This is my personal ask on behalf of the city of Mercer Island, its people and the people of the Eastside region.

City of Mercer Island,

Please schedule and hold the following public forums and dedicate the next few City Council meetings to the following issues: (invite our local representatives to all of these meetings when dates are determined, and Sound Transit Board members. Post invitations and a schedule with times in the Mercer Island Reporter and the Seattle Times):

1. Safety: The city of Mercer Island and its citizens would like a comprehensive learning session/meeting with our chief of fire and police, area 911 dispatch executive directors, Sound Transit representatives, our state representatives from the Island: Reps. Judy Clibborn, Tana Senn and Sen. Lisa Wellman; and our City Council members present with our city manager and staff.

We need a clear understanding of how 911 calls will be handled come June 1, if lane closures occur on I-90, key Mercer Island ramps are closed and the narrowing and elimination of proper shoulders is executed on I-90. We need to know that our leadership stands behind these decisions and we need to know the solutions to the issue of our safety. We also need to know why the Island still has no paramedic and our rights to proper Advanced Life Support (ALS) coverage.

2. Access: The city of Mercer Island and its citizens would like a comprehensive learning session/meeting with our city manager, Sound Transit representatives, our state representatives from the Isalnd and our City Council to explain what will be closed and when. We need to understand what mitigation is being offered. Are entrance and exit ramps going to be replaced by Sound Transit as was promised earlier? Is Park and Ride capacity going to be addressed and bus service around the Island? What about the bus depot/turn-around? What about the train station design?

Why no nice mitigation video like Bellevue has (www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SGj9H4-6dk)?

Is it that Mercer Island is truly receiving little to no mitigation? If so, we the people need to know and we need to make plans if Mercer Island is going to be unlivable come June 1.

3. Schools and businesses: We need our School Board, PTA presidents, teachers, Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce and all other organizations in an open session meeting with our City Council, city manager and state representatives and citizens.

We need to take a poll and see how many teachers and employees are thinking of leaving. We need to ask Farmers Insurance, and the local businesses for impacts. We need to plan for what is likely the future. A decrease in those who want to commute to the Island for work. Should we not ask and prepare for what this might look like? Certainly our schools and businesses deserve to be addressed by our leadership and our citizens need to know too.

Elizabeth Buckley

Mercer Island