$10.3 million at stake; which projects worthy?

A five-member citizen board faces a sticky task: comparing the value of Snohomish County's most high-profile civic developments in decades, each one the pride and joy of its respective community.

At least $10.3 million is at stake as the Snohomish County Public Facilities District (PFD) board grapples with financial forecasts, economic-development issues and the competing needs of four major projects with a combined construction debt of $120 million.

The improved economy has dramatically boosted the PFD's projected revenues, which are a portion of state sales taxes generated within the county. The new funds will supplement $26.2 million (in 2003 dollars) already allotted by the board to local projects through 2026.

"This is a big pot of money for five people to make a decision," said Travis Snider, board chairman. "We're on a journey to figure out a method of making a group decision about funding. These are complex projects; they are so different there just isn't an easy formula."

Competing for funding are:

• The Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center has helped transform its city's blue-collar image while providing a catalyst for downtown redevelopment. It's home to the Everett Silvertips, a Western Hockey League team with an avid fan base, and has attracted events ranging from Cher to the alternative-rock Deck the Hall Ball to Champions on Ice to the Jonas Brothers.

• The Edmonds Center for the Arts is a world-class performing-arts theater, providing a home for an array of local organizations while bringing a touch of class to its South County environs. Upcoming acts include the Harlem Gospel Choir, the Borealis String Quartet and the Smothers Brothers.

• The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour is emerging as a national hub for the aviation industry while drawing a projected 200,000 tourists this year. In 2006, it hosted a luncheon for Chinese President Hu Jintao, with guests including Henry Kissinger. Synergistic impacts on nearby Paine Field include the pending tenant additions of two classic airplane collections, including Paul Allen's historic warplanes.

• The Lynnwood Convention Center is helping to redefine its community, long known mostly for sprawling shopping malls and its now-defunct annual Big Hair contest. The gleaming, modern building has spruced up a major entry point to the city while drawing nearly 82,000 people last year to wedding expos, business conferences and civic gatherings such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

"I love all four projects, I really do," said Snider. "They enhance economic development, cultural development, allow people to get together for meetings, sporting events and concerts. How else could we have gotten these assets for the county?"

The PFD board will make its funding recommendations to the Snohomish County Council; the two bodies share decision-making authority.

The board several months ago hired a consultant, Alan Dashen, to help create a fair funding process.

Last week, the board met with Dashen, county staff and representatives of all four projects to discuss a possible formula for distributing the funds.

Dashen and Roger Neumaier, the county's finance director, suggested a mathematical model that would include objective financial data plus various subjective criteria, including a project's urgency of need, past performance and community impact.

The objective side of the equation would give larger projects — those with a greater debt and a bigger original PFD allocation — more of the new funds. The Everett Events Center and an adjacent county-owned parking garage together were allotted 34 percent of the PFD funds already committed, compared with 12 percent now promised to Edmonds.

But the board balked and asked for more time to think about how to place numerical weights on sensitive criteria.

"We're being driven down an area I don't understand," said board member Erik Nelson, owner of Lynnwood Honda.

The notion of "grading" projects caused discomfort as well.

"I would be uncomfortable explaining to my board why another PFD project got a higher score," said Grant Dull, executive director of the Lynnwood PFD.

The board members agreed to e-mail Neumaier with their personal preferences about weighting the various subjective issues. Neumaier plans to meld their preferences into a consensus formula for discussion and possible adoption at a March 24 meeting.

The four PFD projects are scheduled to give presentations to the board April 24; the funding decision could follow.

Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com