Mayor Dean Maxwell, in a message to the Council, said "Should Tethys proposed development move forward to fruition, the economic benefits and job creation would be long lasting and far reaching for all of Skagit County." A bottling plant could provide as many as 1,000 jobs at salaries as high as $59,000 a year.
A bottling plant, for soft drinks, teas, beer or other food manufacturing, would probably be built on 30 acres on March Point. The plant could be as large as 1-million square feet in size.
All 6 members of the Council present at Monday night's meeting voted in favor of the contract. Only Kevin McKeown was absent, but the Mayor said McKeown sent a letter of support to him.
Tethys is described on Linked-In as "an investment and resource management firm with specific expertise in research based economic development models. Tethys identifies unique local/regional resources that can be leveraged in specific industries to create a superior competitive position. Tethys acquires resource rights and property and builds state of the art manufacturing facilities for clients."
The city of Everett earlier this year turned down a similar proposal by Tethys. That proposal ended when Tethys refused to agree to a provision linking water to a certain number of jobs. In an April 12 letter to Tethys, Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson said he had “questions about whether your proposal truly promotes the city's long term best interests.”
Maxwell said "There is really no downside to this contract," implying there is no need to require jobs. The city stands to earn as much as $8,000 per month in water useage fees as well as substantial income with the construction of a huge building inside the city limits.
Anacortes is currently in the process of upgrading it's water treatment plant. The city owns water rights of 55-million gallons per day on the Skagit river and currently delivers, on average, 21-million gallons per day.
The request to supply additional water for a bottling plant comes on the heels of a recent city request for residents to conserve water by cutting consumption by ten percent. "The flow level of the Skagit River has fallen below the minimum required for habitat protection and is expected to remain low for several days," according to the undated news release on the city's Web site, which was apparently posted last month.