Mercer Island presents $105.5 million capital-improvement program; parks, water and sewer lead projects

Mercer Island city staff on Oct. 21 outlined a $105.5 million, biennial capital improvement program (CIP) that the city says includes 148 active projects and concentrates spending on parks, public buildings, streets, sewer and water infrastructure.

City staff said the bulk of the program is managed by Public Works: 137 city-managed projects span water and parks (29 projects each), 25 street projects, 20 public-building projects, 18 sewer projects and 16 stormwater projects. “It’s a big collaborative effort that helps us plan ahead and make smart strategic investments across the city,” Chief of Operations Jason Kidner said.

The presentation highlighted completed, active and planned projects across six program areas. Parks received an $18.1 million allocation in 2025–26, nearly one-third of which staff said comes from outside grants. Completed or near-complete park projects include renovations at Luther Burbank (seismic, roof and restroom work, supported by about $778,000 in state grant funding), a South Shoreline restoration (about $240,000 in King County grant support), new pickleball courts at former tennis courts (about $193,000 from King County), and the Roanoke Park playground replacement (the first completed playground funded by the city’s 2022 parks levy).

Active park work includes a major Luther Burbank waterfront project—now at roughly 90% design—with secured state and county grants totaling about $4.8 million; the First Hill playground replacement underway; Dean’s Children’s Park planning (phase 1 targeted for late 2027) and a joint infrastructure planning process for Clark and Groveland beaches, for which staff are accepting public comments through Nov. 3.

Public buildings and facilities work totals roughly $15 million in the biennium, staff said, with projects ranging from seismic upgrades at the Public Works maintenance facility to HVAC and groundwater-intrusion investigations at the Community Center and planning for improvements at the 9655 building acquired by the city. Staff said the Public Works maintenance building repairs were short-term fixes and that the facility is nearing the end of its useful life.

Street projects highlighted included a 35-stall Town Center public parking lot created on the former Tully’s Coffee site (conduit installed for future EV charging and bike lockers), Island Crest Way corridor crosswalk and pedestrian-signal upgrades, an Island Crest shared-use path design (an $850,000 TIB grant was secured), and an 80th Avenue pedestrian-improvement project that replaces sidewalks and lighting in the Town Center.

Sewer and stormwater work also featured prominently. Sewer staff described 18 sewer projects totaling about $12 million and emphasized a unique “lake line” system around Lake Washington that includes approximately 2.5 miles in Reach 1 and 17 pump stations. Reach 1—built in the 1960s and largely inaccessible for inspection—will be the subject of an evaluation and design process to determine condition and replacement priorities. Stormwater work includes 16 projects totaling about $4.2 million and recent completion of a channel-stabilization project on West Mercer Way.

Water-system work accounts for the largest share of project counts and dollar value in the CIP: staff described 29 water projects totaling about $38 million. Recent completed work includes reservoir tank recoatings and structural access improvements, replacement of five booster pumps and installation of two new jockey pumps, replacement of a 500-kilowatt emergency generator at the reservoir, and digital-meter upgrades. Staff said the city has installed about 7,500 new digital water meters and is finishing base-station antennas for meter reads; a customer portal is scheduled to go live in January 2026.

Why it matters: staff told the council that much of the work is “generational” because large parts of the city’s infrastructure were built in the 1950s and 1960s and are reaching the ends of their useful lives. Several projects have been advanced using external grants—staff highlighted the city’s recent success securing state, county and TIB funds—and officials said careful sequencing is being used to avoid repeated street digs when utility projects coincide with repaving.

Council members and staff spent time discussing timing, grant strategy and community outreach. Councilmember Reynolds and others pressed staff on the pace of playground replacements and on whether levy proceeds will carry forward; staff cautioned that rising construction costs and inflation make future budgets uncertain. Deputy Mayor Rosenbaum and staff emphasized targeted outreach—mailers, meetings and event tabling—around the Clark and Groveland beach plans.

Staff noted several operational complexities: many pump stations and sewer mains are deep and difficult to access, and the lake-line sewer segments cannot be inspected via manholes the way typical sewer mains can. Staff said Reach 3 of the lake line was replaced about 2010 and that Reach 1 is the highest current priority due to age and some known pump-station problems.

Staff urged residents to consult project pages and the city’s “Let’s Talk” site for schedules, design concepts and opportunities for comment. Several council members praised staff for securing grants and for the scale of the program amid current economic pressures.

The council did not take any formal votes on the CIP itself; staff said individual project appropriations, contract awards and grant-acceptance items will return to council for action as needed.

Less critical details: staff said the CIP program is driven by a 6-year planning cadence tied to the biennial budget and asset-management data; the current CIP includes about 148 active projects and roughly 137 are managed by the public-works department.