR GARDEN GROWING

Where to find what you need to get started this spring

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Something for Every Body

COMPLIMENTARY

February 2023

PRSRT STD US Postage Paid Seattle, WA Permit No. 1 ECRWSS Postal Customer

Where happy & healthy start As your community-owned hospital, we provide the personalized care you want with the convenience you need, at every stage of life.

With our comprehensive services and clinical expertise, we’re here to be your health partner, no matter what comes your way. Learn more at evergreenhealthmonroe.com or call our 24/7 Nurse Navigator & Healthline — a free service connecting you and your family with the right level of care and a doctor who meets your personal needs at 360.794.1111.

24/7 Emergency Room Care

Gastrointestinal Services

Physical & Occupational Therapy

Urgent Care in Monroe

3-D Mammography & DXA

Podiatry

Primary Care in Monroe & Sultan

Midwifery Care

Respiratory Care

Anticoagulation Management Clinic

Nutrition Counseling

Chemical and Alcohol Dependency & Recovery Center

OB/GYN Care

Surgical Services – General, Orthopedic, Gastrointestinal & Gynecological

Outpatient Addiction Medicine Care

Pain Management

Diagnostic Imaging

Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Vascular Care

February 2023 Volume 6 | Issue 1

In This Issue 4

Local Organization News

6

All Your Gardening Needs

13 JVM Food Bank Garden 18 Health and Fitness 25 Monroe Supports Families In Need

26 Events Calendar

Published By: Colibri Northwest P.O. Box 13130 Des Moines, WA 98198 www.ColibriNW.com (206) 284-8285 Peter Philips, Publisher peter@colibrinw.com Advertising Sales: Katie Higgins (206) 914-4248 katie@colibrinw.com

A

t the base of the Cascade Mountains, the City of Monroe is a place of beauty and goodwill. I invite you, your friends, and family to venture out of your homes and to explore all Monroe

just equipment to help you on your journey. Whether you are in search of relaxing yoga, oneon-one training, a

has to offer.

Our community supports a variety of healthy lifestyles. It’s hard to believe, but spring will be right around the corner and it’s never too soon to start thinking of that dream landscape, that flower garden you’ve always wanted, or picking out what vegetables you want to grow. Whatever you desire, our local businesses have you covered in all areas of planting (page 6). To get you fit and ready for that spring planting or to kick start a new goal, try one of the many fitness options the City has to offer (page 18).

These businesses offer more than

group fitness class, or curious about trying CrossFIT, Monroe has you covered.

Do you know someone who needs help on their way to a healthy lifestyle? Learn about a local program offering homeless families find long-term affordable housing and another amazing program offering treatment for substance abuse disorder (page 25). Our community is truly a safe place for all. In Monroe, everyone feels at home, and everyone feels they belong.

Mayor Geoffrey Thomas

Writer: Adam Worcester Photographer: Nichole Gaertner

13

ON THE COVER Pine Creek Nursery Nichole Gaertner Photography

6

18 Choose Monroe | 3

Evergreen Health Monroe 14841 179th Avenue SE, Monroe, WA

I

f you are living with addiction, it can be difficult to take the steps you need to start living a healthier, better life with treatment.

The Recovery Center at EvergreenHealth Monroe is your dedicated partner and best local resource when you are ready to seek treatment. Our compassionate experts are available 24/7 to help you get on the path toward a rewarding and productive life in recovery. Whether you are looking for inpatient treatment to help you begin your journey or are interested in outpatient support to keep you on your path in recovery, our specialists can help ensure you get the care and comprehensive support you need.

Beginning the lifelong journey of recovery is often the most difficult part of the process, but we at the Recovery Center are here to ensure you don’t walk the path alone.

Visit RecoveryCenterMonroe.com or connect with our staff at (360) 794-1405 to learn more.

snohomish regional fire & rescue 163 Village Court, Monroe, WA

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e are Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue (SRFR), serving 160,000 residents in Monroe, Lake Stevens, Clearview, Maltby, and unincorporated southeast Snohomish County. SRFR responds to an average of 17,000 calls per year with highly trained personnel and state-of-the-art rescue programs.

SRFR is known for providing the highest quality fire and emergency medical services (EMS). For example, our cardiac save rate is twice the national average. We also provide fire and life safety programs to prevent emergencies and accidents before they happen. We inspect businesses regularly and all new construction to make sure it complies with fire safety codes. We’re in our local schools, offer safety classes for seniors, and teach disaster preparedness, fire safety, and extinguisher use. We also host two water safety camps for children in the summer and attend various community events throughout the year. Our philosophy is to serve people, save lives, protect property, safeguard the environment, and continuously improve to meet the needs of our community as it grows.

Our team of dedicated professionals are committed to your health, safety, and well-being. Follow the QR code or go to www.SRFR.org to learn more about how you can take advantage of some of the health and safety programs we offer.

