By NEIL MODIE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Volunteerism is a staple of civic life in Skykomish, a community with a cash-strapped school district and municipal government.

Don Flynn, Frank Sarno and other volunteers recently raised money and painted the exterior of the school superintendent's home, built in 1936, as well as the adjacent Skykomish School. It's the district's only classroom building, housing the entire student population of 85.

The house -- bright yellow with green trim -- is occupied by Connie Adams, the school superintendent and K-12 principal, and her husband, Warren, an eighth-grade teacher. They came from a small school district in western Montana four years ago.

The residence is known as the "teachers' cottage." It was where teachers once lived, boardinghouse-style, on weekdays. They would take the train from their homes lower in the valley at the start of the week and go back on the weekend.

School and civic leaders are proud of their energetic superintendent, who has helped launch a drive to build a new community center. Although on school-owned property across the street from Skykomish School, Adams emphasizes it will be for civic, not school, events.

The center is scheduled to open September 1999 with space for community meetings, Skykomish Historical Society displays and storage, disaster-supply storage, parenting classes and other activities. King County officials have earmarked $207,000 in grants for the project.

Adams says the school district has to scrounge for money. The last time a school maintenance and operation levy was on the ballot, in 1995, voters rejected it.

The district has no money even to repair the school building's deteriorating, wood-framed windows. A window fell out in the science room a year ago and is patched with Plexiglas.

In isolated Skykomish, admits Mayor Cleveland, "There's not much for kids to do except stay at home or get in trouble."

In the hope of offering a third alternative, the school district recently opened the school gymnasium to evening activities for youngsters.

And to ease Skykomish's isolation and the lack of public transportation to the stores and medical clinics of Monroe and Everett, town leaders have arranged with King County officials to begin bus service, mainly for the elderly and disabled. If there's room left over, other townspeople can ride, too.

Initially there will be three weekly round trips down the valley.

For Rosemarie Williams and her neighbors, it may be a bit like having the trains stopping again.