REPORTER
Mercer Island
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WEDNESDAY,APRIL MARCH 2013| |75¢ 75¢ WEDNESDAY, 6,20, 2016
April 8: the day the music died
New SR-520 bridge opens
Island students to showcase fine arts tonight Attend the annual Fine Arts Showcase, a Mercer Island School District fundraiser, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the high school. Performances and artwork from students of all ages will be on display. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Proceeds benefit fine arts education throughout the district.
Islander recalls being first responder at Kurt Cobain death scene 22 years ago BY JOE LIVARCHIK jlivarchik@mi-reporter.com
Flower arranging exhibition is this weekend The 26th annual Ikebana, or Japanese-style flower arranging, exhibition runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Community and Event Center. Admission is free. See page 15 for more.
BY KATIE METZGER kmetzger@mi-reporter.com
The Reporter asked two opposing citizen’s groups to answer questions about the “Protect our Parks” petition, which would require the City Council to replace leased or sold parkland with land of equivalent or better value, to preserve parks and open spaces in perpetuity. It would also arguably prevent the building of the Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA) in Mercerdale Park. The pro-petition group is the Concerned Citizens for Mercer Island Parks. The opposing group is Support MI Parks and Arts. What is the goal of the parks petition? Concerned Citizens for Mercer Island Parks: It would guarantee that Mercer Island’s
legacy of parkland is preserved for generations to come by establishing a “no-net-loss” requirement. Support MI Parks and Arts: The real goal is to stop MICA and Youth Theatre Northwest (YTN) from building a new facility at the site of the old recycling center in the Northwest corner of Mercerdale Park. What is the definition of “parkland use”? Concerned Citizens: Park uses are established by the City Council and administered by the Parks and Recreation Department as indicated in the city’s Parks and Recreation Plan 2014-2019 and in the Master Plans for the individual parks. Parks and Arts: The definition of “parkland” in the initiative is extremely restrictive, and therein lies a huge problem. The initiative
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REPORTER
Safely dispose of clutter at the annual spring recycling event, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Mercer Island Boat Launch. Residents can also pick up a compost bin and rain barrel at a discounted rate. Consider bringing a donation of nonperishable food or cash for the MI Food Pantry, which will be accepted at the boat launch.
Citizen’s groups answer parks petition questions
gives a limited number examples of what is included (such as restrooms, forests and underground utilities), and with this limited restriction, it excludes any other use. The initiative also provides a list of what is excluded (such as a performing arts center, community center and swimming pool). The most troubling part is that the initiative would exclude many other park amenities we now take for granted (tennis courts, basketball courts, swim beach, off-leash dog area in Luther Burbank, pea patch, skateboard park, bleachers, parking lot for park users, picnic areas and the sculpture park, to name just a few). Does the initiative support changes to any existing use of parkland? What about renovations/ repairs/expansions of facilities currently in parkland that would not be permitted under the initiative? Concerned Citizens: The initiative allows all current activities, uses, repairs and renovations.
Mercer Island
Spring recycling event is Saturday
Ryan Murray/staff photo
Tens of thousands of people swarmed the new State Route 520 bridge, which is officially the longest floating bridge in the world, on Saturday morning. For more, see page 19.
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The small format art show open to local artists, now in its sixth year, opens at noon Thursday at the Mercer Island Visual Arts League (MIVAL) gallery, with an award presentation at 6 p.m. For more, see www.mival.org.
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MIVAL’s ‘Treasures in Miniature’ opens Thursday
When the Seattle Fire Department got a call for an assault with weapons response at 171 Lake Washington Boulevard East, Islander John Fisk had just gotten in for the 7:30 a.m. shift change. The paramedic who Fisk was relieving offered to take the call, though Fisk said he’d handle it and went on his first run of the day. It was a Friday, April 8, 1994. “We had no idea who it was on the dispatch,” Fisk recalled. “None of us knew what it was at the time.” The group of responders was initially sent to the wrong address. When they did arrive to the right
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