Lya Badgley, an advocate for parks, appreciated with Key to City

SNOHOMISH — Lya Badgley and her family first visited Snohomish by accident while searching for the right place to buy a home. It was 1999, and as they pulled into town in search of a restroom, they were told First Street was where they should go if they were going to stop in Snohomish. Living in Fremont at the time, Badgley was unaware of Snohomish but Badgley’s husband Aleksandar Babic had recalled hearing Fred’s Rivertown Alehouse was the only place in the Pacific Northwest to carry Trappist ales on-tap,
“At the time, that was kind of something that we really enjoyed,” Badgley said. “So we had a beer at Fred’s and walked around and thought ‘wow this is a really interesting, beautiful town.’”
A few months later, Badgley and her family were shopping for houses in Snohomish when she noticed the massive playground that once stood at Pilchuck Park. She said she’ll never forget looking down at Pilchuck Park’s playground and knowing that a town with such a marvelous facility would be a great place to live and raise a family.
Badgley has dedicated years of her life to keeping Snohomish as beautiful as possible, upholding her values of natural open spaces within the city.
During the Oct. 20 regular city council meeting, Badgley was honored with a key to the city and a plaque showing the city’s appreciation for her many years of service.
“We want to thank her for the many ways she has contributed to upholding and enhancing Snohomish, whether it was support for the Carnegie restoration, a beautiful park system for all to enjoy, or protecting our natural environment,” Mayor John Kartak said.
Badgley accepted her honors via Zoom, “magically” pulling her newly awarded Key to the City into frame from the mayor.
“You deserve that Lya, you’ve been such a special blessing to our city,” Kartak added.
“Thank you, Mayor. It’s an especially sweet honor to be recognized for just following my passion. As you know, for many years I’ve been a dedicated activist working and speaking on behalf of our parks and natural space,” Badgley said to the council.
Badgley has used her passion for the environment to benefit Snohomish for nearly two decades.
While serving on the city council from 2003 to 2007, Badgley represented the Parks and Recreation Board as the council liaison.
“I suddenly found myself in a position to have some influence and creating policies, which could help the environment,” Badgley said.
In 2003 she created the Adopt-a-Park program and in 2004, founded the Snohomish Parks Foundation, where she assisted in drafting Critical Area Ordinances and park impact fee policies.
In 2007, Badgley and her family moved to Southeast Asia for her husband’s job. Two years later, they returned to Snohomish where she continued to take part in civil service.
Recently Badgley stepped down from the Parks and Recreation Board. She began serving on the board in 2009 and served as Chair of the Board for nine years.
Before her departure, she had an extensive role in changing the pesticide policy to ban spraying all harmful chemicals on city-owned land.
Throughout her many years of service, she has expressed her desire for plenty of natural space by contributing to the development of the city’s first Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan, which with updates aside is still used today.
Badgley’s passion for a healthy environment stems from her love of nature. Prior to receiving her most recent accolades, in 2013 a pocket park across from city hall was named in honor of Badgley. Mayor Kartak credited it to her dedication to Snohomish parks and recreational areas, as well as “protecting our beautiful and healthy ecosystem.”
Badgley has since shifted her attention to another passion, writing. Currently, she is in the process of starting her second novel and searching for a publisher for the novel she has already finished. Badgley describes her novels as historical fiction and draws inspiration from her years of living in Southeast Asia.
“This year has darkly shown us the critical importance of natural spaces for our community’s health and well being,” Badgley said during the meeting. “I urge our leadership to remember that importance when planning and budgeting for our future. Parks will always, always be important.”