I-90 Closures Start Today

A reminder that today I-90 closures start, funneling all Westbound drivers into the Express Lanes. Several on/off ramps will also be closed for a couple of weeks.

According to the handy WSDOT “What’s Happening Now” page, commuting from I-405 to Rainier Ave is taking about 31 minutes. Or check the traffic map, which tells the story:

Bike commuting is a good option, so is changing your hours. Anyone brave rush hour today and got stories to tell of it? I’ll also be posting photos as I get them.

Where to Get Fireworks on Mercer Island

As we learned last year, you can’t watch the Bellevue fireworks from Luther Burbank Park.  But you can buy fireworks and set them off on the Island.

The Kiwanis are selling fireworks just north of Mercerdale Park:

Then if you’re really serious, there’s Boom City, up on I-5 at Exit 200.

And here’s last year’s post, Where to watch the Fireworks on Mercer Island.

We’ll be back East at a wedding for the 4th. Please don’t burn the place down while we’re gone. And don’t throw a lit Roman Candle at a raccoon (thanks to the Seattle Times for the sage advice).

Steamboats of Lake Washington

It’s been a while since we had a history post. But recently I came across an article on the steamboats of Lake Washington that brought up the subject, together with a couple of unanswered questions.

To set the stage here’s a photo of a steamboat. Strangely, searching Flickr for photos of working steamboats doesn’t work well. Technology epoch mismatch, I suspect. But the Smithsonian delivers:

A while back we examined the disasters of the Ferry Dawn, a plucky ferry that served Mercer Islanders going to and from Leschi.  The Ferry Dawn was once hit by a seaplane and twice sank, the second time apparently the last time as Dawn still sits submerged off the coast of Mercer Island.

These steamboats started in the 1870s, predating the Dawn. Per Wikipedia:

• “Atlanta left Leschi Park six times daily for points around Mercer Island.”
• “Cyrene left Leschi Park eleven times daily for East Seattle and points on the west side of Mercer Island.”

Which points would it go to, back in the 1800’s? Well, certainly the C.C. Calkins Hotel, a fancy hotel that burned to the ground in 1908 (there’s a photo in the South Island QFC.) But where else? For a guide we can refer to a map showing the age of Mercer Island homes, and then speculate wildly:

• “Points on the west side of Mercer Island” must have certainly included some areas in Mercerdale, the oldest area on Mercer Island.
• To some older homes on the east side of Mercer Island, nearest Bellevue?
• Hunting and fishing resorts or grounds on the south side of the Island, perhaps– we know this was a popular hunting spot.

Any other thoughts? Anyone got an old photo of a Lake Washington steamboat? Any old stories?

Boys and Girls Club PEAK Project Breaks Ground

This morning at 10 am, the Mercer Island Boys and Girls club broke ground on a new facility at the Mercer Island High School campus.

From the official press release:
More than 150 Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club youth, community leaders, Mercer Island city council members and school district officials were on hand to mark the next step forward for the organization.

I wasn’t there, I was at work, but the Club sent me these photos. Here, Blair Rasmussen (left) welcomes the crowd and Milt Reimers (right) reflects on the journey to get to the groundbreaking.

Also from the press release: The groundbreaking comes at the end of a four-year capital campaign and is preceded by a multi-year dialogue with the local school board, city council and the community at large, led by current and past leaders of the organization. In a time of operational budget deficits for many, this project is an example of a community working together to develop a comprehensive hub for youth services.

As we’ve noted before, Mercer Island pulls together nicely (though I wouldn’t expect those guys in suits to do much serious construction beyond today.)

And finally, for the curious, what the project should look like when it’s complete, from the Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club website.

Two Clutch Saves for Mercer Island Education

Budgets are being cut deeply all around Puget Sound as the state deals with a $9 billion budget shortfall. Education hasn’t been spared, from the UW to massive layoffs at school districts like Seattle and Bellevue.

We just got the latest update from the Mercer Island School District in the mail, which warned of similar bone-exposing cuts. The MISD estimated that about $2.4 million was cut from its 2009/2010 budget. According to the June flier, this means:

• Up to 11 teachers cut
• Class sizes increase to 26 in elementary school and up to 35 in high school
• Staff and administrative positions will be cut

Pretty bad news for any school district. Extremely disheartening in a district where people typically pay higher home prices for a good school district. But a couple of saves have softened the blow:

First, the Reporter says up to 5 positions will be saved by the money raised by the Mercer Island Schools Foundation breakfast. When Ken Glass alerted us to this event back in February, I thought it would be pancake-focused affair. Little did I know it would end up plugging a giant hole in the schools budget- $430,000 of the hole, to be exact. Nice work Ken and others from the MISF!

And with a little help from the federal stimulus, another $400k gets saved in this school year. So after the saves, the budget reduction is about $1.6 million, which isn’t great but sure is better than $2.4 million.

There will still be budget reductions. Professional development for faculty and staff, music programs, and certain clubs and after-school activities will be hit. Which leads us to the next save…

Youth Theater Northwest, a 25-year old Mercer Island institution that gives kids a chance to learn about theater (and a frequent contributor to the Mercer Island Bulletin Board), has also been rocked by the recession. Manuel Cawaling, Executive Director of Youth Theater Northwest, wrote about the situation and the save in pnwlocalnews.

