South-End YOU-Powered Block Party & Trails Day: June 5, 2010

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Lisa Lewis

Put on your walking shoes, or hop on your bicycle, to travel to the South-End YOU-Powered Block Party & Trails Day on June 5th. The family-friendly fun, located at the South-End QFC Shopping Center, begins at 10 am and runs through 2 pm. Bring Fido along— the first 10 people who arrive at the Block Party walking their dogs will receive a free Kreb’s dog leash made from recycled climbing rope. There will be vendors on site, along with food, bike check-ups, electric bike demonstrations and entertainment.

Once you’ve had a chance to check out the block party, meander across the street to Pioneer Park (NW quadrant along 68th) to enjoy Medieval Trails Day. Spend some time walking the Renaissance tour through the trails of Pioneer Park. Elizabethan games, plus arts and crafts, will be part of the fun. Don’t forget to participate in the Trails Day letterboxing adventure. Bring along your thinking cap, and perhaps a compass!

*Photo Courtesy of Arvind Balaraman and FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What should the old Mercer Island Recycling Center be used for in the future? Share your opinion June 2nd.

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Lisa Lewis

Residents of Mercer Island are invited to participate in a discussion about the future use of the former Mercer Island Recycling Center site. The community meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 2nd, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. It will be held at the Mercer Island Library.

Graduate students from Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) have been invited by the City to participate in the community meeting. Their participation is part of the students’ curriculium for the BGI MBA program in Sustainable Business .

City residents can also share their opinions about the future use of the old Mercer Island Recycling Center online. The survey only takes a few minutes to complete.

Join us for Community Service Day on June 18th!

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Jennifer

Each year, Windermere Real Estate agents, managers, owners and staff from more than 300 offices across the Western United States gather together and devote their workday to making a positive change in the neighborhoods they serve through local service projects and volunteerism.

For this year’s Community Service Day, our locally-owned Mercer Island office will be teaming up with EarthCorps and members of the public to restore Wildwood Park on the island’s south end. We will be removing invasive plant species (such as English Ivy and Himalayan blackberry) as well as weeding and mulching to maintain the park. Our goal is to restore the native plant community, thus creating a healthier native ecosystem.

We invite you to pitch in and help! Tools and gloves will be provided by EarthCorps…

Friday, June 18th, 9am-1pm
Wildwood Park
7400 86th Ave SE
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Map

Windermere’s Community Service Day was established in 1984 to offer agents and staff a chance to volunteer an entire workday to give back to the neighborhoods in which they live and work. Windermere’s Community Service Day has been recognized nationally as a model hands-on volunteer program and has been adopted by other real estate companies and businesses around the country.

“Cash for Caulkers”: something good for the environment and for pocketbooks?

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Lisa Lewis

Going green could save homeowners some green if the “Cash for Caulkers” program is put into action by Congress. The Home Star bill, which has been dubbed “Cash for Caulkers,” cleared another hurdle with its passage in the House on May 6th. The bill is now eligible to be put up for vote in the Senate.

As it stands, the Home Star legislation would provide eligible homeowners a variety of rebates. First, homeowners could receive up to a 50% rebate, a maximum of $3,000, for energy-saving home improvements installed by qualified contractors( examples: window & door replacement, insulation upgrades, heating & cooling system replacement). Homeowners who complete air-sealing and insulation improvements on their own would be eligible for rebates up 50%, capped at $250, on air-sealing and insulation products. In addition, homeowners who go through a comprehensive home audit, and reduce their energy consumption by 20%+, would be eligible for rebates up to a maximum of $8,000. To be eligible for “Cash for Caulkers,” homeowners would have to have an annual income less that $250,000.

As the legislation is currently written, the rebates would not be connected in any way the current $1,500 energy tax credit that runs through the end of 2010. The program would also have to be implemented with financing that does not increase the federal deficit.

It will be interesting to watch the progression of the “Cash for Caulker” program in the Senate. Savvy homeowners will be watching, with interest, for the details of the final version of the Home Star bill.

Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Spotlight on Youth Theatre Northwest

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Jenna Stafford

Youth Theatre Northwest has been introducing local children to the joy of acting since the theatre first opened on Mercer Island in 1984. Located on the north end of the island on a campus shared with the CHILD center and Mary Wayte Pool, the theatre produces plays and offers classes throughout the year.

During the school year Youth Theatre Northwest stages a variety of plays featuring young actors. This past season they staged productions of 101 Dalmatians, Madeline’s Christmas, Dracula, James and the Giant Peach, Bye Bye Birdie, It’s a Whatchamadoozie with a Whadayacallit (with a Thingmajigit on top!) and Pinocchio. For their upcoming summer season they will be producing Big Bad Wolf (and how he got that way), Beauty and the Beast, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Each play has multiple evening and weekend performances, with special weekday matinee shows for school field trip groups during the school year.

In addition to producing plays, the theatre offers classes for children ages 3 and up. For preschoolers, classes focus on developing imagination, exploring the five senses and bringing storybook characters to life. After school classes for elementary school children include dancing, singing and audition preparation. There are also imagination building classes in which students create and act out stories about superheroes or knights, dragons and princesses. Middle school and high school students can take classes in playwriting, directing, choreography and set design. The theatre also offers special day time classes that can be tailored to the needs of home school groups.

The end of the school year brings a variety of summer camp activities to Youth Theatre Northwest. For the youngest children, the offerings give preschoolers a chance to become alphabet detectives and hunt down missing letters in Alphabet City, or form a number squad to solve a mystery for the king of Additionland, or travel around the world in seven days while creating craft projects inspired by different cultures. Elementary students can spend their summers taking weeklong classes focused on bringing a specific storybook, Broadway play or musical to life, with a special performance of the play at the end of each week. This age group can also enroll in a summer camp in which children bring the world of mermaids and pirates to life while taking daily trips to Mary Wayte Pool. Pre-teens and teens can enroll in summer camps focusing on musical theatre, sketch comedy and Shakespeare.

For more than a quarter century, Youth Theatre Northwest has been helping local children build self-confidence while uncovering hidden talents and developing a love for the theatre. The important role the theatre has played in countless children’s lives has made it one of Mercer Island’s most beloved organizations.

April Housing Market Stats Show Regional Strength

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Julie

The housing market showed significant increases in pending sales, year-over-year, as the months of inventory for sale continues to decline. Increased demand for homes has also resulted in price buoyancy with prices increasing slightly on the Eastside and in King County. Mercer Island prices were difficult to compare year-over-year because this April’s sales were primarily of homes priced in the $600,000-800,000 price range and last April’s sales were centered well above the $1,000,000 price point. The overall market activity and strength look very promising with 32 pending sales on the Island in April of this year as compared to 20 in April of last year. Activity generated by the April 30th expiration of the home buyer tax credit has created a ripple effect benefiting Mercer Island. Favorable buyer sentiment coupled with good national economic news has definitely given new legs to the housing market!