[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6211161,"mediaKeyId","3699440-fc3c28cc93f2c953994681bace1e8752","parentId",3699440,"title","Mercer Island parks commission postpones officer elections to next meeting","audioSeconds",236,"startMs",1017000,"endMs",1253000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3699440-fc3c28cc93f2c953994681bace1e8752&start=1017&end=1253","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3699440-fc3c28cc93f2c953994681bace1e8752/thumbnail_1017000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6211161/Mercer-Island/King-County/Washington/Mercer-Island-parks-commission-postpones-officer-elections-to-next-meeting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211161-c7611c8db29cdfef99bae3b7fc5b95c8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771114771&Signature=Oygu-oZIfIjn-zrpp~njF0OFpF2QK7ZqBtFZURJvD68Jwczs8Id0hI5YJItblg7d3pQAXr-Co-Bx5SMm6DJ00KoTH2oW0WF2Eh6CWE6dR2PexpZZLEkNKHG2g4qSvDjFoRZN1ociawdjOdBbDC0KwRYopc0VXpPWN2reQ8xdeW1yCPv4uVCxExgfgm5BYQ4nW9YdgcZ97CveWi5Rnki55L1YU8yrJiGHPwA4ypOSouVgUv2iZ5lL-M32NJVWV2M899JKlAqEZoSaU-Dq7zfS6miJpNXyIK1HvTIOzsAqZm5WGqErSFNUKWnGHC~avzVnyVybDodjSBNEPEeZP5TMWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Mercer Island, Washington","date","2025-06-06T22:15:53Z","article","The Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously on June 5 to postpone elections for chair and vice chair until the commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting.

A motion to “suspend the chair and vice chair elections until the next regularly scheduled meeting and have Commissioner Peter Strzok serve as the presiding officer for the remainder of the June 5 PRC meeting” was read into the record and approved by roll-call vote. Commissioners McCarthy, Bridal, Hay and Strzok voted in favor; three commissioners were recorded as absent and excused.

Earlier in the meeting the commission approved the minutes of its May 1 regular meeting. The commission’s next regular meeting is July 3, 2025, and staff said elections will be scheduled for a future meeting and announced to commissioners when set.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","06/5/2025 - Mercer Island - Parks & Recreation Commission","oneSentenceSummary","The Parks and Recreation Commission voted on June 5 to suspend officer elections until its next regular meeting; Commissioner Peter Strzok will continue to preside in the interim.","taxTitle","Mercer Island, King County, Washington","taxId",70518,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6211166,"King County Library System to add Sunday hours at Mercer Island; branch reports high local engagement and new children's librarian hire",2248,1263000,3511000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3699440-fc3c28cc93f2c953994681bace1e8752&start=1263&end=3511","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3699440-fc3c28cc93f2c953994681bace1e8752/thumbnail_1263000.jpg","/articles/6211166/Mercer-Island/King-County/Washington/King-County-Library-System-to-add-Sunday-hours-at-Mercer-Island-branch-reports-high-local-engagement-and-new-childrens-librarian-hire","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211166-84881bd7356af540ebcc2b09dd144107/orig.mp4?Expires=1771114771&Signature=ikTrFkUo2hif~e9W3qSCWiObXIllijmiXC9svYc~hT3RY4ATrbNxgp~QFXd3KKIJmFpsz2qlrSftLt2M3Ky-92CoTnxR1EZnGL6VivC1ysGokLEeg9TWtZ12Dph2XqZX96HRaslC4Xjy3LzZiAlNcHo~mMOnTq6D62qN~BidRilnuDLard3Xljf~o5MzVCd~zlDanySzpnd~CGoBXeN2lELoMYzuw4g7KV0uzq~mnXX7uoO8R6Mdu0Bmns9SeM63IYKIgYJES2BMvMwy4bznibdH~gK5CaMP~WrWqDYj-QfFsdg2CGwEqw14H2yI9Z-B8iMjbqrwX6mUvHfJjoFrjw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","King County Library System staff told the Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Commission on June 5 that the Mercer Island branch will add Sunday hours this fall, that local usage metrics rose from 2023 to 2024, and that the branch is adding a full‑time children’s librarian to expand outreach to schools and programming.

“KCLS is adding Sunday hours at Mercer Island, this fall,” Brian Candelori, regional manager for the Mercer Island Library, said at the meeting. Candelori said the rollout is already underway and a formal announcement to the city will follow when details are finalized.

John Scheller, KCLS government relations manager, presented financial and usage data the commission requested. He said he could verify the system-reported revenue figure the commission had and provided an estimated retail value for borrowed materials used in the system’s accounting snapshot. Scheller also said Mercer Island cardholders travel to other KCLS branches: “All of the libraries that were visited… these are physical visits,” he said, referring to 2024 circulation data showing Mercer Island cardholders checked items out at other branches.

On library service quality, Scheller reported that while systemwide net promoter scores were in the 80s in 2024, the Mercer Island responses isolated from that survey returned a 100% score: “Isolating Mercer Island, it was actually a 100%,” he said.

Branch staff outlined local programming and staffing changes. Candelori said the branch recently increased children’s services capacity by converting a part‑time role to a full‑time children’s librarian; the hire is completing onboarding and will strengthen school visits and curriculum connections. The branch’s summer reading program has been retooled to emphasize access and excitement for readers of all ages: staff described a book‑bingo format and welcome kits available at summer kickoff events.

Candelori and Scheller also described ongoing services: Mandarin story times, teen programs (including an expanded tech-support and maker offering), cooking and local book clubs, and new events aimed at older adults such as aging-in-place planning sessions. They thanked the Mercer Island Friends of the Library for fundraising and delivery support.

