100 years ago Snohomish was a leader in commercial trade. In recent years Snohomish has become a tourist destination and has called itself the antique capital of the Northwest.

Truth be told, Snohomish is in a unique geographic position to become a commercial and trade leader once again. The Snohomish chamber of commerce has made it a goal for 2010 to research the possibility of forming a port district. Past president Sue Sullivan has taken on the lead role in researching information about becoming a port district.

One major criteria for becoming a port district is identifying the boundaries of said District. It must include at the minimum, $150 million worth of property value. The last such discussion on forming a port district involved John Hagar of collector's choice restaurant, he commented on their efforts to include the airport and the river. Much hoopla was made during that failed effort including bringing a stern wheeler up from Everett showing the possibility of passenger ferry traffic.

Today Snohomish finds himself in a similar situation, looking to fund new projects that will provide sustainable economic growth for years to come. Let's look at the inventory of advantages for Snohomish forming a port district.

Number one has to be the ability and availability to use the railroad, not only for freight but also commuter and excursion. Following the commuter and mass transit theme, we must consider busing and park-and-ride to link up with the commuter rail. If we take that one step further and consider the possibility of charter service in and out of Harvey Field (which already exists) linking up with the commuter rail you would have an even more efficient mode of transportation.

So what are we missing? Regular bus service of course! You can now see the importance of our small historic town and its location. Add a dock at Klahaya Park for an excursion ferry and a new marina on the Stocker property near the Snohomish River east First Street near Lincoln Ave and you've made a full circle.

The city of Snohomish has seen the possibility of a port district as a positive move, in fact, the city manager has directed Corbitt loch to research and report back his own findings on establishing a port district. Preliminary results of some of his work released at a recent chamber in action meeting points to the city looking at a much smaller district footprint. This would include the historic district and the new Pilchuck business district.

Although nothing at this point is written in stone, suggestions for boundaries of the proposed port of Snohomish range from the school district boundaries to the smallest of the city's version above. A poll of area business owners shows an overwhelming support for the boundaries shown in the image included in this article. All is mute however if the effort to form a port district can't muster the votes it needs by the residence and businesses inside the proposed boundaries which are still being researched.

The Snohomish chamber of commerce will release their findings to their members and the public when they are complete. No word on a course of action from the city of Snohomish yet.