City reminds pedestrians, drivers to be cautious
With winter conditions around the corner, and long nights already here, the Mercer Island Police Department reminds all drivers to be cautious, especially in the evening hours.
Pedestrians, especially runners, are also reminded that wearing dark clothing and carrying no form of lighting is particularly risky on dark winter days. The MIPD asks all pedestrians to consider wearing light and bright clothing, using reflectorized items such as vests, and attaching flashing mini-LED lights to the front and back of clothing.
Every year, the city works on a variety of pedestrian safety projects, and is currently focused on completing a signaled pedestrian crossing on Island Crest Way at Southeast 32nd Street as soon as some delayed control equipment arrives.
See www.cdc.gov/features/pedestriansafety for more.
City will chip holiday trees for free
The city’s annual holiday tree chipping service is offered for free from Dec. 26 to Jan. 12, for Island residents only.
Undecorated holiday trees can be brought to the city’s Public Works Shop at 9601 SE 36th St.(behind City Hall) during daylight hours. Staff will chip the tree and re-purpose the material for use in city parks, trails and open space projects.
When dropping off your holiday tree for chipping: remove tree stands, remove all ornaments and lights, deliver your tree only during daylight hours and leave your tree in the designated location only.
No flocked or artificial trees will be accepted, and no garbage or other yard waste will be accepted.
For more information about holiday tree services, contact the Public Works Department at 206-275-7608.
Financial triage at MIYFS
As the number of people on Mercer Island grows, the city’s Youth and Family Services Department is struggling to keep pace with the increase in demand for services.
Revenues from the city’s general fund are just a small portion of the YFS budget, which relies heavily instead on the MIYFS Foundation and revenues from the Mercer Island Thrift Store, according to the city’s newsletter.
“We haven’t had the funds to scale up to meet growing demand,” said YFS Director Cindy Goodwin. “Instead, we triage.”
For example, there is currently a two-month waiting list for community-based mental health counseling, primarily driven by referrals from the growing school population. With the opening of the new Northwood Elementary School, YFS needed to add a mental health counselor, which was the department’s only staff addition in several years.
A strategic planning assessment by YFS last year identified the kinds of community needs that aren’t being met. More families have more complex needs, which might encompass job loss, legal services, mental health counseling or other services.
“What they need is wraparound services and someone who can stay involved with them for a longer period of time,” Goodwin said.
YFS shifts resources and personnel to serve the most critical needs first. Providing mental health counselors in all Island schools is a top priority, alongside mental health counseling and emergency assistance. For seniors, “helping the most vulnerable comes first; supporting aging-in-place seniors comes after that,” Goodwin said.
In recent years, YFS has relied on the MIYFS Foundation to fund the growth in its annual budget, and the Foundation has committed to providing 10 percent of total needs, equating to $200,000 in 2017. The Foundation’s biggest fundraising event of the year is the annual breakfast, is slated for Feb. 7, 2018.
See www.miyfs.org for more.
