As supporters of the arts, we are happy to support Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA), but not in Mercerdale Park, the proposed site. Our objections to this site are based on two considerations.

The first is practical. That site, adjacent to the downtown area, will only exacerbate the traffic.

That increased traffic has already led to a lowering of the standards for traffic flow and has obliterated much public parking space. Further development will only make this worse. Additionally, the proposed code rewrite now being considered by the City Council will require even less off-street parking.

Our second objection is the taking of our precious parkland for exclusive use by special groups.

Previous attempts to take portions of parks for those exclusive uses, including proposals to convert part of Pioneer Park into a golf course or a cemetery, were fortunately both rejected by popular vote.

So it should be with the proposal to take part of Mercerdale Park for MICA, which should also be subject to a popular vote.

Rather, that space should be preserved for environmentally friendly uses, such as planting more trees, developing pea gardens or as an educational arboretum to absorb toxic emissions from automobiles.

Let the voters decide whether to have MICA in Mercerdale Park; the parklands initiative is not opposed to MICA, but to its proposed location.

Linda and George Ojemann

Mercer Island