4 | Choose Monroe

Monroe Library 1070 Village Way, Monroe, WA

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hoose the Monroe Library! If you have not visited the beautiful Monroe Library, you are missing out! Connect with a world of entertainment, adventure, and information. Located in the heart of Monroe at 1070 Village Way, unlock a world of reading. Check out books, DVDs, eBooks, audiobooks, and access magazines, newspapers, databases, streaming services, and so much more. Along with books, DVDs, eBooks, audiobooks, you can access magazines and newspapers, databases, streaming services, and so much more. Our staff are standing by to help you find the perfect item for you!

As you prepare for spring, peruse our extensive resources on gardening, enjoy birding with access to the Birds of the World database, or check out our librarian-curated reading lists on subjects like van life and exploring the Pacific Northwest.

Join a wide variety of fun events for all ages and all interests. A few of our recurring events include Drop-in Tech Help, Storytimes, Yoga for Teens, and Online Craft and Chat.

It does not stop there. Sno-Isle Libraries offers access to a host of services like printing, laptop check-out, Wi-Fi, public meeting rooms, self-check-out stations, and a play area for young children.

Pick up books and materials 24/7, at a time that is convenient for you, at Sno-Isle Libraries two Express Locker locations.

Body Healing Center

117 W Main St, Monroe, WA

Stress & Tension

Relaxed Balance

Janaki Rose, OTR/L o 360-863-2701 or c 206-799-6771 • Hellerwork Deep Tissue Structural Integration Bodywork • Injury Treatment • •

Insurance Accepted

• Hypnotherapy • Life Coaching • Spiritual Counseling

Massage Therapy by Michelle Taylor, LMP Wellness Rising Massage

Choose Monroe | 5

I Pine Creek’s Next Step in Master Vision

BY ADAM WORCESTER

6 | Choose Monroe

t began with 20 acres and a vision.

Paul Sayers looked out on a patch of rough farmland just east of Monroe two decades ago and saw it all: the new house, the huge pond, the granite stage, the event center, the greenhouses, the flower farm, the materials yard, the amphitheater. Then he rolled up his sleeves and started bringing his dream to life. Pine Creek Farms and Nursery is still a work in progress.

“I love creating things, building things,” he said. “When people get joy out of that, that’s my fulfillment.”

Sayers cleared the land, dug irrigation, poured concrete, hauled in fill dirt, and built every structure on the property. His wife, Gwen, designed the rustic and vintage interiors. Together, they’ve transformed Pine Creek from a small business peddling flowers to a full-fledged nursery and event venue.

At first there was only an office with a gravel driveway. Gwen sold flowers. Paul carved out a materials yard to store the topsoil, gravel, compost, and bark his company wholesales. Then, in short order, came a house, greenhouses, fields to grow trees, the flower farm, and a large pond with a fountain and Koi. Then, there was 2008.

That was tough,” Gwen said of 2008. “Business is definitely not our forte.

We haven’t been to school for anything. We’ve just made our way through books and trial and error.” “We scraped,” Paul said. “We started from scratch. We’ve invested everything we’ve made back into this business.”

The nursery offers both unique and staple Pacific Northwest plants, with edibles, seeds, perennials, and shrubs. It grows 12,000 to 15,000 trees at any given time for both wholesale and retail sales. A flower farm, called “Scattered Seeds,” provides Gwen with flora to sell bulk flowers and craft specialty bouquets for customers and weddings. She gives advice on container gardens and home décor and has bouquet subscriptions available during the growing season. Pine Creek also stages occasional special classes, with topics such as “Succulent Creations,” “Cutting Gardens & Bouquets,” and “Kid’s Potting.”

The event venue hosts weddings and other types of large parties and gatherings, both indoor and outdoor.

Its two buildings share an outside courtyard covered by a tall glass roof, incorporating the greenhouse theme.

Though the couple employ a small staff, “We do as much as possible on our own,” Gwen said. “It’s not 9 to 5 for us; it’s 24-7.”

Gwen had actually begun to grow and sell flowers as a side gig from her Safeway job about a year before the couple bought the Pine Creek acreage in 2003, while Paul ran a small landscape business.

They had met each other at Bothell High School, married, and moved to Monroe in 1994.

“I absolutely did not want to venture into opening a nursery. It just felt too big,” Gwen said. “Paul was the visionary; I kind of went along for the ride with my hair on fire. It wasn’t a dream at the beginning, but it developed into a dream.”

Monroe

Bookkeeper

101 E Main St, 106B Monroe, WA 98272

www.monroebookkeeper.com

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After forging through the recession, the Sayers began hosting weddings and other events in 2014 to increase their revenue.

Paul built a general-purpose event center for celebrations and receptions, as well as an outdoor stage of giant granite stones. He aims to finish a separate cabin for grooms by summer. In addition to the granite stage, there are wide lawns and several other picturesque backdrops to hold outdoor ceremonies. The indoor wedding/event center features a hand-made stone fireplace and a 14-foot table converted from the original basketball court at Juanita High School.

