This Arbor Day, October 21, the City of Mercer Island and Mountains to Sound Greenway are hosting the annual Arbor Day Planting Event. You can join your neighbors to help plant trees and shrubs in Luther Burbank Park along the newly-constructed south shoreline trail. It's a great opportunity to get your hands in the dirt, use or improve that green thumb, and contribute to the Island's parks. No experience is necessary; gloves and tools are provided. Learn more and register your spot online.

The City thanks our many volunteers who contribute to our public spaces. This project is funded by the King County Flood Control District, King County Wastewater Treatment Division, King Conservation District and proceeds from the King County Proposition No. 1 Parks Levy approved by King County voters in August 2019.

Sewer construction is generally a messy and disruptive job, requiring road closures for pipes to be dug up and replaced. However, the City is using a trenchless technology called cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) to replace aging sewer lines efficiently and cost-effectively. Over the past few weeks, crews used this technology to replace 785 linear feet of eight inch sewer mains underneath 91st Ave SE and 95th Ave SE - by using trenchless technology, roadway and construction impacts were significantly reduced.

Crews are working across the Island to replace other aging sewer infrastructure. As a reminder, sewer main replacements require individual service connections to be temporarily shut off. During this time, it is advised that residents minimize water use until service is restored. Any impacted residents will receive notice in the form of door hangers 72 hours prior to any sewer service disruptions, with disruptions generally limited to 6-8 hours. 

You can learn more about this work on the City's Public Works Projects webpage.

Don't miss it! To help Islanders be aware of the facts and know the risks, adults and teens are invited to attend the DEA's “One Pill Can Kill” presentation, hosted by the City's Youth and Family Services department. Attendees will learn how to protect yourself, your family, and others, as well as the dangers of Fentanyl and other drugs. This event is tonight, October 4, at 7:00pm at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center.

Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid that is being pressed into fake pills or cut into heroin, cocaine, and other street drugs to drive addiction. Illicit fentanyl is 50X more potent than heroin, and it only takes a very small dose of fentanyl to be lethal – as little as the amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil lead (2 milligrams).

All Islanders are invited to attend, and the presentation is appropriate for teens and parents of children of all ages. No registration is required.