MI Weekly 8/23/17 | Lincoln Landing | New School Crosswalk | Volunteer Drivers | Sustainability Summit

The Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department will be holding a public meeting to discuss the conceptual design for the upcoming Lincoln Landing renovation project on Wednesday, September 6 , from 6:00-8:00pm in Room 102 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center.

Lincoln Landing, one of the City's many street-end parks, serves as the outlet for over 100 acres of stormwater drainage on the north end of the Island. Over the years, high-velocity runoff has eroded a steep channel which is choked by invasive species. In the coming year, the City plans to improve this watercourse to create a stream that park users can see and enjoy, and that will filter pollutants out of the stormwater before it enters Lake Washington, as well as foster higher quality habitat for birds and wildlife.

The community is encouraged to provide input on the design of this street-end park for access, site aesthetics and wildlife habitat quality.

For more information, questions, or feedback about this project, please contact Alaine Sommargren, Parks Natural Resources Manager, at Alaine.Sommargren@mercergov.org .

Partnership Produces Safe Crossing, Despite Funding Shortage

The finished project: a raised crosswalk and new walkway along SE 42nd; click to learn more about the City's peds/bikes program

City staff have become experts in stretching limited taxpayer dollars to meet the growing needs of Island residents. A safer crossing at SE 42nd Street for Northwood Elementary students needed to be in place before school begins, even though it was not originally in the City budget or workplan. A creative partnership with the MI School District (MISD) used existing resources to get the job done.

When the new Elementary opened near the High School last year, parents immediately had concerns about the busy mix of elementary kids on foot, teen drivers, and carpools. The absence of marked crosswalks, and no sidewalk on the south side of SE 42nd made matters worse.

The School District drew up plans and provided the dollars to make necessary walkway and crossing improvements along the two-block stretch of SE 42nd Street. Meanwhile, the City's Public Works staff worked with neighbors to remove private improvements that were encroaching on the public right-of-way, while relocating fire hydrants and trees out of the work area.

"This was a great partnership project -- City dollars are always tight and we had no funds for a new mid-year project, but we could bring other resources to the table," said Anne Tonella-Howe, Assistant City Engineer for Public Works. "Together with the Public Works Department we were able to accomplish much more than the School District would have been able to do alone," said Brandy Fox, MISD Capital Projects Manager.

Volunteer for the Senior Transportation Program


	A volunteer helping a user of the van service; click to learn more

The Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department (MIPR) is currently seeking volunteers to drive and assist our local seniors.

Volunteer helpers and drivers are both vital to the success of MIPR programs and much appreciated by the many seniors who have no other transportation alternatives.

The City's program provides seniors a free ride from their homes to MIPR programs three days a week, Tuesday through Thursday, and greatly improves their quality of life.

A variety of shift times need coverage, ranging from 1 to 3 hours. Please inquire at (206) 275-7841 or email Amber Britton for more information. Not available for a regular weekly shift? The City is always looking for substitutes who can help only occasionally -- add your name to the list!

All training is provided for both the helper and driver positions. Drivers need no special license for these vehicles, and helpers do not perform any driving.

Mercer Island Goes Green

Gathering of the Greens, Sept 21


	Click to learn more about City sustainability actions

The City's sustainability program is convening a "Gathering of the Greens" on Thursday, September 21, from 6:00-9:00pm, at City Hall to provide an update to interested residents on the program and sustainability planning.

The draft agenda currently includes:

A review of past advisory group recommendations
Some highlights of recent sustainability accomplishments
Unveiling of the City's new Greenhouse Gas (GHG) tracking software
A walk-through of the draft outline of the City's Sustainability Plan

This will then be followed by discussion of the suggested actions necessary to achieve that plan. Attendees will discuss what resonates with them, how to focus limited resources, and where the City needs help with staffing, research, or expertise.

The meeting is open to all, although the presentation will not review introductory sustainability principles in order to save time for discussion. The suggested audience for this meeting is anyone who wants to discuss sustainability and carbon footprint issues, and/or residents who also want to get involved as constructive volunteer collaborators.

To learn more about the City's sustainability program in general, visit www.mercergov.org/sustainability

To learn specifically about actions the City has taken, click here.

Council Meetings Moving to Tuesdays


	Click to learn more about the City Council

At their January 2016 Planning Session, Councilmembers discussed moving regular meetings from the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month to the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month. Staff concurred with this recommendation as it will provide one more day for Councilmembers to review the materials for each meeting (the "agenda packet") and one more working day for staff to respond to Council questions prior to the meeting. At its July 17 meeting, Council formally adopted Ordinance No. 17C-19 -- watch coverage of Agenda Bill 5327 here.

The change will take place starting Tuesday, September 5, 2017.

For questions and comments on the MI Weekly, contact
Sustainability & Communications Manager Ross Freeman at

ross.freeman@mercergov.org or 206.275.7662.