8 | Choose Monroe

“There’s a saying in the nursery business, ‘It’s all during summer.’

But our summers are so short here,” Paul said. “Gardening is not on people’s minds. That’s when wedding season kicks off.”

Just as their new wedding business started to hit its stride, the

“Paul was the visionary; I kind of went along for the ride with my hair on fire. It wasn’t a dream at the beginning, but it developed into a dream.”

state banned large group gatherings for several months in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t as catastrophic as in 2008 because nursery sales boomed during the shutdown. The couple also began renting space for people to take portrait photos.

Now weddings are picking up again – Pine Creek has 52 scheduled this summer – and Paul is pursuing his next vision: an amphitheater for summer concerts.

“I just keep thinking, everyone leaves Monroe to go do stuff,” he said. “Why not have something to do here? If I could do three or four concerts a summer, I’d be really happy.”

Sayers has hewed out the grass-banked amphitheater, which he estimates will hold 1,000 spectators, but he still needs to make a cover for the stage, pour a concrete perimeter walkway, and map out parking lots. There is always something to keep Paul busy, and even during winter, when the nursery and farm close to the public. He needs to build a roof for the groom’s cabin. He must restructure a greenhouse that collapsed from snow. He wants to move his materials yard to another

meets three conditions. It has to be creative, challenging, and profitable.

He guesses he and Gwen have five to ten years left before they retire. The couple has two sons, but neither has been involved in Pine Creek or landscaping.

“I would love to see this thing keep going. Just step back, manage it a little bit, and let someone else take it over,” Paul said.

The picture of a farm and nursery he held in his mind’s eye 20 years ago is near reality. Lately it’s been getting crowded out by a new

part of the farm. And there are still a couple of back acres on the property to which he has yet to apply his visionary touch.

“It’s amazing to see his artistic ability,” Gwen said. “We’re terrible businesspeople, but we’re very creative.”

Paul still takes outside landscaping jobs, though he says he won’t tackle a project unless it

vision. What he would ultimately like to do, Paul said, is have time to garden. It’s a hobby Gwen has loved since childhood and the two have enjoyed since early in their marriage.

“That’s our favorite thing to do, actually,” Paul said. “When we shut the gates at five, we start gardening.

I envision someday being able to garden 24/7.”

PINE CREEK FARMS & NURSERY 23225 SOFIE ROAD MONROE, WA (360) 863-8866 HOURS OF OPERATION: MONDAY-FRIDAY: 10AM-5PM SATURDAY: 9AM-5PM SUNDAY: 12PM-4PM WHAT YOU’LL FIND: DISPLAY GARDENS FOR INSPIRATION RUSTIC AND VINTAGE DÉCOR SEEDS, PERENNIALS, GROUND COVER, SHRUBS, TREES CLASSES OFFERED: SUCCULENT CREATIONS FEBRUARY KID’S POTTING – MARCH CUTTING GARDENS & BOUQUETS – APRIL WREATH MAKING – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER AMENITIES: BULK MATERIALS – TOPSOIL, GRAVEL, MULCH, BARK, COMPOST WOOD DEBRIS RECYCLING SCATTERED SEEDS, FLOWER FARM – BOUQUET SUBSCRIPTIONS, BULK FLOWERS, EVENT FLORALS EVENTS AT PINE CREEK, WEDDING & EVENT VENUE PHOTOGRAPHY VENUE

Choose Monroe | 9

local shopping for green thumbs Coastal Farm & Ranch

Falling Water Gardens

19881 US-2 www.coastalcountry.com

17516 SR-203 www.fallingwatergardens.com

From a small home garden to a multi-acre farm, Coastal stocks everything you could possibly want – and more! Amid a vast array of outdoor products, home gardeners can find tools, pest solutions, power tools, even clothing for any gardening season. The store also supports youth agriculture programs, the Monroe Boys & Girls Club, local food banks, and the Humane Society. Its website maintains an active blog, with topics such as “Controlling Unwanted Winter Pests” and “Are You Ready For the Snow?”

It’s known for its well-sculpted grounds featuring ponds, fountains, and unique decorations, but Falling Water Gardens is also a full-service garden center. It sells flowers and plants, hosts gardening classes, and posts “how to” videos on its website. If you have a pond or incorporate water into your garden, this is the place to go. It has an aquatic nursery plus everything you’ll need to care for your fish and keep your pond water healthy.

Falling Water Gardens also hosts weddings, glamping for out-of-town guests, and other events.

Falling Water Gardens

10 | Choose Monroe

Fred Meyer 18805 US-2 www.fredmeyer.com

Fred Meyer has long been your “one stop shopping center” and that includes all your gardening needs. Pick up gloves, tools, potting soil, seeds, decorations, insect repellants, hoses and sprayers – almost anything you can think of – on the same trip as your groceries and household items. There are also bouquets, roses, orchids, floral arrangements, and potted plants.

