City news in Mercer Island.
City manager hiring process continues
Following an extensive City Manager interview process that occurred in early May 2016, the City Council declined to offer employment to any one of the four finalists. The council initiated a new recruitment process that is being managed internally, and the position was reopened on June 18. To date, the city has received 35 applications for the position, which closed July 31.
The city has scheduled a public reception for finalists at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22. All community members are welcome and encouraged to attend to interact with the candidates under consideration. The formal interview process is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 23. For further information, please contact Kryss Segle, human resources director, at 206-275-7792.
The position is being filled temporarily by Interim City Manager Pam Bissonnette from July 1 to Nov. 30. She is taking over for the previous six-month Interim Manager Steve Lancaster.
Pick up free food scrap bin at City Hall
As part of a county-wide campaign to encourage composting and save valuable landfill space, the city of Mercer Island is giving away free countertop food-scrap containers at City Hall, one per household.
The container can be lined with special compostable bags and then emptied into a yard waste cart for weekly curbside collection. Learn more about using countertop containers at http://tinyurl.com/jma4tcj.
Stop by the utility counter or front desk at City Hall, while supplies last.
Road conditions to be assessed this month
To develop long-term plans and budgets for roadway maintenance on the Island, engineering staff must gather information on pavement conditions. The city has contracted with a private company, Infrastructure Management Services (IMS), to complete a detailed inventory in early August using specialized surveying equipment.
The first phase will use lasers to measure pavement roughness, rutting, cracking and other surface distresses using a specially modified van that also captures video and tracks exact location using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS). Residents may notice this van traversing all public Island roads during August for several weeks. The second phase consists of establishing the load carrying capacity of specific arterial and collector roadways using several additional devices that measure pavement thickness.
This year, the same technicians will also use cameras to conduct a thorough inventory of city-owned roadway signage on the Island. Once all data are gathered, the city will be able to update its priorities for long-term roadway maintenance in order to best prevent degradation.
Contact project manager Leah Llamas, GIS coordinator, with additional questions.
City employee retires after 35 years
After 35 years of service to the Mercer Island community, popular city employee Sandy Love retired from the Finance Department on July 26.
Love “made a large and lasting positive impact during her tenure, which began when she was hired as one of the first female maintenance employees for the city,” according to the MI Weekly newsletter.
She worked in three city departments (Maintenance, Development Services and Finance) and served in several roles throughout her career, including utility worker, meter reader, permit technician and water services specialist.
Love, who had a passion for protection of the city’s water supply and started the city’s cross connection program back in the 1980s, is known for her outgoing personality and conversational demeanor.
