Mercer Island Reporter, April 01, 2015

Page 1

REPORTER

Mercer Island www.mi-reporter.com

WEDNESDAY, 2015 WEDNESDAY, APRIL MARCH1,20, 2013| |75¢ 75¢

Teachers push back on new programs

First light

Chamber lunch to focus on Town Center changes The April Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce luncheon will focus on the work by the city and citizen groups to design a Town Center for the future. Members and guests are invited to have their say at noon, April 2, at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. RSVP at 232-3404.

Teacher’s union says pay among parapros too low, and administrators agree

Egg hunts are Saturday at Mercerdale Park

Meg Lippert and her daughter Jocelyn will share the sounds and images of the flourishing arts scene in Cuba based on their two visits to the Island nation—this year, and in 2003. Event is at 7 p.m. Monday, April 6 at the Mercer Island Library.

life Have the ! you want

By Katie Metzger

kmetzger@mi-reporter.com

Mercer Island’s E. coli scare will cost more than $1.1 million by the end of 2015, according to an update given to the City Council at its meeting on March 30. Many residents, who will cover most of the cost of the event ($247,750 in 2014 and $885,000 in 2015) via a utility rate increase, have been wondering when the city will be able to reduce the amount of chlorine in the water. The state Department of Health recommended boosting chlorine to reduce risk of contamination.

“Not until we have taken care of the areas of ongoing concern ... such as replacing old plumbing in the vaults in the system and updating the cross connection control program,” said Glenn Boettcher, city maintenance director. Mercer Island is also continuing other DOH-recommended programs, including expanded water quality monitoring. New sampling stations will be installed in July. Sampling results, with rare exceptions, are meeting or exceeding the goal of 1.0 mg/L of chlorine, Boettcher said. “The level is moderately higher in some locations, but about the same in many other locations,” he said. “The biggest difference is that we’re maintaining a consistent level throughout the system.” The extensive monitoring is

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City to pay more than $1 million to address E. coli contamination

TEACHERS | PAGE 9

Mercer Island

Efforts to protect and monitor water pay off

necessary because no root cause of last fall’s event was discovered, and removing possible pathways for contamination won’t be completed for some time. The city hired Confluence as an outside consultant to better understand chlorine conditions, assess at what rate the “biofilm” on the interior walls of pipes consumes chlorine and help water crews evaluate the effectiveness of various flushing and main-cleaning strategies. It isn’t clear whether some of the more expensive measures that were discussed after the contamination event—chlorine mixers in the storage tanks and automated flushing stations at various locations—will be necessary. The city experienced issues with its emergency communications system during the incident. Several action items, including new alert notification system, a dedicated Emergency Operation Center and a new Emergency Response Team, will be completed by Sept. 1, 2015.

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The sounds and arts of Cuba on Monday

Matt Brashears / Special to the Reporter

Runners and race volunteers take a moment to admire the sunrise just before the start of the Mercer Island Half events on Sunday, March 22.

A study session between the Mercer Island Education Association (the teacher’s union) and the School Board nearly turned into a public bargaining session at the regular board meeting Thursday, March 27, shortly after the two entities discussed the introduction of world languages at the elementary level. MIEA members expressed concerns with adding yet another

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The city will hold its annual egg hunts at Mercerdale Park this Saturday, April 4—don’t be late! The first event is at 5 p.m. and is for the youngest children; between 1 and 6 years old. A separate section will be reserved for the 1 to 3 year old hunters, and parents are only allowed to assist those children. The Flashlight Egg Hunt for children between ages 7 and 10 begins at 8:30 p.m. sharp. No parents are allowed on the field. Bring your flashlight and a basket to haul off your loot, and find the golden egg for a special surprise. The event is sponsored by Windermere Real Estate. No registration required. A $5 donation is requested.

By Joseph Livarchik

jlivarchik@mi-reporter.com

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