Last winter, the economic recession and a resulting decline in revenues threatened to end our legacy as the theater came very close to the brink of closure. In response, the theater launched a “Save YTN” campaign and the immediate support of many emergency donors kept our theater doors open through spring. After a momentous vote in the chambers of Mercer Island City Hall, our legacy has been secured for the future. On Monday, June 15, the City Council approved a historic allocation of $37,000 to the Theatre’s Emergency Appeal. This is not only a cause for celebration among our young students and their families, but a victory for the entire community.

With that vote and contribution, Youth Theater Northwest’s Emergency Appeal is over. And now if the theater program gets cut by the MISD along with music,  those kids can head across town and still get the chance for all that exploration and enrichment that happen after normal class hours.

When people ask me why I like Mercer Island, before I talk about the schools, or quiet, or the fast commute (or Bennett’s, the best-kept secret on Mercer Island), I tell them about the community. Not to get too mushy, but I’m a bit knocked over by the neighborliness and willingness to jump in and help out in this town. Recession sucks. But recession with good neighbors sucks less.

Mercer Island Farmers’ Market 2009 Opening

Today is the first day of the season for the Mercer Island Farmers’ Market. Lots more vendors this year, and good ones:

More cheese,

And breads,

And still lots of vegetables and flowers.

Apparently it’s going to be a good year for the cherry crop:

There’s more food to eat right there, like crepes, soups, cupcakes, cider, as well as the pizza and ice cream that were there last year.

And there’s music.

The market even stretches around the corner with some more booths, one with master gardeners who will tell you what to do if you have some #!$%!! weeds like we do.

Welcome back, Farmer’s Market. It’s on til 3 today (11 to 3 pm Sundays til Oct 10) so you’ve still got time to get over there.

Tribute to the I-90 Bridge on its 69th (and Warnings)

The tribute is not mine, in this case. I’ve written about out the good old bridge plenty. But Dusty Moments wrote a nice tribute, complete with a photo full of atmosphere, on the occasion of the original bridge’s opening in 1940.

Photo by Dan Williams, Dusty Moments blog.

And the warnings are more like reminders, of closures that affect our bridge to the rest of the world:

• This weekend, the 520 bridge will be closed from 11 pm Friday night to 5 am Monday morning. Expect higher-than-normal traffic on I-90.
• Starting July 5, the Westbound lanes will be closed for 3 weeks. All Westbound traffic will go into the Express lanes. Expect longer delays than during the May closures, since more lanes will be closed.

Art Show at the CCMV

Expressions in Art is a show at the Mercer Island Community Center til June 26th. Some very nice painitngs. All are for sale.

The show is sponsored by Seattle Co-Arts, a group that’s been around since 1949 to “encourage community interest in the arts.” It’s a nice show and definitely worth stopping by.

Open all hours the CCMV is open.

Time to Summer

Folks, there is a lot going on around here. Get your calenders out, Mercer Island. It’s time to “summer.”

Unusual Garage Sales

Notice Earthcorps lurking to the left, plotting good works for the summer.

This first garage sale is out of the ordinary because it’s the whole Island. Theoretically, at least. It’s at the MICC the Saturday.

And this garage sale is not ordinary because it’s cryptic message seems to be targeted to reach some character in The DaVinci Code. I can only guess that this sign does advertise a garage sale, perhaps at 4123 94th Ave, but you’ll have to break the code to figure out when.

Get Your Fish On

Affordable Seattle writes of a fishing workshop on Mercer Island from 1 to 3 pm on June 20. Crosscut noted last week that Lake Washington around Mercer Island is actually underfished, so get out there and catch some.

Into the Woods

At Youth Theater Northwest, til Saturday.

More Delicious Things

CultureMob alerts us to a Cheese Tasting at Bennett’s on June 24th. It’s a Cheese 101 highlighting Beecher’s cheeses, which Bennett’s uses to great effect in several dishes including their killer tomato soup. $50 (the class, not the soup) at 6:30 pm.

And in only-tangentially-related food news, a fun note: Starbucks’ new CIO worked a day at the Mercer Island ‘Bucks in November (North Island). Anyone notice or recognize him?

And finally, it’s June: the month where the Mercer Island Farmers Market finally re-opens. For those of you who have been jealously gazing at various farmers’ markets from Capitol Hill to Bellevue, like I have, our late bloomer will be here next weekend.

Photos from the Seattle Brain Cancer Walk on Mercer Island

These photos are from last weekend’s Seattle Brain Cancer Walk at the Mercer Island High School. Looks like a great crowd, and it was a beautiful day:

This is the 2nd year of the Seattle Brain Cancer walk, and both years it’s been here. A lot of Islanders participate and it’s a great event to have here.

I know, I know, these photos are over a week old. I’ve been a bit of a blogging slacker lately. Mercer Island deserves a more dedicated blogger, but unfortunately since Richard Sprague is moving to China, Surrounded by Water is all there is for now. (Good luck Richard, you’ll be missed!) Hopefully someone with a regular schedule and a good camera will show up to give me some competition, or Richard will come back. Til then I promise to provide sporadic and sometimes slightly-out-of-date news on the Island.