Mercer Island and other cities in Washington State are preparing annual updates to their six-year  transportation improvement programs, known as a TIP.  This program includes roadway, pedestrian, and bicycle projects planned for the six-year period beginning in 2021. 

Last night, as part of the annual TIP Public Hearing, the City Council spent several hours discussing individual TIP projects. Due to the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, the public comment period that began on March 16 had already been extended through May 19. It has now been extended again to June 16, and c omments can be  submitted online .

 

To learn more about the TIP, or view the TIP adopted by the City Council last year, visit the City's 2020 TIP page.

In Mid-April, the Mercer Island Community Fund (MICF) launched  WeLoveMI , a community-wide effort to provide relief during the COVID-19 emergency. WeLoveMI makes it easy for community members to directly support local organizations and those residents experiencing financial impacts.

This Friday, May 22, the City is celebrating WeLoveMI COVID-19 Relief Day. If just 10,000 Islanders give $22, the campaign could raise $220,000 for local relief efforts! Please visit welovemi.org on Friday to donate $22 to the cause of your choice, or give $22 to multiple organizations that have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you!

Earlier this year, a development company purchased the former Farmers Insurance property near Mercerdale Park, and recently unveiled draft plans to renovate the structure, built in 1982. The existing 146,000-square-foot office building is expected to receive significant modernization of interior spaces and minor upgrades to outdoor facades and the plaza areas. 

Following up on a recent letter to nearby neighbors (view here), the developer, Ryan Companies, is currently holding virtual open houses via Zoom video meeting - learn more here. As a large commercial project, the development will be required to apply for formal Design Review with the City, which triggers public hearings, expected later this summer or fall.

Every spring in years past, the MIHS Marching Band has hosted a food drive to help fill shelves of the City's Food Pantry, collecting up to 7 tons of food. 

This year, due to the pandemic, the Food Pantry had to change the way it operates for safety purposes, and transitioned from food donations to grocery gift cards. Even with this change, Marching Band students didn't miss a beat. They redirected their annual food drive to a fundraising campaign and raised almost $3,000 in donations.

Since March 1, the Pantry has seen a 50 percent increase in requests for food assistance during the pandemic, and due to the generosity of the community, the Youth and Family Services Department has been able to meet the needs of qualifying Island residents. 

To keep up with this vital assistance, continued community support will still be critical, and donations of grocery gift cards in $25 and $50 increments are welcomed. There is a new secure dropbox in the City Hall parking lot (see photo), or donations can be made online via the MIYFS Foundation Emergency Assistance program at www.miyfs.org. Please contact Tambi Cork with questions by Email at  [email protected].  

In a few weeks, Mercer Island's popular Farmers Market will return for its 13th season, at the customary location next to Mercerdale Park.  It runs from 10:00am-3:00pm every Sunday, with a continuous weekly schedule starting June 7 through September 27.

 

Due to the ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic, farmers markets across the region are reopening with special conditions. Initially o nly farmers and flower vendors will be represented, with extra space between stalls and other distancing measures. Learn more.