Got a large vehicle? You can even haul home a greenhouse!

West Coast Nursery

West Coast Nursery

Lowes Home Improvement

Register now!

19393 Tjerne Place www.lowes.com/store/WA-Monroe/2781

2023 CSA PROGRAM

Need perennials? Annuals? Seeds or bulbs? House plants? Yard plants? Soil or mulch? Lowes’ Lawn & Garden Department has you covered. The store has a dizzying selection of flora and accessories for domestic green-thumbers of all stripes. That’s not all, of course! Lowes also sells garden décor, landscaping materials, greenhouses, storage sheds, patio furniture; in short, anything you can imagine to shape your outdoor spaces.

ANTHOLOGY RANCH PETTING ZOO

Falling Water Gardens

Coming Soon!

SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS

BY APPOINTMENT: 206-605-3389 22320 YEAGER RD • MONROE, WA

& Visitor Center

ANTHOLOGYRANCH.COM

• Local business information & coupons • Local area maps & brochures • Multilingual visitor services staff • Hiking information • Trip planning assistance • Lodging & dining information • New resident welcome packets

Choose Monroe.com Choose Monroe | 11

LOCAL SHOPPING FOR GREEN THUMBS Tractor Supply

West Coast Nursery

Woods Creek Nursery

13650 Roosevelt Road www.tractorsupply.com

18720 US-2 www.westcoastnursery.com

21008 Woods Creek Road www.woodscreeknursery.com

Don’t let the name fool you. Tractor Supply has a comprehensive lawn and garden section that features eight categories of plants and flowers, eight categories of plant care and landscaping products, and four categories of greenhouses and supplies. Recent customer favorites highlighted on its website include

If you’re having trouble finding specific trees or plants for your garden, head to West Coast Nursery, a retail and wholesale business whose mission is to offer “wholesale prices to everyone.”

It specializes in growing Japanese Maples, Excelsa Cedars, Alaska Cedars, Emerald Green

Its main business is wholesale, but Woods Creek nursery has a 20-acre nursery open to the public.

Most of its flora is native to the Northwest; it grows more than 500 different types of plants, shrubs, hedges, and trees – including more than 40 varieties of Japanese Maples. Do you have a healthy tree

deer netting, raised garden beds, a leaf scooper, a floating pond de-icer, and 2.5 quart Arborvitae Emerald Green trees. With more than 3,000 gardening products, Tractor Supply is bound to have what you’re seeking.

Arborvitaes, Shade Trees, Kousa Dogwoods, Leyland Cypresses, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Grasses, and Nandinas. If West Coast doesn’t have what you’re looking for, you can request a plant for special order.

you want removed from your yard?

Woods Creek will haul it away and replant it for free. The nursery practices sustainable growing and has earned “Merit Farm” status from the Snohomish Conservation District.

West Coast Nursery

12 | Choose Monroe

West Coast Nuresry

julia V. morris food bank garden

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n the year 1999, a young Eagle Scout candidate was the driving force to create the vacant lot filled with construction debris into a community garden. The City of Monroe matched his efforts and installed the water system and paths in what we now know as the JVM Food Bank Garden.

The garden has a long history of fabulous volunteers who have grown food for those in our community who are in need. Julia V. Morris, for whom it was dedicated, set the example.

The garden is currently

BY AMY MARTIN managed by a loyal committee of volunteers who are solely responsible for raising the crops from seed through harvest. The garden operates on a very small budget, which is generously supplemented by the Monroe Garden Club.

Our current practices have become more sustainable through implementation of “no dig” raised beds, the use of cover crops, compost, and leaves to increase soil life, with no use of herbicides, pesticides, or commercial fertilizers.

We plant areas of flowers to attract pollinators. This year we hope to transition one border to a more natural meadowtype pollinator area of native, more drought-tolerant plants.

The thousands of pounds of vegetables, herbs, and berries grown on this ¼ acre

plot are grown explicitly to provide quality food for the Sky Valley Food Bank next door, with harvests on Tuesdays throughout the growing season. In 2022, the garden grew and delivered 2,489 pounds of vegetables to the Sky Valley Food Bank.

We need and welcome more volunteers to join us Join us! Follow and keep us on Facebook this garden at “Friends of JVM Food Bank growing. Last Garden” where year we had you will find posts on our weekly two wonderful efforts and news. high-school students bolster our ranks. We hope they and others will join us this year. Our work sessions are Tuesday and Saturday mornings for 2-3 hours as needs and weather dictate. More hands, on Tuesdays especially during harvest times, would be wonderful. It’s a great place to enjoy working with others for a really great cause.

