News briefs | Consultant hired to study parking
Published 10:22 am Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Consultant hired to study parking
The city has hired a consultant, Ben Pariser, to come up with a list of commuter parking options on the Island, after the proposal to build a lot near the community center generated opposition among residents.
The consultant’s report will be discussed by the Council at its planning session on Jan. 23. The city will then hold an open house in late January or early February.
Councilmember Benson Wong said the parking problem intersects with the Town Center visioning process and other city issues.
“There’s a lot going on, and a lot of it is related,” he said.
Pariser, an Island resident, has worked with the city before on parking and transit-oriented development projects. This contract, for up to $10,000, involves looking at all potential sites within walking distance from the current park and ride, said communications manager Ross Freeman.
Pariser is also on the board of directors for the Mercer Island Center for the Arts.
‘Replacement service’ for 2014 Metro bus cuts
Metro bus service was severely cut on the Island at the end of September 2014, when approximately 75 percent of routes were modified or deleted. Over the last few months, the city has been working with King County Metro on alternatives to mitigate for service lost on routes 202 and 205.
A few concepts to buy back certain limited services, such as by using circulator vans, smaller buses, on-demand vehicles and other means, have been developed using feedback from a rider survey that generated more than 600 responses. This helped inform Council where and when reduced replacement service is needed most.
Commuter feedback is needed on a fixed-schedule commuter shuttle option. Take the 202/205 survey by going to the city website or https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6Z37XK3.
YTN gets a hand from planning commission
On Nov. 19, the planning commission recommended approval of a code amendment to allow youth stage theaters as accessory uses to places of worship.
The proposed amendment was initiated by city staff after Youth Theater Northwest (YTN) had to vacate its former location to make way for the new elementary school. YTN re-located to Emmanuel Episcopal Church at 4400 86th Ave. S.E.
Stage theater programs are defined as productions of live presentations involving the performances of actors or actresses, singers, dancers, musical groups, or artists. Stage theater programs also include related classes and instructional workshops.
Adequate parking must be provided by the place of worship for these types of programs and performances.
Millions needed to upgrade county radio network
King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed last month to replace the region’s aging emergency radio network.
Mercer Island Police Commander Dave Jokinen said that the radio network is the “backbone” for police and fire communication across the county.
“It’s the network we use to communicate every day, between us and dispatch,” Jokinen said, noting that Mercer Island is one of the 11 cities that have requested replacement of the network, which is 20 years old.
The new Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network (PSERN) would replace radios used by first responders to communicate during crises and upgrade equipment in King County’s 911 dispatch centers. Eleven cities and their public safety partners have requested that King County replace the existing network.
The proposal requires approval by the Metropolitan King County Council, and would ask voters to approve lifting the lid of an existing property-tax to generate $273 million.
The King County Council will set dates for public hearings on the proposal.
Learn more about the Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network at: www.psern.org.
