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Boys & Girls Club marks 40th anniversary BY KIRK BOXLEITNER kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com
SPORTS: Sherman is great for Seattle, great for the game of football. Page 12
Kirk Boxleitner/Staff Photo
Ashon Bristol, left, plays foosball with Adri Romano in the Arlington Boys & Girls Club’s crowded games room on Jan. 18.
SPORTS: Arlington falls to Jackson, 70-51. Page 10
kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com
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Vol. 124, No. 27
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SEE CLUB, PAGE 2
City responds to AG’s opinion on marijuana businesses BY KIRK BOXLEITNER
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ARLINGTON — The Arlington Boys & Girls Club is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and they’re asking for the surrounding community’s support to help the club continue to serve local kids. “This facility was built to the size of the money that was available at the time,” said Bill Tsoukalas, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County. “It’s actually one of the smaller clubs today. We need to nearly double its size to keep pace with this area’s growth.” To that end, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County are conducting a fundraising campaign to expand the Arlington Boys & Girls Club, by increasing its square footage from 13,000 to 23,000, adding a second gym, updating the equipment in the games room, and adding both a new teen center and a technology center. Hadley Hall, which serves as the facility’s current teen center, would refurbished to better serve the needs of the broader community. Between $1.3 million for construction, $100,000 for equipment and furnishings, $25,000 for the architecture and engineering, and $75,000 to provide much-needed additional parking, the total estimated cost of the renovation would be $1.5 million. “When the Arlington Boys & Girls Club first opened in Arlington in 1974, it was just the Arlington Boys Club, and the city of Arlington had a total
ARLINGTON — A recently released opinion from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office ties into the city of Arlington’s pending decision on how to address the potential establishment of marijuana businesses within the city’s limits. In response to a request from Sharon Foster, chair of the Washington State Liquor Control Board, the office of Attorney General Bob Ferguson released a formal opinion on Thursday, Jan. 16, regarding local ordinances affecting new marijuana businesses in Washington.
The opinion states, “Under Washington law, there is a strong presumption against finding that state law preempts local ordinances. Although Initiative 502 establishes a licensing and regulatory system for marijuana producers, processors and retailers in Washington state, it includes no clear indication that it was intended to preempt local authority to regulate such businesses. We therefore conclude that I-502 left in place the normal powers of local governments to regulate within their jurisdictions.” “The Attorney General’s opinion confirms that the Attorney General, at least, believes that local
governments can use their zoning and police powers to impose additional requirements besides those imposed by the Liquor Control Board,” said Steve Peiffle, who serves as the city attorney for the city of Arlington. “It supports the concept of additional regulations like what Arlington has been proposing.” Paul Ellis, community and economic development director for the city of Arlington, explained that what the city’s Planning Commission is proposing is not a total ban on marijuana producers, processors or retailers, but is instead recommending that the SEE , PAGE 20
Photo courtesy of Steve Elliott
The state Attorney General’s opinion would reserve the right of cities such as Arlington to determine their own ordinances regarding marijuana businesses.