In a unanimous decision, Mercer Island City Council adopted the 2025-2030 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) at its June 18 regular hybrid meeting.
Council annually updates and adopts the rolling six-year plan, which covers city roadway, pedestrian, bicycle and other transportation projects. The adoption followed robust council and staff evaluation at meetings that also featured public comment. Additionally, the city asked residents to submit feedback — to be incorporated in the TIP final development — on its Let’s Talk page and other outreach platforms during a three-month period leading up to adoption night, according to city documents.
The adopted TIP includes a vast array of projects, including Island Crest Way corridor improvements, resurfacing and overlay work on sections of north, east and west Mercer Way, ADA Transition Plan implementation, traffic safety and operations improvements, Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Plan update and much more. For more information, visit: https://letstalk.mercergov.org/tip-2024
WATER SUPPLY UPDATE
In an Island water supply and conservation update at the meeting, City Manager Jessi Bon said there’s no specific date as to when Seattle Public Utilities workers will enter repair mode by installing the flexible liner into its out-of-service mainline. It could be a couple weeks, according to an email she received.
The city is currently receiving water through a 16-inch backup line as the 24-inch mainline awaits repair.
“We’re getting a little less water than we normally do because we’re on the backup line. For this reason, especially as we head into warmer summer months, we have a concern about the water supply keeping up with demand,” Bon said.
Hence the city’s move to the voluntary water conservation stage, as reported last issue. It’s the first step and hopefully the only step the city will need to take in the conservation realm, Bon added. For conservation information, visit: https://letstalk.mercergov.org/water-conservation-guidance
“This is all to hopefully stave off mandatory measures. We do believe this community has it in them — we’ve done this work before to pull back our water use,” Bon said.
One Facebook poster noted: “Done! Not a problem to implement any of these actions.”
The city is also utilizing a real-time water usage dashboard so residents can keep track of the Island’s H2O situation at https://www.mercerisland.gov/publicworks/page/water-usage-dashboard
XING HUA SITE
Demolition of the existing structures at the site of the proposed Xing Hua mixed-use development is forthcoming, according to the city, which issued a demo permit on June 11 regarding the Town Center site that is located at 2885 78th Ave. SE.
“The property owners have partnered with fire services agencies to allow for fire department training on the structure before the building is demolished,” reads a city report. A pre-construction meeting is scheduled for June 25; the specific demo dates are unknown at press time.
The non-live destructive firefighter training includes: vertical ventilation on the roof, forcible entry and search and rescue.