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LOCAL PLANT SALES:

JOIN THE MONROE GARDEN CLUB Monroegardenclub.net

Sno-Isle Library: 1070 Village Way Monroe, WA www.sno-isle.org/books/home-garden Snohomish Conservation District: 528 91st Avenue NE Lake Stevens, WA www.snohomishcd.org

Northwest Differential & Auto Care

Since 1988

NORTHWEST

DIFFERENTIAL

360-805-2868 211 S Lewis St • Monroe

PROOF

Differential Specialists Foreign & Domestic

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1 Block South of Main St.

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Strange Noise • Unusual Odor Leaking Oil by the Axles & Driveshaft Call for a FREE Diagnostic Road Test!

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Hometown Values Magazine will not be held responsible or make any omissions not noted on this proof. If signed proof is not returned by the considered OK and will be printed as shown above.

14 | Choose Monroe

Please Note: All ad proofs are provided low resolution. If artwork is not sufficient resolution for printing you will be notified.

All artwork is owned and/or managed by Hometown Values and the Colella Design Group, Inc and cannot be reproduced, deconstructed or used in any way without p

Snohomish Conservation District • Date: preorders begin January 24 • Pick up at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds (pick up for pre-orders only, no walk-ups) • The Annual Native Plant Sale occurs every January.

Sign up for their mailing list to get notified about future sales: www. snohomishcd.org/annual-plant-sale

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Add'l Proofs $25

Changes: (please use A, B, C, etc on proof to correspond with changes listed below) Please check the following boxes as you review your ad:

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Projects: • Horticulture Scholarship for one high school graduate • City of Monroe Beautification, donation to purchase flowers for planters & hanging baskets • Horticulture shows at the Evergreen State Fair • Support Sky Valley Food Bank through the JVM Garden

Monroe High School Agricultural Department, Science Department, and Future Farmers of America • Date: May 6 • Location: Monroe High School Greenhouses 17001 Tester Road Monroe, WA • Grown by the students in the MHS Agricultural Science – Plant Biology classes • Supports the science and agricultural department and FFA

Monroe Garden Club • Date: the Saturday before Mother’s Day, May 13, 2023 • Location: Monroe Community Senior Center 276 Sky River Parkway Monroe, WA • Proceeds go towards the Horticulture Scholarship and the JVM Garden

Imagine Monroe In December 2021 the Monroe City Council adopted a new vision statement to better reflect the needs, priorities, and values of our community: Imagine Monroe: A lively center surrounded by nature. A place of beauty and goodwill.

Our parks, waterways, and environment are healthy and accessible for everyone to enjoy. Our historic downtown and business districts are thriving and full of locally owned businesses and locally sourced products. We can find everything we need with regional connections and with a variety of choices for work, housing, dining, shopping, arts, and activities.

Friendly and responsive, we strengthen connections through gathering spaces, events, services, and communitycentered infrastructure - creating a safe place for all.

In Monroe, everyone feels at home, and everyone feels they belong.

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16 | Choose Monroe

Choose Monroe | 17

F

BY ADAM WORCESTER

18 | Choose Monroe

or Daniel Chavez, owning Pursuit Fitness is divine fulfillment.

Daniel and wife Madalyn had been praying “forever,” Chavez said, to have a fitness center in Monroe -- where Madalyn grew up and near where her father, Phillip Redd, was a longtime dentist.

Chavez was fitness director for Emerald City Athletics when the opportunity to buy the building at 14925 Chain Lake Road arose in the spring of 2020. The couple didn’t let the fact they had one baby at home with another on the way, or the fact that barber shops Madalyn owns in Duvall and Lake Stevens were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stand in their way.

“We said, ‘Let’s go for it,’” Chavez said.

Fitness has changed radically since the

Two and a half years later, Pursuit Fitness is bustling. Chavez has replaced 90 percent of the equipment, revamped the workout areas, and hired a staff of 30.

Membership has risen steadily after an onslaught of initial COVID-19

37-year-old entered the industry as a personal trainer 16 years ago.

The emphasis today is on functionality, he said, the ability to be fit for the demands of everyday life.

“When I started, people either trained on free weights or machines like these,” Chavez said, gesturing to a row of equipment that uses weight stacks and pins.

“Now it’s about moving your entire body, not just moving weights around. Fitness is something different for everyone. Some members have a hard time standing up and sitting down. It’s about longevity, the quality of life.”

One of his first moves after buying Pursuit was to create space for functional training in the middle of the main floor. Members can use offbeat items such as boxes, ropes, and weighted balls to help strengthen daily motion.

He also started a series of Pursuit 60 classes that are like CrossFit training, he said, but less intense.

“It’s about moving your entire body, not just moving weights around.

Fitness is something different for everyone.” cancellations, driven by a nopressure sales pitch that includes two complimentary personal training sessions and a body composition analysis.

“We have a very hands-off approach to sales,” Chavez said.

“We believe if we give people a welcoming atmosphere, they’ll want to join. We let it happen organically.”

Each class is designed daily by the instructor. Members can choose from a variety of other classes yoga, senior fitness and stretching, Zumba, cycling, dance fitness – as well as opt for personal training.

