MI Weekly

    A weekly update from the City of Mercer Island


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 Calendar
(For event details, visit the City's online calendar or click on a specific event)

MAYOR
Bruce Bassett
 
DEPUTY MAYOR 

Debbie Bertlin  

 

COUNCILMEMBERS 

Dan Grausz 


Volunteer Opportunities 

Address
9611 SE 36th Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040

Phone
206.275.7600


Fax
206.275.7663


Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30am to 5:00pm


Donations Requested 

The Mercer Island Food Pantry relies on your non-perishable food donations to keep the shelves stocked year-round.
Click for more info.
Feb 15, 2017 | Vol. 12 | No. 7
Light_RailCouncil Votes for Legal Action Against WSDOT and Sound Transit
Click to read the latest FAQ
Citing serious traffic safety and economic-impact concerns for its own residents and the region at large, on Monday night, February 13, the City Council voted unanimously, 7-0, to take legal action against the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Sound Transit.

When filed later this month with the King County Superior Court, the legal complaint will seek to temporarily halt the closure of the I-90 center roadway to provide the City, WSDOT and Sound Transit the ability to continue their ongoing negotiations about preserving mobility and safety for Mercer Island residents.

Speaking about the issue, Mayor Bassett said: "Islanders approved the East Link Light Rail Project by a conclusive margin, and as a community, we still believe in the benefits the Project will provide to the region and to us."

"But even the best public works projects bring consequences that must be taken seriously and mitigated effectively.  So far, negotiations with Sound Transit and WSDOT haven't yielded results, but we remain hopeful this issue can be resolved favorably and swiftly."

A crowd of over 200 attended the meeting, requiring two overflow rooms at City Hall, beyond the space in Council Chambers. As usual, footage of the meeting can be viewed on MI-Tv Channel 21, or via the online webcast archive.   
 
To read the full press release issued after Monday's meeting, visit the City's homepage newsfeed.  To address the many questions that have arisen since that time, the City has posted a significantly expanded FAQ at: www.mercergov.org/Rail-FAQ
Mercer Island Goes Green
Tree_DebrisTree Debris to Become Compost
A dropoff site; click to learn more about natural yard care
Following last week's five-day storm that threw snow, ice, rain, and wind at Mercer Island, the City established two temporary dropoff sites for debris. 
  • North end: Homestead Park
  • South end: South Mercer Playfield
To help residents with yard and tree clean-up, these locations will be open for another week, with no set hours. Please deposit material (no garbage) in piles and City crews will load the containers using heavy equipment. 

All collected debris is being transported to Cedar Grove, chipped, and composted into natural soil amendments, which the City itself uses for maintenance purposes.
  Learn more about natural yard care

 

MIYFS_FundraiserMIYFS Foundation Breakfast Has Best Year Ever
Click to learn more about the City's Youth and Family Services Programs
The City would like to thank the entire Mercer Island community for its support of the Annual MIYFS Foundation Breakfast at the Community Center last week. On Wednesday, February 8, the skies cleared, the snow was gone, kids were back in school, and the heaviest rain was yet to come...
 
Over 550 friends and neighbors came together, celebrating 15 years of "giving from the heart," and raising an amazing $345,000 so far. The Foundation is still tabulating proceeds from the Business Partners Shopping Day, and continues to accept online donations gratefully from anyone who wishes to contribute - visit www.miyfs.org.
 
The following statements of appreciation for MIYFS services express how your dollars make an immediate impact for all Islanders:
 
"My daughter has utilized the coping skills through her therapy. She is safe from harming herself and continues to deal with social skills and family relationships."
 
"I am learning coping skills with loss, death and going forward. I am very grateful for the MIYFS senior services counselor."
 
The Foundation appreciates the support of all the individuals, companies, local businesses, school partners, community organizations that collectively made this event such a success: truly Islanders helping Islanders. To get more involved in the Foundation's work, contact Sari Weiss at (206) 275-7756, or email sari.weiss@mercergov.org.
Food_WorkshopFun With Food Workshop
Click for more MIPR special events
The City's Parks and Recreation Department invites the public to a free event for adults who are feeding a family: Fun With Food, on February 23, from 6:30-8:30pm at the Community and Event Center.
 
Presented by Cynthia Lair, author of the popular 2016 cookbook " Feeding the Whole Family, " the evening will cover various ways to make healthy mealtimes successful and offer a live cooking demo. 

Registration (Course #16837) is required by calling the Community Center at (206) 275-7609 or online at www.miRecConnect.com. Sponsored by Let's Move Mercer Island partner M.I. Food Revolution.  

 

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

ross.freeman@mercergov.org or 206.275.7662.