The Metropolitan King County Council is still weighing options on whether or not to put a sales tax increase on the August primary ballot. The two-tenths of an increase to sales tax, which was proposed by County Executive Dow Constantine last month, would help the county maintain criminal justice and public health programs that otherwise would be facing budget cuts to do shortfalls.
The city is inviting Islanders to discuss land-use options for the former Mercer Island Recycle Center at a public meeting on June 2.
The Mercer Island School District-run center was closed in February due to budget constraints after 34 years of operation. Because the Recycling Center, tucked between Mercerdale Park and the Farmer’s New Life Insurance building downtown, is on city property, it is up to the city to decide what to do with the land.
A natural pet food store is coming to Mercer Island this summer. With a grand opening scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 14, MudBay will be taking over and remodeling the building that previously housed Hollywood Video on 77th Avenue.
Products include natural foods for dogs and cats — brand names such as Natura, Addiction, Nature’s Variety.
The Mercer Island School District’s Bridge the Gap fundraising campaign may earn $200,000 in excess of the $500,000 budget shortfall that it aimed to fill. With record donations raised during April’s Breakfast of Champions fundraiser, the Schools Foundation- and PTA-led initiative has already earned $556,000. A group of “challenge donors” has promised that, if 50 percent of MISD parents participate in the campaign, they will put in an additional $170,000. If this money is collected, the district will be $200,000 beyond its budget shortfall of $500,000.
Prom night is always a busy evening for Mercer Island High School seniors and their families, but this year it was a quiet one for the Safe Rides program.
Safe Rides provides free and confidential rides for youths on Saturday nights on the Island. Coordinator Leanne Reel said the organization gave zero rides and had two phone calls all night.
Water quality returned to safe levels in Meydenbauer Slough following a sewage overflow last week. The spill had limited effect on Meydenbauer Bay and did not harm public beaches.
County officials were able to remove signs warning people to avoid contact with polluted water in the Meydenbauer Slough following a sewage overflow from a pump station in Bellevue.
With May 18 being the 30th anniversary of Mount St. Helens’ big eruption, the Washington State Archives is featuring an exhibit on what the mountain and Spirit Lake looked like before St. Helens literally blew its top on that fateful Sunday morning in 1980.
The free exhibit is in the front lobby of the State Archives Building (1129 Washington St. S.E.) on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.
An urban fantasy novel, cookbook and unique collection of Chinese proverbs are among the latest collection of books written by Islanders.
A local student at Northwest Yeshiva High School recently won third place in the annual Jacob Friedman Holocaust Writing and Art Contest, sponsored by the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center.
Adira Reback, a freshman in Virginia Hess’ class at the school, won after writing an essay answering the question: “How would your life be different if people were more respectful and tolerant of each other’s differences? How does change begin with you?”
A third doctor has joined the Orthodontic Associates of Mercer Island. Dr. Kara McCulloch partners with Drs. Bill McNeill and Carol Knaup at Orthodontic Associates, located at 2817 80th Ave. S.E. An experienced professional, McCulloch received her doctoral degree in dental medicine from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Subsequently, in private dental practice, McCulloch focused on pediatric dentistry and care of children with special needs, and took specialty training in orthodontics at the University of Washington.
The City Council has approved the annual permit for Mercer Island Kiwanis to sell consumer fireworks from June 28 July 4 this summer in the Rite Aid parking lot. The fire department has reviewed the permit application and recommended approval of the permit.
The Kiwanis sale stops on July 4 at 11 p.m. According to Mercer Island law, it is illegal to use fireworks on any other day besides July 4, within the timeframe of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The real estate market for April reflected lower prices for homes and condos that sold during the month, while the number of sales pending for single family homes appears to have rebounded.
But prices remain significantly lower than in the past several months. Prices for both homes and condos sold on the Island during the month declined significantly from April a year ago. The median price for the 17 single family homes that closed last month was $807,000, down 21 percent from a year ago when just 11 homes sold. Just one condo sold on Mercer Island last month.
Despite the continuation of relatively low interest rates, inventory has fallen. The number of listings is down from 233 last April to 185 for both condos and single family homes; a drop of more than 20 percent. Sellers of single family homes have fared better recently with the number of single home sales pending up from five to 32 for the month. (Pending sales reflect the number of homes that are in the process of being sold, but are not counted as closed or final.) The number of condo sales pending for last month was just two, down from five a year ago. At the same time, the number of condos on the market from a year ago is up by more than 18 percent, from 34 last year to 40 at present.
A marching band for the Island’s annual Summer Celebration is being organized by Islander Bert Pound, who was appointed to the task by the city arts and special events coordinator as he felt that the parade would not be a parade without a marching band. Island musicians who would like to march in the Summer Celebration parade on July 10 should contact Pound. For those musicians who need to borrow an instrument, Pound may be able to assist in finding one. Arrangements for the loan of music, instrumentation and rehearsal locations will be made with Parker Bixby, Mercer Island High School band director, once a marching band has been assembled. Pound can be reached at (206) 232-0762.
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