Mount Vernon celebrates completion of downtown floodwall project

Sep. 29--MOUNT VERNON -- Community members, business people and elected officials gathered Saturday morning at Skagit Riverwalk Park to celebrate the completion of Mount Vernon's floodwall protection project, which had been in the works for more than a decade.

Construction of the 1.7-mile floodwall along the Skagit River began in 2010, and the final phase was completed in spring 2018.

In June, the Federal Emergency Management Agency granted Mount Vernon's request to be removed from the 100-year floodplain, which is expected to spur economic development downtown and allow residents and businesses to save money on flood insurance. The revised floodplain map is set to go into effect Oct. 25.

"The flood protection project brings a 40 percent reduction in flood insurance premiums, and removes 223 buildings from the regulatory floodplain, increasing community safety and improving economic vitality of the downtown business district," Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau told the crowd.

Boudreau thanked federal, state and local officials, businesses and residents for their support of the project. She said a total of 12 funding sources were used to pay for the $30 million project.

"Mount Vernon is rising," Boudreau said in her remarks. "Our next focus is parking infrastructure and riverfront development."

Morgan Randall and Steve Cohan, who attended the event, are redeveloping a 1906-era-building on First Street. Randall said as part of their retirement plan, the two intend to lease 2,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and live upstairs.

"We are completely renovating it, and are putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into it," she said.

She said the investment wouldn't be possible without the new floodwall protection.

Dave Olson, commissioner since 1990 in Dike District 3, which encompasses the east bank of the Skagit River, was part of a group of residents that worked on the Mount Vernon downtown and waterfront master plan project, which called for permanent flood protection. The plan was adopted in 2008.

"It makes me approach flood season a lot more relaxed," he said of the project's completion.

Mount Vernon Public Works Director Esco Bell said before the floodwall was built, between 1,500 and 2,000 volunteers would mobilize to stack 150,000 sand bags along the river bank.

Now, it takes a crew of about 20 to stack aluminum logs between pillars to create the floodwall, he said. He said the process takes about 12 hours, which is the amount of time, at minimum, for a flood warning.

"I am a lot more confident and less stressed," he said.

-- Reporter Jacqueline Allison: jallison@skagitpublishing.com, 360-416-2145, Twitter: @Jacqueline_SVH

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