MI Weekly

    A weekly update from the City of Mercer Island


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

Jan 8



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Jan 16

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Jan 20

MAYOR

DEPUTY MAYOR
COUNCILMEMBERS 




Volunteer Opportunities 

City Hall Address
9611 SE 36th Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040

Phone
(206) 275-7600


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.
Jan 8, 2020 | Vol. 15 | No. 2
New_CouncilNew Councilmembers Sworn In
Click to learn more about your City Council
At the first City Council Meeting of the year last night, the new Councilmembers were officially sworn in before a significant crowd of well-wishers! Due to uncommon circumstances, five out of seven seats were in contention last November. Learn more about your seven-member Council.

Pictured from left to right in the photo: Salim Nice, David Rosenbaum, Craig Reynolds, Wendy Weiker, Benson Wong, Lisa Anderl, and Jake Jacobson.  The Council also selected, by simple majority vote, who would serve as Mayor (Wong) and Deputy Mayor (Weiker) for the next two years. Congratulations to all!  
Annual_BreakfastMIYFS Foundation Breakfast in One Month
Click here for more information or to register
On Wednesday, February 12, come join 600 community-focused Islanders at the eighteenth  Annual Fundraising Breakfast, hosted by the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) Foundation at the City's Community and Event Center. 

This year's theme is HOPE,  and together attendees will celebrate Island strengths and reignite a shared commitment to see all our neighbors on the Island live up to their highest human potential. Doors open at 7:00am for coffee; the event concludes at 8:30am and is co-chaired by Pam Hinnen and Christina Hendelman, along with an incredible "Breakfast Club" Committee.  

Please read their letter of invitation, or register here.

Why attend the Annual Breakfast? The answer is simple... As the sole full-service provider for social and human services in the City, the MIYFS Department delivers an enormous amount of good in the community, often without fanfare. From emergency assistance, to mental health services, to senior outreach and counseling, to the Food Pantry, to the Thrift Shop, to youth programs, to professional mental health counselors in each school, MIYFS is present in the community every step of the way.

The MIYFS Foundation's exclusive mission is to support the programs and services of the City's MIYFS Department. There is no charge to attend the breakfast; there is a suggested minimum donation of $250 per person or $500 per couple.  
Tullys_ParkingCity Purchases Former Tully's Property
Click to learn more about the proposed project
On December 27, the City completed its purchase of a key property adjacent to I-90, signaling another significant step in the development of a Town Center Commuter Parking and Mixed-Use Project. View a map here .

The property, adjacent to the future 
Sound Transit Light Rail Station  and site of the former Tully's coffeeshop, also formerly hosted a gasoline service station operated by the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARC). ARC has agreed to reimburse the City for the majority of clean-up costs arising from excavation, segregation, transport and disposal of contaminated soil as part of the redevelopment of the property.

When combined with the adjacent portion of Sunset Highway (Parcel 12), which the City already owns, and a small portion of WSDOT property, this purchase allows the City's proposed public-private development project to proceed, with completion targeted for 2023, in advance of East Link's opening. The project would include: City-owned commuter parking; a performing arts facility in partnership with the Mercer Island Center for the Arts ( MICA ); and a mixed-use residential and commercial structure based on the City's Town Center vision and code.

Learn more about the proposed commuter parking and mixed-use project from the
City's public engagement website.
AwardFlash Family Award Winner Elliot Newman
Elliot Newman (left) receives his 
award from Mayor Benson Wong
Each year the Youth and Family Services Department (MIYFS) awards the Flash Family Inspirational Award (FFIA) to honor a Mercer Island senior adult (55 and older) who exemplifies the spirit of good sportsmanship and/or community leadership, and who possesses an optimistic attitude and friendly demeanor while acting as a role model to others.
 
The 2019 FFIA honors Island resident and former Mayor Elliot Newman, whose volunteer and professional work over many years perfectly aligns with the philosophy of the award. His accomplishments and contribution to both Mercer Island, and the greater King County community, are extraordinarily numerous.

His initial work in the PNW involved educating Mercer Island residents about air pollution generated by the 1980's expansion of I-90 and informed improved roadway design.

Elliott first served on the City's Planning Commission in 1986/7, then on the City Council from 1988-1995. During that time, he helped lead efforts to r aise eco-awareness in order to reduce the Island's carbon footprint, and later served on the City's Sustainability Task Force.

He helped reestablish senior representation on the MIYFS advisory board to evaluate YFS and Park and Recreation services to ensure they reflected the needs of seniors, and to help identify services that had been overlooked.  He also served on the Open Space Conservancy Trust Board for ten years, six years as Chair. 

In addition to his Island activities, Elliot has served with many off-Island programs and foundations.

The City expresses its deep gratitude and congratulations to Elliot for all of the countless MI residents who have benefited from his tireless and gracious efforts to make Mercer Island a better place to live. Bravo!  
Mercer Island Goes Green
RecyclingPlastic Bags Not Accepted Curbside
Plastic bags and wrap can no longer be recycled in curbside carts; click for options
In a region-wide change to recycling practices, plastic bags and wrap are no longer accepted in curbside recycling carts, as of January 1, 2020. This material creates the most problems for recycling processors because it gets tangled in machinery, sometimes even forcing the facility to shut down in order to clear clogged equipment with power tools. 

A much better option is reusable bags that can provide many years of service. If you do have plastic bags or films to recycle, check with local grocery stores about their take-back programs, or research options at:  www.plasticfilmrecycling.org.

Learn more about the problem, and good solutions, from the Island's new hauler Recology.  
SidewalkIntermittent Sidewalk Closures at 80th Ave
Detour map; click to learn more about the closures
Starting this week, there may be intermittent closures of the 80th Avenue SE sidewalk over I-90 so that Sound Transit can perform underground utility work for the new rail station under construction.

The closures are not expected to last more than a total of 12 days, and should end by January 31. Whenever the 80th Avenue sidewalk is not usable, pedestrians will be directed to the newly-reopened 77th Avenue sidewalk as a detour (see map). The City recommends that commuters allow an extra 5 minutes to reach their bus on time.

To keep track of closures, follow the project on ST's website, or sign up for ST project alerts.

 

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

ross.freeman@mercergov.org