Mercer Island Reporter, January 18, 2012

Page 1

REPORTER

Mercer Island www.mi-reporter.com

MI | THIS WEEK

Serving the Mercer Island community since 1947

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012 | 75¢

A second Walmart slated for Bellevue

Traffic crunch starts earlier

City Council applications due Applications for the City Council’s vacant seat are due by 5 p.m., Jan. 18, to the city clerk. See more information on page 3.

Upcoming MISD board meetings The Mercer Island School District Board of Directors will be holding several meetings in the next week. The board will host its annual retreat at PEAK on Jan. 19 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The board will also have its second regular monthly meeting on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Administration Building. Both meetings are open to the public.

MIVAL exhibit The Mercer Island Visual Arts League is offering a new exhibit of artwork titled “New Resolutions” at the MIVAL Gallery. The exhibit will be on display until the end of January. The event features 20 local artists with a wide range of mediums. The Gallery is open from noon to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Learn more at www.mival.org.

Performing arts weekend series at JCC Each Sunday through March, teens can register for one of the Stroum Jewish Community Center’s performing arts weekend workshops. This Sunday, Jan. 22, will focus on set design. The class runs from 3 to 5 p.m. To learn more, contact Natasha Ransom at 232-7115 ext. 247.

By Nat Levy

nlevy@bellevuereporter.com

Chad Coleman/Staff Photo

Traffic lines the Interstate 90 floating bridge, as seen from Mercer Island, on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Since the implementation of tolling on State Route 520, traffic volumes have increased, with rush hour lasting longer.

Emotions high as MISD Board moves closer to a decision By Linda Ball

lball@mi-reporter.com

Citizens, students and educators packed the Mercer Island School District’s board room on Thursday night, for the latest in an ongoing discussion on what a bond for new schools might look like. Interestingly, when the public input and conversation on facilities was concluded, the room cleared out to just four people, plus the board. Board member Pat Braman quipped that apparently citizens trust them with decisions on how to best educate students, but not the windows in a new school. It’s clear citizens are getting anxious for a clear direction on what will be presented to voters

in April. “I personally believe now is the time for the board to come to a decision,” said parent Lisa Spencer. “One solution needs to be made, then you all can go back to the content of education, not facilities.” However, resident Michael Finn said the process was moving too fast. He stated that the major issue is capacity, which is a known factor with 600 kids in portables and the projected demographic trend for more kids on the Island, but he thought more quantitative support was needed regarding the 21st Century Facilities Planning Committee report. Amanda Clark, who was on the committee, couldn’t disagree

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more with Finn. In another hotly contested piece of the puzzle — whether to rebuild the three elementary schools into three bigger schools on the same site, or build a fourth school on a new, yet to be determined site — Clark said it was her opinion that there is no land available on the Island for a fourth school, and she was bothered by the distraction of looking for a site. “Voters will not want to find a pig in a poke,” Clark said. Also of concern to those who chose to speak publicly, is whether or not to ask voters to consider one bond in April and another next year, or just one big bond in April. Clark and fellow 21st CFPC Toby Suhm support one bond now. Suhm also supported the three elementary schools approach. “There is no land identified or available for a fourth school,” Suhm said. “It doesn’t make sense when the schools are so overcrowded now.”

Walmart has leased its second retail space in Bellevue, this time in Factoria. Just five days after the company announced it will move into the revamped Kelsey Creek Center in east Bellevue, another store was confirmed for south Bellevue. A new Walmart will take over the space formerly occupied by Mervyn’s at the south end of the Market Place mall, aka the Factoria Mall. The spot has been vacant for more than five years. Last week, the company confirmed that it would be the anchor tenant of the newly built Kelsey Creek Center. The two new stores will create approximately 220 jobs, Walmart officials said. “We think our stores can be part

WALMART | PAGE 3

The Mercer Island High School boys basketball team is finding its strength. See Sports on page 12 for details.

SCHOOLS | PAGE 2

PHOTO REPRINTS

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from the Mercer Island w w w. M I - R e p o r t e r. c o m purchase Reporter’s online galleries at

http://gallery.pictopia.com/pnwlocalnews/gallery/97331


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