Spend money on school district, not town square

I read with dismay about the $95,000 that the Mercer Island City Council approved for building a town square at the edge of downtown Mercer Island on 78th Avenue S.E. Do we need to spend this much money when the school district says that it is going to be short by about $3 million? Do we really need another town square in addition to Mercerdale Park? Is this the right time to be spending this money instead of investing it in essential services such as a traffic signal on Merrimount and Island Crest Way or, better still, on the education of kids in the school district? This decision makes me wonder if the City Council is out of touch with the real issues and concerns of the city. I hope they put off this spending for a few years and use it where it is really needed.

February 24, 2009 6:33 pm

I read with dismay about the $95,000 that the Mercer Island City Council approved for building a town square at the edge of downtown Mercer Island on 78th Avenue S.E. Do we need to spend this much money when the school district says that it is going to be short by about $3 million? Do we really need another town square in addition to Mercerdale Park? Is this the right time to be spending this money instead of investing it in essential services such as a traffic signal on Merrimount and Island Crest Way or, better still, on the education of kids in the school district? This decision makes me wonder if the City Council is out of touch with the real issues and concerns of the city. I hope they put off this spending for a few years and use it where it is really needed.

Bharat Shyam