The 23,000-square-foot facility also includes childcare space, classroom studios, hydrotherapy massage beds, and locker rooms replete with a hot tub, steam room, and dry sauna.

A state-of-the art InBody scanning machine allows members to check progress toward personal goals.

It prints out a personalized body composition analysis that includes a user’s body mass index and percentage of body fat, and breaks total weight into pounds of body fat continued on page 18

Choose Monroe | 19

mass, dry lean mass, and total body water.

“It takes the guesswork out of fitness,” Chavez said. “When people don’t see results, they don’t feel comfortable.”

Chavez grew up in the Phoenix area. After a year of college and another year and a half as a Phoenix firefighter, he decided on a whim to try personal training.

“I have a large personal investment in fitness in general,” Chavez said.

His dad hooked him on weight training when he was 12, and he

“I was too young, to be honest,” Chavez said. “It wasn’t the right lifestyle for me. I thought, ‘I should be a personal trainer.’”

He soon earned national certification and within six months was fitness director for Pure Fitness, a Phoenix health club.

When Pure Fitness closed in 2010, its Washington owner offered Chavez a job managing fitness at the Everett Emerald City Athletics club, which he also owned. So, the

played basketball, football, and track through high school. He attended college, but left when he was selected among 6,000 applicants for the Phoenix Fire Department.

ever-ambitious trainer piled his belongings in his car and headed north.

Chavez directed fitness for Emerald City from

20 | Choose Monroe

2011-2020, expanding his duties to include new clubs as they opened in Monroe and Seattle.

“I got to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. I got to see what worked and what didn’t work,” Chavez said.

By the time the pandemic hit he was tired of traveling between

14925 CHAIN LAKE ROAD MONROE, WA (360) 794-9988 HOURS OF OPERATION: MONDAY-THURSDAY: 4AM-9PM FRIDAY: 4AM-8PM three locations and wanted to spend more time with his family.

He left Emerald City and started negotiating to buy a different club.

But Emerald City was downsizing in the face of the pandemic. Might you be interested in purchasing our Monroe club, their management asked Chavez.

It answered one prayer, yet soon necessitated many more. “Gyms were very, very hard hit by the pandemic,” Chavez said.

The state ordered all public gathering places closed for most of 2020 to prevent the spread of the virus. When gyms reopened, people were reticent to return.

Chavez endured a wave of canceled memberships before the financial bleeding stopped in 2021. “Last year,” he said, “was really good.”

So good, in fact, that he wants to open a second gym in 2023 in a surrounding city – perhaps Snohomish, where he and Madalyn

attend the club’s namesake church.

“I don’t anticipate the urge to own four, five, or six of these things,” he said. “We don’t want our businesses to consume us.”

Instead, the couple would like to settle down, raise their kids, and lean into the Monroe community.

To celebrate Pursuit’s second anniversary, Chavez threw a free party in the parking lot last summer with barbeque, bouncy houses, and a water slide. He and Madalyn are active contributors to local nonprofits Take the Next Step and Stars Unlimited. Chavez pays his staff above minimum wage, and the couple sets an annual goal to give away a certain amount of money.

“Every year we try to focus more and more on digging in and becoming part of the community,” said Chavez. “It’s the foundation of who we are.”

SATURDAY/SUNDAY: 7AM-4PM MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP LEVELS: $39.99 – PURSUIT BASIC $44.99 – PURSUIT STANDARD $89.99 – PURSUIT PREMIUM GROUP FITNESS/TRAINING WEEKLY CLASSES NUTRITION COUNSELING AMENITIES: ONSITE CHILDCARE LOCKER ROOM WITH PRIVATE SHOWERS HYDROMASSAGE HOT TUB & SAUNA/ STEAM ROOM

Choose Monroe | 21

Rebel Mels Fitness & Crossfit

local fitness facilities Bliss Yoga Studio

CrossFit Monroe

207 North Lewis Street www.blissyogastudios.org

17631 147th Street SE Ste. 8 www.crossfitmonroe.com

Whether beginner or veteran, Bliss has something for every yoga enthusiast. Its two studios (heated and unheated) host a wide range of yoga classes, including power vinyasa, slow flow vinyasa, hatha, Pilates, yin and meditation, sculpt, yinyasa, bootcamp, and Barre.

There are private, individualized, and semi-private training options.

Bliss supplements regular classes with special workshops and events.

After session, members can enjoy an integrated therapeutic massage. The studio promotes itself as a place to “renew, restore, and realize presence.”

CrossFit training, which has been described as “constantly varied functional movement at high intensity” has become very popular in recent years. CrossFit Monroe boasts a full regime of CrossFit classes, as well as regular competitions and themed months such as “Rowtober” and “12 Days of CrossFit.” Members also enjoy social events like pancake breakfasts, parties, and group outings to fun local attractions.

Beginners and veterans alike are welcome. So are dogs!

