Council votes down parking app proposal
In an attempt to solve the city’s “last mile problem” and help residents better access transit, the Washington Business Alliance (WBA) provided the city of Mercer Island with a proposal to expand parking near commuter stops using an app-enabled shared parking arrangement.
The city’s Park and Ride fills by 7:30 a.m., so the idea was to develop a new technology that would enable residents north of the freeway to rent out their empty driveways to other Mercer Island commuters.
Resident and WBA co-founder David Giuliani met with the city’s Director of Information and Geographic Services, Mike Kaser, to review the proposal. The cost was about $43,000 for the discovery phase, and could have been funded through the city’s Interstate 90 funds.
Councilmember Dan Grausz supported the idea, though other councilmembers expressed reservations.
Mayor Bruce Bassett said he liked the concept of “an Airbnb for parking,” but that the proposal would “put the city in a very different business than [it] would usually be in.”
City Manager Julie Underwood agreed that it’s unusual for the city to take a role in a “private sector, startup-type project,” but that other cities like Bellevue have funded projects in transportation technology.
Councilmember Benson Wong asked Underwood to look for other funding opportunities, such as partnering with other cities or King County Metro. Deputy Mayor Debbie Bertlin said that “additional scoping and qualification work needs to be done,” including gauging the level of interest in the community.
City to update sewer plan, stormwater code
Since Mercer Island’s general sewer plan was adopted in 2003, there have been many changes in the community, including the replacement of Reach 3 of the Lakeline and redevelopment and growth in the Town Center.
The city’s sewer system is “a complex system that is nearing the end of its projected useful life. It is comprised of 115 miles of collection system (pipes), 2,446 manholes, 16.7 miles of Lakeline, 17 pump stations and a flush station.”
The council reviewed its sewer plan, as well as the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater code, at its April 3 meeting.
The city monitors stormwater to maintain public spaces and infrastructure, prevent flooding and protect ecosystem functions. Its code needed a few updates to comply with the new NPDES permit, including adopting the 2014 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington and reviewing local development-related codes to incorporate and require low-impact development, where feasible.
The council is scheduled to review the stormwater code again on June 5.
Mayor proclaims April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month
“Rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment harm our community, and statistics show one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives,” Mayor Bruce Bassett said at the April 3 Mercer Island City Council meeting, where he proclaimed April 2017 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
He noted that Islanders must work together to educate the community about sexual violence prevention, support survivors and speak out against harmful attitudes and actions.
