REPORTER
Mercer Island
Serving the Mercer Island community since 1947
It’s OK — just this once. Come and have a treat before dinner and take a look around at the fabulous finds up for auction during the ‘Dessert Before Dinner’ event on Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. The evening begins at 4 p.m. The event benefits the programs of the Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department. Music by harpist Leslie McMichael will be featured. She is not only a professional musician but teaches harp to lucky Island students (see page 15 for more). For information on tickets, go to www.myparksandrecreation. com.
By Mary L. Grady
editor@mi-reporter.com
The Mercer Island School District Board of Directors will hold its December meeting on Thursday, Dec. 13, at City Hall in the City Council Chambers. The board will discuss the facilities master plan and will recognize the MIHS girls swimming team for being 3A state champions. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Channel 21.
Catch YTN’s latest show ‘Really Rosie’ through Dec. 16 Catch Youth Theatre Northwest’s latest production, “Really Rosie,” through Sunday, Dec. 16. The show will run on Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., and at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $10. Learn more at www.youththeatre.org.
Find holiday events in this week’s calendar Looking for a holiday event to attend? This week’s Calendar section, on page 16, features local holiday events. If you have an event to share, send it to rmar@ mi-reporter.com.
Matt Brashears/Special to the Reporter
One-year-old Stefan Pallis gets to play a drum belonging to Eastside Fire Pipes and Drums after the group performed at the Firehouse Munch on Friday, Dec. 7. Watching are Stefan’s father, Demetre Pallis, and brother, Yianni Pallis, 4. See more holiday photos from Friday on page 14.
Delay school bonds and listen to voters Consultant says outreach effort yields positive results, should continue before decision is made By Megan Managan
mmanagan@mi-reporter.com
Triangle Associates, a consultant firm hired to conduct public outreach to gather input on how to rebuild or expand Island schools, said that the community is yet to be convinced of the need for or scale of any new school facilities. But the renewed outreach efforts have been positively received and are helping to rebuild trust in the school district. In a report given to the Mercer Island School District last Thursday, Triangle Associates said that before any decision is made regarding another bond issue, it recommends that the district extend the deci-
vating or rebuilding Island schools. Triangle held several community meetings and hosted several online sites to foster discussion on the options. Information gathered in those meetings became the basis of the final report. The report emphasized that their sion process so it can fully look at findings did not point to a clear everything in more detail. option in terms of how to proceed The report emphasized the need in asking for a vote on money to to continue building trust with the rebuild. Yet, if the board needed community. It concluded that for an option now, they did offer a the strongest chance of success, recommendation, albeit one with more time is needmany caveats. ed to conduct com“If forced to munity outreach. choose from the A bond measure three options today should be placed and answer how to on the ballot later best address overin 2013 or in early crowding based on 2014, it said. community input, Triangle was Triangle would rechired by the district ommend selecting several months ago Triangle Associates report Option 1b (a new after a $196 million and to MISD elementary dollar bond issue $33.2 million parto rebuild Island tial rebuild of IMS) schools was soundly defeated by and including pool and stadium voters. Triangle was to conduct improvements as propositions a more deliberate community separate from the school overengagement process that would crowding (potentially at a different allow school officials to gather time),” said the report. “However, more information about how com- quickly moving forward with a munity members felt about renoSchools | Page 2
“Moving forward with a bond measure at this point in time comes with serious risk...”
Condos | Page 9
REPORTER
MISD board meeting Thursday, Dec. 13
Condos — or the lack thereof — is the story for November real estate on Mercer Island. Of the 114 homes and condos available for sale in November, just four were condos, down from 19 condos a year ago. Just two condos were added to the Island inventory in November. Across Western Washington, the numbers of closed sales and selling prices both rose during November versus a year ago, while the selection continued to shrink. As a rule, fewer homes or condos are offered for sale as the holidays near. According to the latest market review by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, last month’s falloff was less than what some industry veterans anticipated. But perhaps everything has already sold. The number of final sales for November was a record. For the 21 counties within the NWMLS, there were reported 6,522 pending sales last month — the highest total for November in six years. The number of Island homes
Mercer Island
City’s ‘Dessert Before Dinner’ event Dec. 16
Condos missing in real estate market
Little drummer boy
One year $39, two years just $59
MI | THIS WEEK
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 | 75¢
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