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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015
Work to begin on downtown block BY ROBERT WHALE rwhale@auburn-reporter.com
Preliminary work is about to begin at the now vacant block off South Division between First and
Second streets southeast known until recently as the Chamber of Commerce block or the Gambini block. That is, Teutsch Partners LLC, the Seattle-based real estate
development firm that owns the block, means to take the first steps toward raising a four-story retirement community there, offering [ more BLOCK page 7 ]
Repairing roads among mayor’s challenges
James Blankenship, owner of the Stash Box, says business has picked up since November when his shop opened. ROBERT WHALE, Reporter
Auburn’s first rec pot shop starting to find its niche
BY ROBERT WHALE rwhale@auburn-reporter.com
The most vexing issue facing the City of Auburn, Mayor Nancy Backus said in her annual State of the City address Tuesday morning at Emerald Downs, is finding sustainable funding to repair and maintain its streets and arterials. City officials and residents alike share the headaches and heartburns of deteriorating streets, not to mention the occasional spilled cups of coffee. Residents, Backus Backus said, have made it clear that they are plum tired of hearing that the City doesn’t have the money to fix its streets. Unfortunately, she said, it doesn’t. To put a fine point on her words, Backus began her comments not from a lectern but via video from a pothole on H Street Northeast, a street on which the City in 2014 effected $1 million worth of repairs. That represents only a tiny fraction of all the money the City needs – in an environment [ more MAYOR page 3 ]
THE STASH BOX
Owner contends with state’s heavy tax structure to stay open BY ROBERT WHALE rwhale@auburn-reporter.com
No Rastafarians about the joint, no bleary-eyed stoners, not a rainbow-colored Dead Head. Instead, on a recent day, Auburn’s first recreational marijuana store, The Stash Box at 3108 A St. SE, teemed with a different set. A grandmother, leaning on her daughter’s arm. A 60-something man intent
EARLY SPRING Mary Cruz, 9, Aurelia Sanchez, 6, top, and Lenoraba Baker, 9, below, challenge the monkey bars in the sunshine at Cameron Park on Tuesday. Unseasonably warm temperatures and dry, sunny weather graced the valley throughout the holiday weekend and into mid-week. RACHEL CIAMPI, Auburn Reporter
Steiger to run for reelection to Pacific City Council BY SHAWN SKAGER sskager@auburn-reporter.com
Longtime Pacific Councilmember Clint Steiger has decided to run for reelection.
on the pipes, oils, paper and weed. Not the young people or the counterculture crowd that owner James Blankenship and his four partners had expected before they opened the business last November, two years after Washington state voters’ approved I-502. “It’s just your run-of-the mill, everyday people coming in here, like it’s any other shop now,” Blankenship said. “Now that they know they have the option to buy legally, they’ve been coming in more frequently.” [ more SHOP page 7 ]
Steiger’s main reason for seeking another go at Position 3 is to see some projects he has worked on come to fruition. “The Valentine (Avenue) and Stewart Road projects are not done,” said Steiger, who has been on the council, off the council, and on the council [ more PACIFIC page 7 ]
www.auburnwa.gov/arts | 253-931-3043
1203829
AveKids: Cinderella | February 21, 2:00 pm | $8 | Auburn Ave. Theater What the World Needs Now: The Bacharach/David Songbook | March 7, 7:30 pm |$17/$15 | Auburn Ave. Theater Mr. Speed, Kiss Tribute | March 13 & March 14, 7:30 pm | $20/$18 | Auburn Ave. Theater