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Mercer Island www.mi-reporter.com
Serving thethe Mercer Island Community Serving Mercer Island communitySince since1947 1947
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12,20, 2014 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2013| |75¢ 75¢
Church sold to neighbors
In the red forest
MI | THIS WEEK All Island blood drive at High School Blood is needed to save lives in our community. All who are able are asked to give blood between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. (with a break between 10:30 and 11:15 a.m) in the West gym on Friday, Nov. 14, at Mercer Island High School. Make sure to check in at the main entrance to the school.
First Church of Christ, Scientist pleased to sell to Shevet Achim Reporter Staff
Noel Treat, Mercer Island’s City Manager, will speak about the future of the Island at the general meeting of the Mercer Island Historical Society at 1 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. All are invited to attend.
Cercle Francophone The Mercer Island Sister City Association will sponsor an informal French Conversation evening between 7 and 9 p.m., Nov. 18. Contact Beth Brennan at 232-7650 or Monica Howell 232-2983 for directions.
Consultant praises staff, but system needs work By Katie Metzger
kmetzger@mi-reporter.com
On Nov. 3, city officials heard from a water utility consultant hired to find the source or potential causes of the contamination of the city’s water supply last month. Melinda Friedman, founder and president of Confluence Engineering Group, presented a review of water system data to assess the E. coli and Total Coliform events that forced restaurants to close and residents to boil their water for weeks. She said the contamination appears to be a “transitory event” and could not pinpoint a root
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Friedman explained that there are three factors that lead to bacteria issues: a pathway, a pathogen and a driving force. There are four pathways by which “bugs get into the system,” she said, which are the water cause, but did identify risks and source or point of entry, distribuvulnerabilities in the Island’s tion system itself, sampling procewater system. dure and purposeNo problems ful contamination. were detected The first thought with water treatwas to look at the ment by Seattle city’s reservoirs, as Public Utilities all city water pass(SPU), sampling es through them, methods, storage though those were facilities, main found to be clean by installations and maintenance crews repairs or leaking and a special dive water mains. Melinda Friedman team. Confluence Engineering “Your staff is Friedman said very knowledgethat because subseable and dedicated quent sampling was overseen by to protecting public health,” she SPU and because positive results said. “Where they exist, shortcom- occurred with different samplers, ings are due to lack of resources it seems unlikely that the cause and funding relative to demands was sample collection or site of managing an aging distribution system.” WATER | PAGE 6
“Shortcomings are due to lack of resources and funding (to manage) an aging system.”
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SALE | PAGE 9
REPORTER
City Manager at Historical Society
‘Vulnerable’ water system needs repair
Mercer Island
The annual MIVAL Holiday Art Show, presenting more than 30 local artists of all mediums is open now through Dec. 19, at the Mercer Island Community and Events Center. The opening reception is set for 6 p.m., Nov. 13 at the Community and Event Center. For more information, visit www.mival.org.
Mary L. Grady / Staff Photo
Katie Chen, 8, was shopping for ski gear with her family at the 30th annual IMS Ski Swap, held last Saturday at Islander Middle School.
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Holiday art show
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The Mercer Island League of Women Voters will meet at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 13 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church at 4400 86th Ave. S.E. All are welcome to attend.
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League of Women Voters to meet
On Nov. 7, two Mercer Island faith communities announced the completion of a transaction that will maintain one of Mercer Island’s most prominent churches as a house of worship. First Church of Christ, Scientist, Mercer Island announced the sale of its church property to the Jewish congregation Shevet Achim for $4.5 million. The sale includes the 10,500-square-foot mid-century-designed church building and approximately three acres of parking and wooded grounds. The property is just west of Island Crest Way at S.E. 47th Street. For the past 20 years, the Shevet Achim congregation has been
8015 SE 28th St #310 Mercer Island 98040 www.lakewapc.com Robert Goode, MD 206-898-2416