Council Dedicates Gary D. Weikel Events Center

On Monday, December 10th the County Council memorialized the former Deputy Executive's efforts by renaming the Events Center at the Evergreen State Fair Grounds the Gary D. Weikel Events Center.

During his 20 year tenure at Snohomish County Weikel led efforts to acquire Willis Tucker Park, expand the county's trail network, and oversaw necessary improvements to the Evergreen State Fair facilities. Weikel was hired by County Executive Willis Tucker in 1987. He also served 12 years in a variety of roles in Executive Bob Drewel's Administration ending as Deputy Executive. He then served Executive Aaron Reardon as both Deputy Executive and Parks Director before retiring.

Weikel, 68, has lived his whole life in Snohomish County. He is an Everett native, a 1963 Everett High School graduate who was born at what's now the Providence Regional Medical Center Everett's Pacific campus. Weikel called the tribute humbling.

"Our parks system is something Gary championed over the course of his career" said Snohomish County Councilmember Dave Gossett. "And there was no part of the system he loved more than the fair. It is a fitting way to recognize his impact on the Snohomish County Parks system".

The 33,000 sq ft Center officially opened in 2011. The Gary D. Weikel Center offers a variety of different events from trade shows to sporting events, from dinners and dances to livestock shows. For information on shows and rentals go to:

http://www.evergreenfair.org/building-rentals.asp#ExpoBuilding

Council Declares International Human Rights Day

The Snohomish County Council declared December 10th as International Human Rights Day in Snohomish County. The action was taken at the request of the Snohomish County Human Rights Commission which hosted a celebration of International Human Rights Day.

"On this day people from around the world celebrate the basic human rights everyone has as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948," said Snohomish County Councilmember Dave Gossett.

The free event was open to the public and was held in Public Meeting Room 1 on the first floor of the Robert J. Drewel Building. A crowd of over 100 people attended.

Those gathered heard from 21st District Representative Marko Liias, Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe and Machinist Union General Vice President Gary Allen. All talked about the importance of freedom and basic human rights for all people. In addition to having the opportunity to listen to the guest speakers, the public was able to meet representatives from human rights advocacy organizations from around Snohomish County.

"I want to thank the Commission members, and especially Ron Harrell who spearheaded this effort, for organizing the celebration," said Gossett. "We can never talk about freedom and respect for the rights of individuals too much." 

Best Wishes For The Holidays

As 2012 draws to a close it is good to take a step back and reflect on the past year. I sincerely hope that 2012 was a good year for you and your family.

The recent tragedy at Sandy Hook makes us all acutely aware of the importance of family and how our lives can be catastrophically changed in an instant. In this holiday season let us all cherish those we love and be thankful they are safe. Have a wonderful holiday season and 2013.

Sincerely,

Dave Gossett