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<< Previous   of   Next >> Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Miki and John Holdaway received a Monte Cristo Award for their home restoration. Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) An east-facing view from the front door leads you down a brick path through an arbor at the Everett home of Miki and John Holdaway.  Photo Gallery: 2005 Monte Cristo Awards  Photo Gallery: Monte Cristo Awards 2006  Photo Gallery: Monte Cristo Awards 2007   ADVERTISEMENT   Monte Cristo Award ceremony The city will recognize dozens of Everett residents for taking exceptional care of their homes and businesses at the annual Monte Cristo Award ceremony tonight. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Everett Performing Arts Center, 2710 Wetmore Ave. After a dessert reception and music, the mayor will begin shaking hands and giving plaques to the more than 60 property owners. The public is welcome to attend. If you'd like to nominate someone in your neighborhood, forms will be available beginning in February at the Everett Public Library, the Snohomish County Public Utilities District building and online at www.everettwa.org. The committee accepts nominations until mid-June.   Related Stories • Developer Steve Hager's Donovan home effort receives an award 10/11/07 • Pride of place: Monte Cristo Award recipients 10/11/07   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, October 11, 2007 Keeping up appearances Displays of neighborhood pride get their recognition By Debra Smith Herald writer Miki Holdaway takes her neighbor to the doctor and mows his lawn. She edges the grass next to the sidewalk in front of her north Everett home and everybody else's on her side of the block. Everything about her home says welcome: the cottage garden, the orange door, the covered porch with its old-fashioned swing. At least one neighbor took notice, and nominated Holdaway and her husband, John, for a Monte Cristo Award, a city award that recognizes people who take exceptional care of their homes and businesses. The Holdaways, along with 60 others, will receive a plaque and a handshake from the mayor tonight at the Everett Performing Arts Center. The Holdaways' neighbor, Jack Hutchinson, remembers playing kick the can on this Everett street 70 years ago when his family moved here. He moved to the home as an adult and has watched the neighborhood improve in the last few years. The Holdaways are one reason for the improvement. The couple purchased the 1924 home and renovated it, adding a second story to accommodate their large family, a new entrance and a covered porch. Miki Holdaway added the garden, a mixture of her favorite sweetly scented shrubs, winding paths, benches and a trellis over the gate entryway. A woman told Holdaway she liked to park down the street and walk past their home on her way to the hair salon. "I loved seeing what you've done. It's peaceful," the woman told her. "That makes me feel good," Miki Holdaway said. But she works on the home for herself, too: To escape, to work out problems in her mind, to see something grow, and to delight in her toddler grandson exploring the garden she created. The Monte Cristo Award surprised her. "I'm really excited," Holdaway said. "I don't know if I deserve it. They're so many beautiful homes in this area." A committee of citizen volunteers whittled down 180 nominations based on how well owners had maintained buildings and landscapes. The properties recognized come from all neighborhoods in the city and fall into several categories, including Pride of the Neighborhood, Rejuvenation and Transformation, and Neighborhood-Friendly Business. The Holdaways' award is for Rejuvenation and Transformation. Duane and Donna Gleave, who live in the Northwest neighborhood, received the Director's Award, a special category for prior Monte Cristo recipients who have "absolutely gorgeous knockout" properties, said Wendy McClure, coordinator for the city's Office of Neighborhoods. The committee isn't interested in the inside of homes or back yards, unless they're visible from the street, said Deborah Wright, executive administrator for Neighborhoods and Community Services. Rather, the group is looking for well-maintained homes with tidy landscapes. When someone wins a Monte Cristo, their neighbors often become inspired. "People think, 'Maybe I could spruce up my house, too,' " she said. Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.

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