The City of Mercer Island is pleased to announce that on Saturday, June 23 (9:00am-6:00pm) and Sunday, June 24 (9:00am-Noon), volunteers and emergency management representatives will host a weekend at Luther Burbank Park (at the 2400 block of 84th Ave SE), to educate the public about local efforts to prepare communities for disasters.

The Mercer Island Radio Operators (MIRO) will participate with a larger group of volunteers in a simulated emergency to test various communication and auxiliary power capabilities. This event marks the fourth time our Eastside cities and volunteers have worked together in the annual "Field Day" event, a national day of amateur radio practice. MIRO reminds the public that while radios and communications technologies are important, practicing together as a community is key.

This year the goal is to not only provide information about the benefits of ham radio, but also to share with the public the different emergency preparedness response teams established on Mercer Island. 

Please join emergency workers and elected officials from Mercer Island, Issaquah, Bellevue and elsewhere to learn what you can do to be more prepared, and discover local volunteer opportunities.

Learn more about the MIRO Ham Radio group.

The City has launched an online survey gauging community interest in a free-floating Bikeshare service, like those operating in Seattle and coming soon to Bellevue and other surrounding communities.

Many residents have already noticed these colorful bikes (green, yellow, orange) appearing on the Island from Seattle. 

For over a year, the City Council has been exploring various ways to enhance mobility on the Island and improve access to transit. In particular, the City is seeking to provide more options for commuters to reach the  Mercer Island Park & Ride, without needing to drive and park a Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV). This becomes especially important as increased parking pressure now leads to all stalls filling by 7:00am on most weekdays.

Today, Mercer Island's Park & Ride is served by a range of express and local buses, but in several years it will also connect to East Link light rail at the new Mercer Island Station currently under construction.

If made available on Mercer Island, these bikeshare bikes could not only help commuters reach the Park & Ride, but also help residents get around Town Center, go shopping, or do errands without driving. The bike fleet would likely be a mix of pedal-powered, and electric-assist (which require much less effort).

Please complete this three-minute survey today to help us design a Pilot Bikeshare Program to meet your needs. Your suggestions will help the City understand where to best spend  Sound Transit Settlement dollars.

Note: The City currently has a related  rideshare pilot underway with Lyft and Uber to provide discounted car rides to the Park & Ride for weekday bus commuters. 

You can learn more about various commute options and get other helpful information at:  www.mercergov.org/CommuterResources

Starting June 18, the City began making improvements to SE 40th Street from Island Crest Way (ICW) to Gallagher Hill Road; completion is expected by October 2018. The project will construct concrete curbs, sidewalks, and bicycle lanes on both sides of the roadway from ICW to Gallagher Hill Road. It will address minor modifications to the traffic signal at 86th Avenue, repave SE 40th Street from 85th to 88th Avenues, add new pavement markings, and remove the small amount of on-street parking on SE 40th Street. The project addresses one of the two remaining "missing links" on a continuous North-South Island bicycle route long-awaited by the community.

 

This work is part of the City's current 6-Year Transportation Improvement Plan and is being partially funded through a $500,000 grant from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board. The City's contractor, Kamins Construction, will be working from 7:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday, with the goal of having SE 40th Street from ICW to 88th Avenue substantially completed before school begins in September; no weekend work is currently planned.

 

During the first two weeks of the project, work will consist of minor storm drainage and water system improvements and the relocation of several utility poles (by PSE contractors) to be clear of the new sidewalks. Concrete work will begin in July and roadway repaving is anticipated in August.

 

Please expect some minor driving delays and limited access to driveways at times; residents have been notified and flaggers will be onsite. Contact Clint Morris, City Street Engineer, with any questions: [email protected].

Visitors to Luther Burbank Park this summer will find a couple of locations under repair. The tennis courts are out of service as staff patch cracks in the play surface; these repairs will be completed, court by court, over the course of the summer.  If the net is up on a court that means it is available for public use. This patching is temporary and is in preparation for a resurfacing project in 2019 that will provide a long-term fix.  

 

Down at the waterfront plaza, an area of damaged pavement has been cordoned off: lack of sufficient drainage has undermined the pavers around the "Handsome Bollards" area. The City is pursuing emergency drainage improvements that will address the underlying cause and allow for proper repair of the pavers this fall.  The plaza will remain open to foot traffic, but there may be occasional closures for construction. Contact Paul West, interim Parks and Recreation Department Director at (206) 275-7833.