Click here to help Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department save a number of recreation and special events programs, including Adventure Playground, Community Campout, the April egg hunts, and the Fun Mobile.

Sept 11, 2013 | Vol. 8 | No. 37

City Councilmember Tana Senn Fills Vacated 41st District Seat

Tana Senn at the swearing in

Mercer Island City Councilmember Tana Senn was sworn in yesterday at the King County Courthouse as the newest State Representative, following a unanimous vote by the King County Council approving her nomination by the 41st Legislative District Democrats. Senn fills the position recently vacated by Marcie Maxwell who resigned to become Governor Jay Inslee's Senior Education Policy Advisor, and will hold the position until November 2014.

Senn will continue to serve on the Mercer Island City Council and as the Council's representative to the Sound Cities Association, a coalition of locally elected leaders collaborating to create regional solutions. "I thoroughly enjoy local government and seeing the immediate impact you can have," Senn explained, in a press release referencing her role on the Mercer Island City Council. "However, there are things you cannot do at the local level like pass a statewide transportation budget, fully fund education and require background checks for all gun purchases." Senn and her husband Kevin have two children attending Mercer Island public schools.

Mercer Island Goes Green

Prepare Your House for Winter Temperatures

Simple insulation techniques; click for more info

With cool weather around the corner, September's a great time to complete your remaining summer home-improvement projects. Heating your house can account for up to 50 percent of your energy bill, so replacing an inefficient furnace, in addition to sealing airleaks, and insulating properly, can increase comfort and save you money each winter. Local utility Puget Sound Energy (PSE) offers a variety of rebates for high-efficiency heating systems, and insulation installation, that will help you shrink your carbon footprint. Learn more here, or watch this introductory video.

New Luther Burbank Playground Ribbon-Cutting Announced

Part of the new playground

The wait is over: after several months of extensive remodeling work that began back in May, the new Luther Burbank Playground is open for play. Workers are still on-site doing some final adjustments; benches and picnic tables will arrive in early October. The Mercer Island Lion's Club is also contributing a volunteer planting project. Residents will notice many new features, including a zipline and wheelchair-accessible play structures.

On October 10, at 4:00pm, MI Parks and Recreation will hold the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring speakers, key supporters, Councilmembers, and the Mayor. All are invited to attend, enjoy light snacks, and tour the playground; click here to see the invitation and join the guest list.

Volunteer Spotlight

Search and Rescue Volunteer Joel Ohringer

Search and Rescue volunteer Joel Ohringer and some team members

Mercer Island's citizen Search and Rescue Team led by volunteer Joel Ohringer for over two years has been doing great work, according to City Emergency Preparedness Officer Jennifer Franklin. Joel and his team leads Andrea Pirzio-Biroli and Joe Grojean "put on monthly team trainings that have been truly outstanding." A recent example was August's highly informative water rescue training with Mercer Island's Marine Patrol. Thank you Joel!

For more information on emergency preparedness, to volunteer, or to join a class visit the City's website.

CTC Film Helps Youth Understand Impact of Legal Marijuana

Click for movie

The Mercer Island Communities That Care Coalition (CTC) has produced a short film to educate youth about marijuana legalization and what it means for them. The movie, available here, stars many local youth actors as well as the Youth and Family Services (YFS) High School-based Drug and Alcohol Counselor, Chris Harnish.

The 15-minute film features interviews with many local experts including the Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Children's Hospital, drug interdiction and treatment professionals, and the author of Initiative 502 that legalized recreational marijuana and marijuana-infused edibles for adults over 21.

Along with Colorado, Washington is the first place in the world where recreational marijuana will be both legal and commercialized. "As this social experiment unfolds, CTC will work hard to insure Islanders are well-informed and underage use stays in check," says Derek Franklin, CTC Project Director.

Marijuana can be particularly damaging to youth who use the drug early and often. CTC encourages all residents to watch the film and click here for additional science-based information on marijuana. "We hope parents and kids understand the risk of using today's stronger marijuana and how it can permanently damage developing brains," says YFS Director Cynthia Goodwin.

For additional information about drug prevention efforts on Mercer Island, email or call Derek Franklin, CTC Project Director at (206) 275-7745.

For questions and comments on the MI Weekly, contact
Sustainability & Communications Manager Ross Freeman at

ross.freeman@mercergov.org or 206.275.7662.