Month: April 2026

Council to consider amendment to Perrinville Creek consultant contract April 28

April 26, 2026

Link to My Edmonds News article

Edmonds City Hall (Photo by Nick Ng)

The Edmonds City Council at its Tuesday, April 28 business meeting will consider a $383,456 amendment to consultant contract for the second phase of a flow reduction study in the Perrinville drainage basin.

The city has been working for years to develop strategies to control flooding on Perrinville Creek between Talbot Road and Puget Sound. A flow reduction study in 2015 resulted in a list of recommendations, from drainage improvements to a municipal raingarden program.

The City of Lynnwood, which sends stormwater runoff to the basin, is partnering with the Edmonds on the project. Both cities were awarded a $469,200 state Department of Ecology grant toward this effort to analyze the problem, which requires $82,800 in local matching funds from Edmonds and Lynnwood. The grant and matching funds are split bet

According to the staff agenda memo regarding this item, the grant and matching funds are split between the two cities. The amendment to the professional services agreement is $383,456 and includes a $20,455 management reserve, the memo states.

“In 2024, Edmonds and Lynnwood entered into an interlocal agreement and contracted Herrera Environmental Consultants to provide design services for the study update, the memo says. “Phase 1 of the study update involved a review of the recommended projects and planning level design and estimating work of new projects. Projects were rated based on criteria including impact on flows, constructability and cost effectiveness.”

The contract’s second phase “will include a more in-depth analysis, including geotechnical investigations for the sites that include mitigation via infiltration, for the 10 highest-scoring flow reduction projects from first phase of the study update. Once the analysis is completed, the project rankings will be reassessed and the consultant will provide conceptual design for the six highest-scoring sites.”

Other items on the council agenda include:

  • 2025 Prosecutor’s Office Annual Report
  • 2025 Public Defender’s Office Annual Report

The council will also hear an update from Police Chief Loi Dawkins on the public safety sales tax.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the council chambers, Public Safety Complex, 250 5th Ave. N., Edmonds. You can also access the meeting remotely at this Zoom link. Or listen by phone at +1 253 215 8782. The meeting ID is 957 9848 4261.

St. Thomas More fourth graders release baby salmon into Willow Creek

April 18, 2026

Link to My Edmonds News article

A student releasing salmon one cup at a time. (Photos courtesy Joe Scordino)

Fourth graders from St Thomas More School in Lynnwood were enthralled this week to release 100 coho salmon babies that they had successfully raised from eggs in their school aquarium, according Edmonds Stream Team leader Joe Scordino.

As part of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Salmon in Schools program (now called School Cooperative Program), the Edmonds Stream Team obtained 100 coho salmon eggs in January from WDFW’s Issaquah Hatchery and delivered them to the fourth graders’ aquarium at St. Thomas More School.

The students raised 100 coho salmon babies from eggs in their school aquarium.
The St. Thomas More fourth-grade class with their salmon in a transport bucket.

Raising baby salmon has been a special part of being in 4th grade at St. Thomas More School for many years, Scordino said. The students learn about the life cycle of salmon and the importance of healthy streams where these fish live — and get to actually see salmon eggs hatch and transition from the “alevin” stage (with a yolk sac) to the “fry” stage when they begin feeding in the aquarium.

“Over 500 schools in Washington have participated in the Salmon in Schools program, and it no longer surprises me when a young adult will tell me they still remember the joy of having a salmon aquarium at their school,” Scordino said.

Edmonds Stream Team leader Joe Scordino, right, watches as a student gets ready to release a baby salmon into Willow Creek.

“This year was especially exciting for St. Thomas More in that the fourth graders, with the help of teacher Kari Hopper, made sure all of the 100 salmon eggs hatched and became salmon fry that were then carefully released into Willow Creek — no mortalities,” Scordino added.