Four video cameras have been installed at city hall to broadcast City Council meetings. The first televised Council meeting will air live at 7 p.m. on July 21 on cable channel 21. The telecast will then be repeated at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day and will become available online in the coming weeks. For information, go to www.mercergov.org.
Before the first pioneers set foot on Mercer Island, the soil was trodden with deer hooves of all sizes. This graceful creature, a treasured Northwest symbol, wandered the Island’s forests and meadows for centuries. As Mercer Island’s population developed in the 1900s — growing from a rustic farming town into a suburban city — the deer population dwindled until the last few reportedly swam away some years ago. Today, the tranquil species is back.
• Deer are among the most familiar animals of Washington, and in many places they are the largest wildlife that people encounter.
The city has all but officially established the parks levy and capital bond measure being brought before Island voters this fall.
After years of availability, the second floor office/retail space in the Avellino Apartments of the Town Center may get converted into residential units. The building owners requested to change the office space into two new apartments last May with the city’s planning department, which is currently reviewing the proposed conversion. City records, however, show that the Design Commission wanted that retail space when it approved a 23-unit building instead of the initially proposed 25 units in 2001.
The King County Library System (KCLS) Board of Trustees is discussing the introduction of a program entitled “Ride to Read,” which will give youth free Metro bus transit to and from their local libraries. The idea was discussed during a planning committee meeting held at the Mercer Island Library last Friday — the first open meeting that the board has held.
Late-night drivers should plan for overnight lane and ramp closures on I-90 over Mercer Island due to construction activities through July 18. Crews working for WSDOT and Sound Transit are adding HOV lanes to the I-90 outer roadway between the cities of Mercer Island and Bellevue. They are also building new I-90 HOV on and off-ramps on Mercer Island and improving I-90 HOV access at Bellevue Way. Drivers are encouraged to use caution when traveling in this area and remember to “give ’em a brake” in construction zones.
Exactly two years ago, Mora Shaw died.
The Planning Commission has postponed its decision to approve the subdivision of the Shorewood Heights Apartments property after developers asked for several amendments to the conditions suggested by city planners.
The court hearing for a lawsuit filed against the city, church and organization that operates Tent City was rescheduled for next Monday morning, July 28, in King County Superior Court.
Island youth Lindsey Seidner, 9, watches as Emerson Stipes, 9, of Woodinville, jumps over sidewalk chalk along 78th Avenue S.E. on Mercer Island last Thursday. The drawing event was sponsored by the North end QFC as part of the Mercer Island Arts Council’s Third Thursday Art Walk.
Mercer Island is participating for the first time in a national program designed to get residents outside their homes and meet their neighbors.
An imposter pretending to be a grandson in need of financial help swindled an Island resident earlier this month, and police remind residents to be cautious of such scams when giving away money.
