MI Weekly
    A weekly update from the City of Mercer Island


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MAYOR
Bruce Bassett
 
DEPUTY MAYOR 

Debbie Bertlin  

 

COUNCILMEMBERS 

Dan Grausz 
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City of Mercer Island
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.
Mar 15, 2017 | Vol. 12 | No. 11
Light_RailLight Rail Litigation Update
Click for the light rail FAQ page
On Monday, March 13, King County Superior Court Judge Beth Andrus issued an order for a follow-up hearing in Sound Transit's challenge of the City's suspension of its Shoreline Substantial Development Permit for the East-Link Project.  Click here to read the full shoreline permit (large file, 10 Mb)

That new hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00am on Friday, March 31, at the King County Courthouse.  A ruling was originally anticipated by the end of business on March 13 (see original press release).
 
The City appreciates that Judge Andrus has allowed both parties additional time to make their case. More information will be available on this portion of the litigation process following the March 31 hearing.  A hearing on the City's issuance of moratoria has yet to be scheduled.

Finally, the FAQ page was recently updated, and more information will be added in the coming weeks. 
Park_DonationDonate to Island Crest Park's Renovation
Click here to help us reach the fundraising goal
Last fall, the City's Parks and Recreation Department (MIPR) launched a fundraising campaign to locate the final donations needed to secure a renovation grant for Island Crest Park.

Back in 2014, the City was awarded a $500,000 grant through the State's Recreation and Conservation Office. The grant will help pay for the replacement of the existing antiquated lighting system and the conversion of the entire south field to synthetic turf, but still requires approximately $100,000 in donations from the community before it can be awarded.  MIPR needs your help to make this project a reality, allowing for year-round play for Mercer Islanders and other regional athletes!

Supporters can mail a check to: MI Parks and Recreation, 2040 84th Ave SE (attn: ICP Project), or use the Donate link on the campaign page to donate.  Please click on "special instructions to seller" to note your wish to direct the funds to the Island Crest Park Project. 

All donations are greatly appreciated! More information and a flyer are available here.
WMW_PavingWest Mercer Way Shoulder Paving Update
Shoulder work underway; click for more project information
Work on the City's project to construct a new paved shoulder for pedestrian and bicycle use along West Mercer Way in the 7400 to 8100 blocks has been underway since January 9, 2017.

The project is on-budget and now over 50 percent complete. However, progress has been hampered recently by snow and frequent heavy rains, pushing the completion date from late February to May 1.

Early in the construction, a conflict was discovered between proposed drainage pipes and an existing natural gas main. Puget Sound Energy contractors are tentatively scheduled to begin relocation of the gas main late next week. Once the gas work is done and some dry weather returns, the City's contractor should be able to get another portion of the new shoulder paved.

During work hours the roadway will continue to be reduced to one lane of alternating traffic, controlled by flaggers. Motorists and cyclists should expect brief travel delays through the work area.
For more project information, contact Clint Morris, Street Engineer, at clint.morris@mercergov.org.
Mercer Island Goes Green
Solar_PowerSolar Power Grows Notably on Mercer Island
The City's solar array at the Community Center; click to learn more
Although the record rains seems endless this winter, Mercer Island is a leader in solar power...

In July 2013, the City installed a grant-funded demonstration solar array at the Community and Event Center.

Based on the ongoing interest generated by that project, in the spring of 2014 the City partnered with local non-profit Northwest SEED to run a "Solarize" campaign that facilitated rooftop solar for homeowners and small businesses through educational workshops, a pre-selected qualified installer, and a group discount.  That campaign led to almost 50 new installations on the Island and added 320 kilowatts of new capacity.

Since that time, the Mercer Island School District has added two very large 100 kilowatt arrays on its buildings, and several dozen other arrays have been installed on homes and businesses.

Collectively, our community now hosts 103 arrays across the Island (up from 32 just 4 years ago), with a capacity of almost 900 kilowatts. In our part of the country, that produces about 900,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which could meet the year-round needs of about 100 homes.  Mercer Island has by far the highest generating capacity per capita of any Eastside city.

Learn more about Mercer Island's history with solar, or view a map of solar installations.

 

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

ross.freeman@mercergov.org or 206.275.7662.