Mercer Island Reporter, June 24, 2015

Page 1

REPORTER

Mercer Island

www.mi-reporter.com

WEDNESDAY, 24,20, 2015 WEDNESDAY,JUNE MARCH 2013| |75¢ 75¢

Portables to be discarded

Secret visitor

Symphony of Gardens tour is Sunday The second annual “Symphony of Gardens” tour will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, with live orchestral music playing from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Two of the five featured gardens are in Mercer Island. Tickets are $25. For more, call 206-307-7418.

Many in bad shape, double-sizes to be saved By Joseph Livarchik

jlivarchik@mi-reporter.com

French Sister City delegation to visit Island Plan ahead: special guests from Mercer Island’s Sister City of Thonon les Bain, France will visit the Island in July. The Mercer Island Sister City organization is hosting two special events for the group. The community is invited. For more, see page 3 and RSVP soon.

98040 inside Find out what is coming up for Mercer Island Summer Celebration! on July 11 and 12 .

Consensus on Town Center still elusive City seeks input from public and stakeholders to plan for 2035 By Katie Metzger

kmetzger@mi-reporter.com

With the Town Center building moratorium extended for six months and the code revision process prolonged, there will be more opportunities for Islanders to help shape the 20-year plan for the downtown area. The main debates on the City Council and in the community, most revolving around population density and building height, have not been resolved. But there are other factors to consider as the city plans its “2035

Jennie Robbs-Banks Jrobbs@EwingandClark.com 206.422.2949

Kris Robbs

Kris@EwingandClark.com 206.949.8611

Vision.” City staff prompted the Town Center Stakeholders at their last meeting with questions. How do people get around, and where do they “hang out”? What kinds of shops, restaurants, other businesses and housing are in the Town Center? What makes Mercer Island’s Town Center unique (or is it unique)? Also at the last meeting, stakeholders presented their homework assignment: to write a newspaper article published in 2035 describing the character, unique features, amenities and special qualities and activities found downtown. The articles can be found on the city’s website. Some refer to the envisaged ability of the Island to maintain its small town feel. Many mention the

Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA), Farmers Market and light rail station as focal points. One article mentions self-driving cars. All look to the future with commonalities: buildings that are “human-scale” and appealing, streets and sidewalks that are safe and walkable, public spaces that are green and welcoming, retail that is locally-owned and sustainable and parking that is plentiful and accessible. “Twenty years ago the Mercer Island Village was well on the way to looking like Seattle’s South Lake Union area. The newest construction was buildings with flat tops and large dark windows, all lacking human scale and warmth. Rebelling against the probable proliferation of more ‘urban canyons,’ the Mercer Island City Council, together with Island citizens, regained their determination to help develop a healthy and interesting downtown,” wrote Islander Bart Dawson.

PORTABLES | PAGE 4

REPORTER

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9-11 a.m. on Sunday, the Mercer Island Ham Radio Operators (MIRO) are hosting a ham radio Field Day at Luther Burbank Park Rotary Park. Free. Everyone is welcome.

Mercer Island

MIRO Field Day

Owen Blauman/Special to the Reporter

Islander Owen Blauman took this photo along West Mercer Way on his way to work Monday morning, June 15. He said that this is only the second time he has seen a deer in his 30 years on the Island.

STARTING AT $39/YEAR

The Council will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 at the MICEC. Agenda items include forecasts for the General Fund and YFS Fund, a discussion about service levels and updates on the Comprehensive Plan, Town Center engagement and MICA.

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City Council to meet this weekend

In a first reading of the 2016 capital/technology and transportation levies June 11, Mercer Island School District executive Dean Mack addressed to the School Board that most of the single-classroom portables within the school district will be demolished at the end of construction of the new elementary school. “Most of our single-classroom portables, we’ve had for a long time now. Most of them are rotting and need to be torn down, not sold and moved to another school district,” he told the board. “We’re going keep all the double-classroom portables. We have six of them, including the one that we’re just installing now at

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