Public hearing for Shorewood subdivision July 16
A former Island resident and licensed therapist has pleaded not guilty to accusations of misconduct after being caught unclothed with a 15-year-old boy at his home earlier this year.
King County Executive Ron Sims wants a 25-cent fare increase on Metro buses to help offset rising fuel costs and avoid having to cut any service.
Car prowl
Two North-end Mercer Island residents filed suit against the City of Mercer Island and the United Methodist Church, seeking a court injunction to prevent Tent City from coming to the Island. The suit came less than a day after dozens of neighbors and Island residents met a handful of their future homeless neighbors at the United Methodist Church on S.E. 24th Street, the proposed site for the camp.
Even by Mercer Island standards, a 25,000-square-foot home being built on a 1.67-acre lot off of West Mercer Way is big.
There are about 300 more residents living on Mercer Island than a year ago, as the population has increased for the third straight year. According to data released by the Washington State Office of Financial Management on July 2, the Island’s population went up by 270 individuals from 2007 to 2008. The population estimates show that there are now 22,650 Island residents, which is about a one-percent increase from the previous count.
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.
