T he City of Mercer Island is pleased to announce the launch of a free-floating bikeshare pilot program intended to provide new mobility options for residents commuting to and from the Park & Ride (8000 N Mercer Way), as well as other users who may wish to conduct errands or travel around the Island car-free, as a supplement to local public transit options.

 

Starting mid-July, for three months, the City and bikeshare provider LimeBike are hosting a fleet of 25 electric-assist rental bicycles available to any rider. Bicycles will be restocked at key locations ("hubs") daily, but may be ridden anywhere, and parked at any legal, public location. Electric-assist will allow a wider range of users to take advantage of the fleet, and will make hill-climbing much easier. All bikes will be available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week, and normal E-Bike fees apply: $1 to unlock, then 15 cents/minute to ride.

 

This program is offered in addition to the City's ongoing rideshare pilot program (with Lyft and Uber) as another way to help reduce Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) usage, decrease congestion, and broaden the range of available transportation options.

 

Administrative costs for the pilot program will be covered by an October 2017  settlement agreement  with Sound Transit that offsets the impacts of light rail construction and operation, and also partially compensates for permanent impacts to local traffic patterns.

 

In making its decision, Council noted strong community interest in bikeshare, the ability to experiment with nimble mobility alternatives, and the opportunity to gather performance data that will inform the future of bikeshare after the pilot period. Results from an ongoing web survey of over 330 people indicated that approximately 34% of respondents would be willing to try a bikeshare pilot this summer, with another 12% requiring more information.

 

Program outreach is now underway, and will include a booth at Summer Celebration; FAQ's and additional details will be available soon on a custom City webpage.  

 

Other highlights this year include:

• Grand Parade
• Music and Entertainment
• Arts and Crafts Fair & Booths
• Skateboard Event
• Children's Fun Zone & Inflatables
• Car Show
• Food Fair
• Special "Island Vibes" themed activities

The Food Pantry operated by the City's Youth and Family Services Department (MIYFS) depends on local food donations from service clubs, faith organizations, PTAs, businesses, individuals and families to keep the shelves stocked.  The Food Pantry is visited almost 1500 times per year by qualified Island residents and there is typically a 30% increase in visits over the summer months. At the same time, summer is the leanest month for food donations as many of our donors are on vacation.

 

To bridge the gap, MIYFS is launching a new "Fill the Van" food drive campaign during the weekend of Summer Celebration, July 14-15. The van will be in the Summer Celebration parade and at the MIYFS booth to highlight the issue of food insecurity which also impacts some members of our community.

 

Please bring a bag or two of non-perishable food items and help us fill the van to the roof! Also, if you shop locally at New Seasons Market, they offer the ability to donate easily to MIYFS at the checkout.

 

Suggested non-perishable food items for donation include canned fruit, canned tuna, pasta sauces and meals-in-a-box (e.g. Rice-A-Roni) products.  For more information, contact MIYFS at (206) 275-7611.

The Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation and the Stroum Jewish Community Center of Greater Seattle (SJCC) have been serving the community from their location on the NE corner of Mercer Island since about 1970, and the French American School of Puget Sound moved to the Island in 1999. These three organizations have partnered closely over the years to maximize available space on their properties and meet operational needs.

All three non-profit organizations are now jointly launching a long-term process to plan for the future, and explore the financial, operational and maintenance needs that will allow them each to continue serving the broader community. The groups have launched a public engagement dialogue that includes community meetings on Monday, July 16 at 9:45am (at Herzl-Ner Tamid), and at 6:00pm that night (at SJCC).  Community input is also welcomed at: [email protected]