Daniel “Jake” Jacobson brought people together and was selflessly dedicated to the Mercer Island community, according to Mayor Salim Nice and city councilmember Lisa Anderl.
About seven months after the Mercer Island City Councilmember passed away, the council approved a resolution to name the Luther Burbank Park sports courts as the “Jake Jacobson Pickleball Courts” in his memory.
At council’s Oct. 7 regular meeting, Nice said that Jacobson cared a lot about the courts and gave input to the engineers as they were renovating the pickleball site.
Added Anderl about the tribute to Jacobson: “I loved Jake so much, he was a colleague and a friend. He never wanted any public accolades, he never wanted anything except that the community be made better.”
Nice noted that Jacobson’s community involvement included working with the Mercer Island Community Fund to restore the Christmas tree lighting and “he had given generously just from his own pocket to jumpstart community events that had been canceled in the wake of Prop. 1 in 2018.”
According to a city document, an estimated cost of $3,000 — which will come from the city’s Capital Improvement Fund — will go toward designing, fabricating and installing the sign along with replacing existing signs.
A timeline for work on the dedication sign, which will also feature information about Jacobson and his legacy, will be announced later.
Mercer Island Community Fund members (bottom row, left to right) Barbara Potashnick, president Jackie Brown and Kristin Sugamele are joined by city council members Deputy Mayor David Rosenbaum, Mayor Salim Nice, Craig Reynolds, Ted Weinberg, Lisa Anderl and Daniel Becker. Photo courtesy of the city of Mercer Island
MERCER ISLAND COMMUNITY FUND RECOGNITION
Kicking off the Oct. 7 meeting, council approved a resolution recognizing the Mercer Island Community Fund’s contributions to the Mercer Island Recreation Division and the city itself.
Recreation Supervisor Katie Herzog led the way by speaking about how the 36-year-old fund’s dedication has enriched Island residents’ lives and “made it possible for so many of the programs and events we know and love to thrive.” The fund has done this by providing hundreds of grants to support local nonprofits, cultural initiatives and community events, Herzog added.
Events include Mostly Music in the Park, Summer Celebration, Shakespeare in the Park, Illuminate MI, Leap for Green, Community Coffee and more.
“Funded entirely by donations from individuals, families and local businesses, the community fund exemplifies the power of community generosity,” said Herzog, noting that, “In the past five years alone, the community fund has contributed over $50,000 to recreation events. That level of commitment speaks to the deep belief in community and stewardship — values that align closely with those of our city.”
PROCLAMATIONS
As part of its consent agenda at the Oct. 7 meeting, council adopted the following city proclamations: Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Arbor Day (fourth Saturday in October) and Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Oct. 13).
