In a casual review of the Mercer Island Center for the Arts 2015 annual report I received in my mailbox last week, my first impression was the building was up and running. The pictures seemed to confirm my impression.

However, in taking a closer look, I realized this was the proposed MICA building that the Mercer Island City Council was currently negotiating with, concerning the land south of the Farmers Insurance Company commonly referred to as the recycling center. The actual recycling center has a very small footprint and much more land is needed to be able to build a $25 million building on that site.

In the report, the backside of the cover page under the title “facility” contains information about the cost of the building ($25 million) and the financial commitments the city must agree with. What I did not find was any mention of the operating cost the $25 million MICA will occur on an ongoing basis.

Resident users were listed, but with all due respect and using financial considerations only, will this group be able to support the ongoing operations cost of a $25 million building?

So who is responsible if MICA is not able to meet its monthly, quarterly and annual expenses? Do the citizens of Mercer Island incur any liability and if so how much? I think the answers to these questions are vital to every taxpaying citizen of Mercer Island and should be answered by the Mercer Island City Council in a way that is transparent and easily accessible by everyone, not just those citizens who are able to attend City Council meetings. The city has a website and should use it for situations such as this.

Jackie Dunbar

Mercer Island