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.
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Aug 2, 2017 | Vol. 12 | No. 31
Mercer Island Goes Green
ICP_RenovationIsland Crest Park Renovation to Start Soon
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The Island Crest Park Sportsfield Improvements project was recently approved by Council and is expected to start this August and be completed in November 2017.  

The project will install synthetic turf in the outfield of the north field and replace the existing 30-year-old lights and wood poles with a much more efficient LED light system on new steel poles.  The LED lighting greatly minimizes light 'spill' and has very low maintenance needs.  Conduit will also be installed for the future completion of the lighting replacement on the south field.  This field will have flexible markings to accommodate a range of sports.  Safety and performance will be enhanced with shock pad underlay and cork infill. 
 
The project contractor is Field Turf Northwest and the cost of the entire project will be $2.3 million.  Grants and community donations have totaled over $700,000.  The City offers sincere thanks to the many community contributors for their significant donations to this project.  Along with the grant dollars secured by Parks and Recreation staff, this successful public-private funding model made this project feasible.  
PowerlinesMercerdale Hillside Powerline Undergrounding
Click for larger undergrounding map
Starting in mid-August, Puget Sound Energy will be moving overhead powerlines along the SE 32nd staircase near Mercerdale Park into underground conduit.  This long-awaited project will increase electrical service reliability for nearby customers: the area frequently experiences significant damage to powerlines from winter storms and related power outages.  The project will also eliminate the cyclical pruning that is required to keep trees away from the powerlines and that has prevented the healthy establishment of most native trees. 
 
Phase 1 of this project was completed in 2015, when the City negotiated an agreement with the developers of the Trellis Project to install underground conduit in the lower (eastern) portion of this route when they were also installing required storm drainage. 
 
The City will specify the planting of native shrubs and large native conifers in this corridor and expects them to grow to full size, adding considerably to the habitat of the Mercerdale Hillside Open Space in the long term.  In the short term, there will be some tree removals and vegetation clearing in the staircase corridor (approx. 15 feet wide), and related trenching activities.
 
Note that the construction corridor will be narrower and less disturbed than the section that was completed in 2015 due to lower impact techniques and much shallower trenching needs. View project area map.
CyclematesCyclemates Sculpture Unveiling Sunday, August 13
A mock-up image of the bronze sculpture; click to learn more about the Arts Council
The community is invited to the unveiling of Mercer Island's newest piece of public art, the Cyclemates' bike sculpture, at an outdoor reception from 1:00-3:00pm on Sunday, August 13 onsite at Sunset Highway SE (on the mound immediately north of Aljoya Retirement Community).  The formal presentation to the City occurs at 2:00pm with festivities to include refreshments.
 
The bronze sculpture - and its future maintenance - is a gift to the City entirely paid for by private donations and coordinated through the Mercer Island Arts Council. The sculpture honors the 24-year legacy of Cyclemates, the junior-high and middle-school students who, led by their motivated teacher Fran Call, bicycled on long-distance summer adventures around the West and across the country, between 1969 and 1993, with some life-changing trips spanning over 4,500 miles.
 
Last winter program alumni and other supporters began to raise funds and exceeded their $40,000 goal in just six months. " The majestic piece of art will commemorate the feats of hundreds of intrepid kids who rose to extraordinary challenges and made their community proud," said Laurie Lyford, who rode from Mercer Island to Halifax, Nova Scotia with the program. For more information, contact Jane Meyer Brahm (206) 232-0701.
Council Council Meetings Moving to Tuesdays
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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 for 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.