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Calendar
(For event details, visit the City's online
calendar
or click on a specific event)
Mar 24
Mar 26
Mar 27
Mar 31
Apr 3
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| Your City Council |
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MAYOR
COUNCILMEMBERS
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City of
Mercer Island |
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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
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| 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.
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Mar 21, 2018 | Vol. 13 | No. 12
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 City to Launch Rideshare Pilot Program
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Click here for full news release |
At last night's meeting, the City Council voted unanimously to
launch a pilot ridesharing program for Island commuters in partnership with established providers Lyft and Uber.
The six-month program, to begin on April 23 in celebration of Earth Day, is intended to help weekday commuters access transit options at the
Mercer Island Park & Ride
without the need to drive a personal vehicle. As parking pressure mounts, all 447 stalls now fill by 7:00am on most weekdays, forcing many Islanders wishing to use bus transit to reluctantly choose Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) travel instead.
"We know how frustrating it is to find the Park & Ride filling ever earlier, so we're very pleased to be able to offer this option to the commuting public. It is good to see something innovative coming out of the Sound Transit Settlement Agreement, and we're embracing the opportunity to investigate the future of transportation with this pilot project," said Mercer Island Mayor Debbie Bertlin.
Using funds from last October's settlement agreement with Sound Transit, and matched with $10,000 from each rideshare provider, the City will sponsor discounted rides on Mercer Island only (both shared and solo-passenger options), according to the following rate schedule. The service will be available Monday-Friday, 24 hours/day, and all rides must originate or terminate at the Park & Ride, located at 8000 North Mercer Way.
- Cost to each rider (months 1-3): Flat fee of $2 per ride
- Cost to each rider (months 4-6): Flat fee of $2 per shared ride, $5 per solo ride
The City also continues to actively explore other pilot mobility programs such as bikeshare and carpooling services, each of which would provide access to transit options and reduce SOV dependency.
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Financial Challenges Mailer
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| Click to view the electronic version of the mailer |
Did you receive your "Get The Facts" City mailer over the weekend?
Bulk mail can sometimes reach different addresses at different times... If you haven't seen your copy, you can find the electronic version here.
Unfortunately, we discovered two graphs were inadvertently transposed on the inside page during the layout process; see this link for clarification.
There's a full FAQ here: www.mercergov.org/Financial-FAQ
Please send general questions to: Financial@mercergov.org
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Restoration Opportunities This Saturday
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Click for restoration program information
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Many people are interested in preserving our forests, removing invasives, or planting new saplings. There are lots of events on our regular restoration calendar, but we also have two great opportunities for you this Saturday, March 24. Details below...
- Celebrate the Beauty of Spring at Gallagher Hill Open Space (9:00am-3:00pm). Our colleagues at Mountains to Sound Greenway (MTSG) will lead volunteers in mulching and maintaining a new planting site. Attendees will also learn about the black-tailed deer that call Mercer Island home as you help MTSG staff install deer protection on some of our trees. Join us to meet new friends, see all the beautiful spring blooms, and have fun in the forest! Register here.
- We can't help but tell you all about the amazing work being done at Secret Park led by a hardworking group of UW students! They've been removing invasive plants from the understory and now the FUN begins: planting! Come join Adria, Allison, Aron, Megan, and Sara to install native trees and shrubs from 11:00am-3:00pm. Food and refreshments will be provided. Register here.
For more information on Forest Stewardship, or custom service opportunities for large groups, call the Parks Department's Natural Resources Specialist at (206) 275-7882, or Email kim.frappier@mercergov.org |
Parenting Workshop on Teen Anxiety, April 3
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Click for more information on MIYFS Programs
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The Department of Youth and Family Services' (YFS) Community Advisory Board (CAB) consists of Island adults and youth appointed by the Mayor. These volunteers serve as a sounding board and offer recommendations on policy and practices, and organize an annual community forum on a topic of interest aligned with the YFS mission.
On Tuesday, April 3, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center, YFS and the CAB present a community forum, "Successful Parenting on Mercer Island: Harmful Stress and Its Impact on Teen Health."
Addressing anxiety among Island youth is a priority for YFS's Healthy Youth Initiative (HYI). The HYI Mental Health Action Team, comprised of Island volunteers and YFS staff, notes that 58 percent of 8th Graders, 60 percent of 10th Graders, and 70 percent of 12th Graders report being bothered by feeling nervous, anxious or on edge.
The forum is a "fireside chat" style, featuring a panel of youth and adult professionals, and includes discussion among participants on the tangible approaches parents can take to help their child cope with anxiety. Discussion will also include information on deciding when to get professional help for your child.
YFS Director Cindy Goodwin, who will also moderate the event, points out that, "the way the Island tends to define what it means for a child to be successful is part of the problem-as a community, we need to embrace the assets afforded by relative affluence and a great school system, while pushing back on the norms that support excessive and institutionalized pressure to succeed as the cost of social-emotional health."
YFS and the CAB invite Island parents and teens (middle to high school age) to attend this free event; drinks and light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Derek Franklin, YFS Program Manager at derek.franklin@mercergov.org or call (206) 275-7745.
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