Crossfit Monroe

22 | Choose Monroe

Rebel Mels Fitness & Crossfit

Crossfit Monroe

LOCAL FITNESS FACILITIES Elite Training Academy

Monroe/ Sky Valley Family YMCA

202 North Lewis Street www.elitetrainingacademywa.com

14033 Fryelands Boulevard www.ymca-snoco.org

Founded by Michael Bumpus, former Monroe High School football coach, Elite strives “to provide comprehensive athletic development by means of educational, functional, and innovative training.” Its most successful program is 7 vs. 7 football, which has eight teams ranging from elementary through high school. Elite staff can train athletes from any sport. The facility also houses Hourglass Fitness, with classes and workout space dedicated to women -- not only for fitness purposes, but to “hangout and engage in sisterhood,” according to its website.

Looking for a place for the whole family to get active? The YMCA offers activities for all ages! At the Y, you’ll find a large wellness center, Monroe’s only public pool, spa, gym, group exercise classes, and programs including youth and teen sports, summer camp, and personal training.

Family memberships include free childcare, so kids can play in the Kids Zone while parents work out or the whole family can have fun at open swim or family gym time!

Thrive Fitness

Elite Training Academy

Rebel Mels Fitness & Crossfit

Choose Monroe | 23

LOCAL FITNESS FACILITIES Rebel Mels Fitness & CrossFit 17321 Tye Street SE www.rebelmelsfitness.com

In addition to traditional CrossFit classes, Rebel Mels features perks such as Kids Club, gym rentals, and birthday parties. It also hosts social events such as bingo and karaoke nights. Last year it introduced the Rebel Challenge, a public team competition that tests speed, strength,

Crossfit Monroe

and endurance. To keep competition alive, members can vie against each other in The Open, an annual CrossFit Games event. A free two-week trial membership includes two CrossFit training sessions, a personal training session, and unlimited classes. You can’t beat that!

Rebel Mels Fitness & Crossfit

24 | Choose Monroe

Thrive Fitness 118 North Lewis Street www.thrivecf.com

Monroe is home to one of six centers for Thrive Community Fitness, launched in 2001 with the goal of “energizing the lives of the people we touch and transforming the health of our community.”

Thrive has 24-hour membership options available. The building houses weights, sauna, a kids’ area, personal trainers, and variety of classes: yoga, Zumba, HIIT, cycling, kick boxing, Barre. There is also a members’ blog with articles on fitness, nutrition, workouts, and wellness.

Thrive Fitness

monroe supports families in need

BY RACHEL ADAMS,

S

CITY OF MONROE HUMAN SERVICES COORDINATOR

ince 2021, the City of Monroe has distributed more than $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan funding to 20 local non-profit organizations to support residents impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic. In 2022, the city awarded $207,997 to The Hand Up Project respite program and $66,000 to Evergreen Health Recovery Center to give people in Monroe the help they need.

THE RESPITE PROGRAM There are more than 248 homeless families in the Monroe School District. Some families are doubled-up with friends and relatives. Others find shelter in their cars. In a partnership between St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) and The Hand Up Project (THUP), homeless families in Monroe have access to The Respite Program. This provides temporary shelter and wraparound services to help families address the root causes of homelessness and to move toward securing permanent housing.

The Respite Program is one of the most effective, evidencebased shelters in Washington.

Its aim is to affirm the inherent value of all people – regardless of circumstances. By adopting a holistic approach to care, clients move from insecure housing towards employment, permanent

housing, and sustainable independence.

Families, unable to find housing for months and living out of their vehicle, have already been accepted, housed, and are on a path to sustainable independence.

After 60 days into operation, SVDP and THUP’s Monroe Respite Program is already outperforming emergency shelters and transitional housing across Washington in nearly every meaningful measurement at a fraction of the cost. If you, or someone you know, needs access to family-based housing services, contact the Respite Program Director, Esther Riley, at esther@thehandupproject. org or Dawnelle Carroll, SVDP Monroe Resource Center Director, at dawnelle@svdpnsc.com.

EVERGREEN HEALTHY MONROE RECOVERY CENTER In a partnership with Evergreen Health Monroe Recovery Center, the city supports access to high quality detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient recovery services for uninsured and underinsured residents. This program has produced success stories while being a valuable resource for our local social workers for referrals for treatment.

The Evergreen Health Recovery Center was awarded $66,000 to implement a “scholarship bed”

program exclusively for Monroe residents who are uninsured or underinsured without access to substance abuse treatment. In addition to providing structure, education support, and aftercare planning, the Recovery Center Program also provides access to housing, nutritious meals, clothes, hygiene, and healthcare coverage.

The program’s first success story was a 28-year-old man referred by the Monroe Police Department Community Outreach Team. He was homeless and unemployed.

His primary motivation for recovery was to be sober and stable for his daughter, sharing that he didn’t care enough about himself to get sober.