Commissioners asked about the balance between physical and digital collections. Scheller said KCLS continues to buy physical books but that digital collections are leased under publisher terms that limit the number of digital checkouts before materials must be renewed or leave the collection; he encouraged raising such issues during the KCLS 2026 budget process. He also explained the reciprocal relationship with Seattle Public Library: patrons may obtain a Seattle key card but KCLS systems and Seattle’s are not fully linked, so Seattle items returned at Mercer Island require physical transfer and are not tracked in the local KCLS account.

KCLS provided the commission with two data sheets comparing 2023 and 2024 usage and said that, locally, both in‑person visits and digital checkouts increased year over year. Staff offered to share contact information and follow up on specific data requests.","KCLS told the Parks and Recreation Commission on June 5 that Mercer Island branch will add Sunday hours this fall, reported strong local use and a Mercer Island net promoter score of 100% in 2024, and said a full‑time children’s librarian position was approved and will expand school connections and programming.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6211171,"Mercer Island parks staff report big youth input on Jean’s Children’s Park; court, field and event updates outlined",3668,143000,3811000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3699440-fc3c28cc93f2c953994681bace1e8752&start=143&end=3811","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3699440-fc3c28cc93f2c953994681bace1e8752/thumbnail_143000.jpg","/articles/6211171/Mercer-Island/King-County/Washington/Mercer-Island-parks-staff-report-big-youth-input-on-Jeans-Childrens-Park-court-field-and-event-updates-outlined","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211171-bf191031a524eab45b2f2999d3e4c789/orig.mp4?Expires=1771114771&Signature=KaP-iIVhJKaycsZQeKeAfpuwx37jaTfC0yjl-dJzgmXHuqxrB2RdnrpILH4VtDIFNyTOa2iwkyMBRrDSV9zwhK9lHHhIuiLaosUf52~bRKOdRmoAbxkQDXv98WxcU0v-gJcXciQLQ7yNcRdDbOz2JQgZCaJmSW2tBoQgJRB74u3dAvi5yz-LA7KXd0ehOShdySey4A-miRrtX~GRqdwY3TyaNvE3~cNH-LW1OOHpua-5VrvKo2dVscxwUDG~qmsFOnaGMqTQo6E0HPIDVkGqbXa59VlFMerQFCXVsZ-uhBVlTxlBNlstGPhRzyDWculuMXYMEeKAkndP5NuglWRUkQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Commission on Thursday received a staff update describing robust youth engagement for the Jean’s Children’s Park design, progress on several capital projects and plans for court and athletic-field policy work ahead of fall public review.

Recreation Manager Ryan Daley told the commission staff held multiple community events and school visits as part of the Jean’s Children’s Park outreach. “We visited 54 Mercer Island classes, engaging with more than 1,200 students from K through grade,” Daley said, and staff collected about 102 online survey responses and roughly 175 student-submitted park layouts.

The outreach, Daley said, produced recurring themes — swings, climbers and spinners, plus imaginative-play concepts the team summarized as a “fairy tale kingdom” or “treehouse adventure.” He said design concepts will be returned to the commission at the September meeting.

Staff reported construction progress on other projects. Roanoke Park’s new 18-foot Neptune climber is in place and crews are finishing curbing and poured-in-place surfacing. First Hill Park is moving toward construction under a contract with Landscape Structures Inc. procured through the Sourcewell cooperative. Luther Burbank Park’s courts were closed for resurfacing; Daley said the courts are expected to reopen about June 15, then close again for additional touch-up work and mural restoration before reopening to the public.

Daley flagged ongoing work on athletic fields and field maintenance demands during a busy season: “Our park maintenance team is actually doing midseason turf and infield rehab because of the volume of usage,” he said, and noted staff cross-training to support heavier field use.

On the issue of pickleball and court allocation, Daley said staff are preparing an athletic court allocation and use policy for discussion this fall. He described staff’s intent to balance family access, open play and potential rentals: “When pickleball will come back to the commission will be sometime next fall, and we'll be talking about some court usage policies that will relate to facility rentals,” he said.

Daley listed upcoming community events the parks team will run or support: a Juneteenth celebration June 19 at Mercerdale Park (noon–3 p.m., partnered with the Mercer Island High School Black Student Union); Summer Celebration and fireworks at Luther Burbank Park on July 12; the Mostly Music series beginning July 17; and Pride in the Park on Aug. 7 (activities starting at 4:30 p.m., music through dusk).

Commissioners and staff also discussed communications and reporting: Daley said the Jean’s design concepts and project schedules will be posted on the city’s “Let’s Talk” site and mailed to neighbors, and he recommended outreach to field user groups before the commission’s September discussion of the athletic-field allocation policy.

The commission approved minutes and then voted to postpone officer elections to a later meeting; staff will continue to preside until elections are scheduled. The commission’s next regular meeting is July 3, 2025.

Details on donations and volunteer support were raised during commissioner reports: a Mercer Island Rotary $3,000 contribution toward Dragon Park updates and hundreds of volunteer hours reported by staff during last year’s volunteer program were noted by commissioners.

The commission’s staff liaison said some items — including a combined parks report with recreation metrics and a bike-skills-area update tied to capital and levy funding — will be folded into future capital-project updates for the commission.","At its June 5 meeting, the Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Commission heard updates on Jean’s Children’s Park design engagement, ongoing capital projects, Luther Burbank court closures and forthcoming policies on athletic court allocation and field use, plus summer events and maintenance work.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Mercer Island parks commission postpones officer elections to next meeting

King County Library System to add Sunday hours at Mercer Island; branch reports high local engagement and new children's librarian hire

Mercer Island parks staff report big youth input on Jean’s Children’s Park; court, field and event updates outlined