REPORTER
Mercer Island www.mi-reporter.com
MI | THIS WEEK
Serving the Mercer Island community since 1947
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2012 | 75¢
Advocate becomes the leader
Toll jam
MLK Jr. Day closures Next Monday, Jan. 16, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mercer Island’s city offices and schools will be closed. State liquor stores will remain open. Due to the holiday, the City Council will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
Mayor Bruce Bassett to focus on role as facilitator, and moving city ahead
City is looking for a new Councilmember The Mercer Island City Council is accepting applications from Islanders to serve as a city councilman to replace outgoing City Councilman and former mayor Jim Pearman who is resigning at the end of the month. See the City’s ad with instructions on page 7 in this issue or go to www.mercergov.org.
Good to Go passes available on Island Good to Go passes to automatically pay the SR 520 tolls are available on Mercer Island. Those who have a pass receive a discount when using the bridge. Passes can be purchased at both QFC stores on the Island. The passes are $5 each. To set up an account, which is required to use the pass, go to www.mygoodtogo.com or call 1-866-936-8246.
Upcoming MISD board meetings Several meetings for the Mercer Island School District Board of Directors have been scheduled to set the amount of the bonds to go to voters in April. The board will meet on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m., from 5 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 17, and Jan. 19 at PEAK for the board’s semi-annual retreat. All are open to the public. The board will also hold its regular monthly meeting on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.
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By Mary L. Grady editor@mi-reporter.com
Chad Coleman/Staff Photo
Eastside drivers fill the westbound lanes of I-90 at Island Crest Way last Tuesday, during the first full week of tolling on SR-520. State transportation officials said it will take until February to measure traffic impacts.
Fourth business quits ‘The Mercer’ Cellar 46 closes abruptly, are high rents to blame? By Linda Ball lball@mi-reporter.com
Ryan Allison has fielded hundreds of emails and phone calls since he shuttered Cellar 46 over the New Year’s weekend. As word leaked out to his loyal customers, they filed into his shop in the days preceding the closure to express how sad they were and reminisce about the good times they had there. “I’m going back to my old roots, selling wine over the Internet,” Allison said. “The cost of doing business is expensive — Mercer Island is a tricky environment.” Cellar 46 was located in The Mercer, an apartment complex on the corner of 77th Avenue S.E. and S.E. 27th Street with retail space at the street level. The Mercer was developed by Dollar Development, owned by Islander James Cassan. In just the past year — in the same space — Quiznos sand-
wich shop has moved out of The Mercer, along with Cellar 46, Yoga Bliss and Dooz, a hair salon for kids, which moved to Bellevue. Cobs Bread occupied the Quiznos space in 2007 – 2008, for just nine months. Allison said he was paying more than $50 per square foot, plus triple net, which means the tenant pays a portion of the property taxes, insurance and maintenance of common areas. His lease expired at the end of October. He got a two-month extension to see if he could make it work. “It never penciled out,” Allison said. “It was a business decision.” He’s back to running his website, discountwinebuys.com, which he said has over 6,000 wines available. If you live or work on Mercer Island, he has the wine shipped to the local FedEx office, so you pick up your wine there, free of shipping. And for Allison, his overhead now is almost nothing.
Lori Moll, who is the owner of Dooz, now in Bellevue Square, said she was paying $45 per square foot plus triple net during her five years at The Mercer. Next door at 7700 Central, residential leasing agent Sarah Delmoral said she was sad to see Cellar 46 leave because it gave their residents a place to go. She said 7700 has three steady tenants, Six Walls — an interior design shop, HSBC bank and Mo’s Pizza. She said they do have three vacant comRyan Allison, mercial spaces in Cellar 46 the building. The commercial space at 7700 Central is managed by Wallace Properties of Bellevue, as is Island Square. Monica Wallace of Wallace Properties said the spaces at 7700 Central are available at $30 per square foot plus triple net. There are no vacancies in Island Square, she said. Asking rents were anywhere from in the high $20 per square foot to low $30 per square foot range at Island Square, Wallace said. Island Square has seen turnover as well in its commercial space
“Mercer Island is a tricky (business) environment.”
RENTS | PAGE 4
Islander Bruce Bassett never set out to be mayor. Bassett, elected by the Council on Jan. 3, is the 16th mayor in the 51 years since the Island incorporated as a city. Bassett, 50, who moved with his wife Nan and two children to the Island in 2003, came here because of the schools, he said. After running his own business for 10 years, he wanted to give back, he said. He joined in community activities to give voice to some of his “left-leaning” tendencies, he joked. “But I also wanted to set an example for my children.” Both he and his wife quickly immersed themselves in volunteer activities. Between the two of them, they have been involved in environmental and arts organizations here. Bassett was elected to the city council in 2007. He ran unopposed last fall for reelection.
MAYOR | PAGE 2
The Mercer Island High School wrestling team continues to work hard this season. See Sports on page 10 for details.