While engaged in the program his condition was stabilized. He secured housing, connected with a 12-step community, and obtained a sponsor. He was discharged to Catholic Community Services for intensive outpatient treatment, Compass Health for mental health support, and Ideal Options for ongoing medical management. If you would like more information about the Evergreen Health Recover Center or need recovery services, contact the Recovery Center Director, Eric Britt, at ebritt@ evergreenhealthmonroe.com.

If you, or someone you know, needs help please call: 211 for Snohomish County Coordinated Entry to access emergency housing and essential community assistance or 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

More stories about how the City of Monroe and local service providers are using these funds to serve Monroe residents can be found on the City of Monroe Human Services page.

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Events Calendar

Some event dates and times may be subject to change.

Please contact the Event Organizer or the Monroe Parks Department at (360) 863-4519 to confirm.

May 11-14

Key Classic Horse Show Evergreen Equestrian Center www.mhcws.org city of monroe calendar of events

monroe chamber calendar of events

february February 25

Mexican Family Festival (Rodeo) Evergreen State Fair Park 1:00pm-10:00pm

march March 17-19

Quilters Anonymous Quilt Show Evergreen State Fair Park Event Center www.quiltersanonymous.org

March 18

Monroe High School Sports Medicine ‘Royalty Run’ Lake Tye Park 9:00am

April 22, 29 Miracle League Rotary Field 9:00am-2:00pm

April 29

Master Gardener Plant Sale Evergreen State Fair Park 9:00am-3:00pm

April 29-30

Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird Sprung 2 Evergreen State Fair Park Event Center www.oddmall.com

April 30

Sky Valley Trout Unlimited Kid’s Fishing Day Lake Tye 8:00am

may

March 25

Monroe Community Band “Swing into Spring” Concert Wagner Performing Arts Center 7:00pm www.monroecommunityband.org

March 26

ABATE spring Motorcycle & Parts Swap Meet Evergreen State Fair Park 9:00am-3:00pm

april April 6

Sip & Shop Downtown Monroe www.choosemonroe.com

April 8

fair park calendar of events

May 5- 6

Pickin’ @ The Barn Spring Vintage & Artisan Market 10:00am-4:00pm www.Pickinatthebarn.com

May 6

Monroe High School Agricultural Department, Science Department, and FFA Plant Sale *more details to come

May 6, 13, 20 Miracle League Rotary Field 9:00am-2:00pm

May 7

Monroe Community Egg Hunt Lake Tye Park 9:00am

Kaci 5K Lake Tye Park 9:00am www.Bigheartbigsmile.org/kaci-5k

April 15

May 7

Cosmic Bingo Monroe Community Senior Center 5:00pm www.mcsc.org

26 | Choose Monroe

Battle of the Badges Lake Tye Park All Weather Field 12:00pm

May 13

Spring Bazaar & Plant Sale Monroe Community Senior Center 9:00am-2:00pm www.mcsc.org

May 13

Republic Services Spring Clean Up Evergreen State Fair Park 8:00am -12:00pm

May 20

June 18

Dream Builders Car Show Evergreen State Fair Park www.dreambuilderscarshow. com

June 23

Summer Block Party Downtown Monroe 3:00pm-7:00pm www.choosemonroe.com

June 23-25

4H Summer Horse Show Evergreen Equestrian Center

June 24

VFW Flags for Our Fallen 5k Lake Tye Park 9:00am www.monroe5k.com

Monroe Community Band “Under the Bogtop” Concert Wagner Performing Arts Center 7:00pm www.monroecommunityband.org

May 20-21

June 24

Monroe Auto Swap Meet Evergreen State Fair Park www.monroeswapmeet.com

May 28

Sean Peters Memorial Derby Evergreen Speedway www.evergreenspeedway.com

May 31

Monroe Farmers Market Opening Day 1 Galaxy Way 3:00pm-7:00pm www.choosemonroe.com

june June 3, 10, 17 Miracle League Rotary Field 9:00am-2:00pm

June 7, 14, 21, 28

Monroe Farmers Market 1 Galaxy Way 3:00pm-7:00pm www.choosemonroe.com

June 11

PRIDE Sky River Park 12:00pm www.monroeequitycommunity.org/

June 17

Juneteenth Sky River Park 11:00am

Mystery Wine Auction Monroe Community Senior Center 5:00pm www.mcsc.org

july July 5, 12, 19, 26

Monroe Farmers Market 1 Galaxy Way 3:00pm-7:00pm www.choosemonroe.com

July 7, 14, 21, 28 Music in the Park Lake Tye Park 6:30pm www.choosemonroe.com

July 8

Evergreen State Fair Opening Day Food Drive Evergreen State Fair Park West Lot

July 9

Shakespeare in the Park Sky River Park 5:00pm www.lastleafproductions.com

July 11

Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue Water Safety Camp Lake Tye 10:00am-2:00pm www.SRFR.org

Choose Monroe | 27

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