The City of Mercer Island has officially launched a “Dine Local” campaign to encourage community support of restaurants impacted financially by the recent ‘boil water’ advisory, which ended on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Through advertising, social media, and word-of-mouth, the City and the Chamber of Commerce are asking residents to undertake five measures in support of their favorite eateries. More information is available at www.mercergov.org/dinelocal.
These suggestions are as follows:
1) Dine Out and Take a Friend
2) Buy Gift Certificates
3) Tips Your Waitstaff Well
4) Try a New Restaurant and Write a Review
5) Spread the Word & Organize a “Dine Out Day”
“Community support is critical after so many days of closure. It takes a village to recover from an incident like this, and without any prospect of help from our insurance company, we are especially grateful for the efforts of the City and Chamber to promote dining out on the Island. We thank our loyal customers and truly appreciate everyone’s help in rebuilding,” said local Subway Restaurant owner Rebecca Wilson.
In addition to these actions, the city continues to provide assistance for small business owners wishing to explore low-interest emergency loans. Once five letters of interest have been filed, the program can be launched officially and swiftly via King County’s Office of Emergency Management.
“We know that retailers suffered during this incident, and we are all eager to see life return back to normal. It’s always important for residents to support local businesses, especially now as our restaurants rebuild their finances,” said Mayor Bruce Bassett.
In other news, ongoing water-sample test results continued to return all clear through the weekend; this brings the total number of samples now collected to almost 200 since the second ‘boil water’ advisory was imposed on Oct. 2.
The city is receiving expert review from water system specialists Confluence Engineering Group to assist with investigations into the original cause of the contamination.
On average, ‘boil water’ alerts occur several times per year in larger water systems across Washington State.
While additional chlorination is underway, some Island residents may notice a slight chlorine smell in their domestic water supply. These chlorine levels are comparable to many other municipal systems, and indicate disinfected water has indeed reached the house. This effect is not harmful to humans or pets, and if left to stand in a pitcher, water will lose the smell.
If residents have any further questions about the end of the ‘boil water’ advisory and ongoing investigations, visit the City’s website at www.mercergov.org.
