At last night's meeting, the City Council reviewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mainstreet Property Group, the team selected to develop a commuter parking and mixed-use facility in Town Center adjacent to the future East Link light rail station. 

Passing by a vote of 5-2, the non-binding MOU establishes a conceptual deal structure forming the basis for a future Purchase and Sale Agreement, Development Agreement, and other related agreements, targeted for finalization by the end of 2019. In related discussion, the Council also voted 7-0 to terminate a MOU allowing the consideration of Mercerdale Park as the potential future site of the proposed Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA), which will instead seek to be a major tenant in the mixed-use facility.

 

Readers can learn more from the City's Let's Talk public engagement site, and view Council's supporting materials (Agenda Bill 5578), or download the MOU.  Currently, the City is working on the environmental cleanup plan for the former Tully's property, which was once owned by BP/ARCO.  

It's almost summer, and that means it's time for the City's weather-dependent road projects to kick into gear. With schools out and more residents taking vacations, these are the best months to undertake repaving, underground utility work, and other planned maintenance activities.

 

The 2019 Arterial and Residential Street Overlays Project combines four locations into one contract for Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) paving this summer. The project includes asphalt overlay of 1.3 miles of East Mercer Way from the 4300 block to SE 53rd Place (last paved in 1992), residential street repaving in two different neighborhoods ( SE 33rd and SE 34th Place; and various streets in the Ellis Pond neighborhood), and full lane-width patching work on West Mercer Way. Combining similar asphalt paving projects together into one contract makes the larger project more attractive to bidders and reduces the City's costs to oversee and manage the work.

Lakeside Industries, the paving contractor with the winning bid, has already begun work on the smaller items. Preliminary preparations for East Mercer Way start as early as next week; there will always be at least one travel lane preserved for access. Residents in all affected locations have been notified in advance by mail - thank you for your understanding!  Click here to view project locations.

Recology will be the City's new recycling/compost/garbage hauler starting October 1, 2019. This week, Recology sent a letter to residents living on private roads, asking customers to certify that their road can support the weight of a heavy waste collection truck. View a private roads map here.

Approximately 1900 Island addresses that use private roadways will be required to sign a Private Road Liability Waiver in order to allow drive-in access. The City understands that this legal requirement is new to Mercer Island, but emphasizes that it is common in neighboring cities, and would have been required by any hauler under a new contract, even if the current contract with Republic Services had been renewed. 

Customers with questions should contact Recology directly at (206) 381-6980 to evaluate the feasibility of collection on a case-by-vase basis; there are other service options available if a signed waiver cannot be accomplished. Interested residents can learn more, and read a new related FAQ, on the City's Let's Talk public engagement site.   

This week the City bid farewell to two retiring employees with exceptionally long tenure: Deputy Finance Director Francie Lake, who has worked continuously for the City since 1983 - a total of 36 years; and Mental Health Therapist Cathy Gentino, who served as a School-based Counselor and Resource for 30 years.

Raised on Mercer Island, Francie spent five summers as an intern before landing her first full-time position here. Her responsibilities included overseeing the development of the City's six-year capital improvement program (CIP) every two years, monitoring the budget of projects under implementation, serving as a budget analyst, and managing the City's investments. Francie is highly respected throughout the organization and has been a key pillar on the management team.

Cathy was one of the first of the City's Youth and Family Services Counselors placed in the schools of the Mercer Island School District; and has made a significant impact in the lives of generations of Island youth and families. Over 30 years, she enrolled 2,350 individual and family therapy clients, led 8,415 parent meetings and consultations, delivered 15,600 individual student counseling sessions, and provided 19,300 individual student drop-in sessions.

Both employees were presented with special Resolutions by the Deputy Mayor at this week's City Council meeting. Congratulations!