For the past eighteen years the former Mercer View School, located on the north side of SE 24th Street, between Luther Burbank Park and 82nd Ave SE, has served as the Community Center for the City of Mercer Island. The Center has been the home for a variety of community activities, programs, special events and offices for the city departments of Youth and Family Services and Park and Recreation. In 1994, the City Council determined that the Mercer View site was the best location for a permanent Community Center. The existing Center is unsafe and unreliable. Land cost is 3.2 million.
All citizens are a priority.
We already have a community center that is the right size with the right services for us. The proposed building is twice the size, with the same number of park department services, but designed for usage for off-Island people. There is no documented proof a new facility is needed. Our schools have 19 portables. Let s get our priorities straight.