Mercer Island City Hall is closed until further notice after disturbed tiles and materials containing asbestos were discovered in the boiler room, according to a city social media post on the evening of April 17.

The temporary closure is a necessary precaution to ensure the safety of staff and visitors, the post reads, adding that the boiler room contains air-handling equipment.

“City staff are working with environmental safety experts to facilitate remediation and determine when a reopening can be scheduled,” the city noted.

Police and Public Works responses will continue as usual and most city services will operate virtually or from alternate facilities for the time being. Because of the closure, the April 18 hybrid city council meeting — which was scheduled to occur in the city hall council chambers — was canceled, and all municipal court hearings on that day’s docket will be rescheduled.

City hall, the court and the police department are all located on the city campus at 9611 SE 36th St.

Also, the April 22 National Drug Take Back Day was canceled at Mercer Island City Hall, but drug collection events still occurred at the following neighboring staffed venues: Bellevue Police Department (main city hall location as well as the police substations in Factoria and Crossroads); University of Washington Police Department; Seattle Police Department (various precinct locations) and the Snoqualmie Fire Station.

Residents who need assistance accessing services or have questions about the closure can contact the city’s customer service team at customerservice@mercerisland.gov or (206) 275-7600.

In place of the city council’s mid-year planning session scheduled for April 25, council will hold a special hybrid meeting at 1 p.m. on that day to address the agenda items from the canceled April 18 meeting. Meeting attendees will participate remotely via Zoom, and residents wishing to attend or speak in person during appearances may do so at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center at 8236 SE 24th St.

This story will be updated when additional information is available.