Disappointment emanated from Island County this week with the news that the new University of Washington campus planned for the North Puget Sound region will not be located in Stanwood.
Stanwood didn’t make the cut Wednesday when the state Office of Financial Management announced nine sites as finalists.
“I’m very disappointed at the decision to eliminate some excellent sites near Stanwood that were perfectly situated to serve students from the entire three-county area,” said state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, in a news release.
The new college branch already approved by the Legislature is to serve the fast-growing Snohomish, Skagit and Island County areas.
In recent months, agencies and private landowners have proposed 73 college sites, which the Office of Financial Management and U.W. officials pared to nine for further evaluation.
Of those nine, one is in Arlington, two are in Everett and six are in Marysville.
“Community leaders put together a great case for locating the new UW campus further to the north,” complained Haugen.
Sharon Hart, executive director of the Island County Economic Development Council, said Island County was never in the running for the campus because of its location and lack of suitable infrastructure. But the EDC board felt a Stanwood site was best suited for students living in Island County. From Whidbey, it’s relatively close and accessible by bus and automobile and, in the future, by train.
The nine preferred locations are all further away and more difficult to access. “Who wants to drive to Everett?” asked Hart. However, bus service is already available from both ends of Whidbey Island to the Everett Station site proposed by the city of Everett.
The nine sites were selected because of their proximity to “diverse employment opportunities,” according to the Office of Financial Management. “The area from Arlington to Everett possesses the highest existing and forecasted densities of population and employment opportunities within the Snohomish, Island, Skagit County region.”
The UW North Puget Sound campus will focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Work on the school’s curriculum continues and Island County residents can still have input. Hart said she’s heard local businesses ask for more advanced educational opportunities for engineers and nurses, for example.
“It’s really a big issue,” she said. Although disappointed by the site selection decision, she said the EDC will continue to participate in the curriculum process.
The college’s academic plan will be discussed in a public meeting in Oak Harbor Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. in the high school field house. Hart said anyone is welcome to attend. The site finalists will also be discussed that night.
