City, school district collaborate on new crosswalk at Southeast 42nd Street

The city of Mercer Island and the Mercer Island School District partnered to create a safer crossing at Southeast 42nd Street for Northwood Elementary students, using limited taxpayer funds. The crosswalk needed to be in place before school begins, but was not originally in the city budget or work plan.

When the new elementary opened near Mercer Island High School last year, parents had concerns about the busy mix of elementary kids on foot, teen drivers and carpools. There were no marked crosswalks, and no sidewalk on the south side of Southeast 42nd Street.

The district drew up plans and provided the dollars to make necessary walkway and crossing improvements along the two-block stretch of the street. Meanwhile, the city’s Public Works staff worked with neighbors to remove private improvements that were encroaching on the public right-of-way, while relocating fire hydrants and trees out of the work area.

“This was a great partnership project,” said Anne Tonella-Howe, assistant city engineer for Public Works. “City dollars are always tight and we had no funds for a new mid-year project, but we could bring other resources to the table.”

MISD Capital Projects Manager Brandy Fox said that “with the Public Works Department, we were able to accomplish much more than the School District would have been able to do alone.”

Senior transportation program needs volunteers

The Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department (MIPR) is currently seeking volunteers to drive and assist local seniors. Volunteer helpers and drivers are both vital to the success of MIPR programs and much appreciated by the many seniors who have no other transportation alternatives.

The city’s program provides seniors a free ride from their homes to MIPR programs three days a week, Tuesday through Thursday, and greatly improves their quality of life.

A variety of shift times need coverage, ranging from one to three hours. Not available for a regular weekly shift? The city is always looking for substitutes who can help only occasionally. Inquire at 206-275-7841 or email Amber Britton at amber.britton@mercergov.org for more.

All training is provided for both the helper and driver positions. Drivers need no special license for these vehicles, and helpers do not perform any driving.

City plans Gathering of the Greens

The city’s sustainability program is convening a “Gathering of the Greens” from 6-9 p.m. on Sept. 18 at City Hall to provide an update to interested residents on the program and sustainability planning.

The draft agenda currently includes:

• A review of past advisory group recommendations
• Some highlights of recent sustainability accomplishments
• Unveiling of the city’s new Greenhouse Gas (GHG) tracking software
• A walk-through of the draft outline of the city’s Sustainability Plan

This will be followed by discussion of the suggested actions necessary to achieve that plan. Attendees will discuss what resonates with them, how to focus limited resources, and where the city needs help with staffing, research or expertise.

The meeting is open to all, although the presentation will not review introductory sustainability principles in order to save time for discussion. The suggested audience for this meeting is anyone who wants to discuss sustainability and carbon footprint issues and/or residents who also want to get involved as constructive volunteer collaborators.

To learn more about the city’s sustainability program, visit www.mercergov.org/sustainability.

Update: the date of the meeting was changed from Sept. 21 to Sept. 18.

Council meetings move to Tuesdays

At their January 2016 Planning Session, members of the Mercer Island City Council discussed moving regular meetings from the first and third Mondays of the month to the first and third Tuesdays of the month.

Staff concurred with this recommendation, as it will provide one more day for members to review the materials for each meeting and one more working day for staff to respond to council questions prior to the meeting.

At its July 17 meeting, the council formally adopted Ordinance No. 17C-19 (Agenda Bill 5327). See www.mercergov.org/CouncilMeetings for more.

The change will take place starting Tuesday, Sept. 5.