New Bike Skills Area at Deane's Children's Park

On March 7, 2023, Mercer Island City Council approved the 30% design for the Bike Skills Area. The design is the result of more than four months of community engagement to refine the concept, including two community meetings, two online surveys, and three regular Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) meetings.

Now the City is coordinating additional conversations with specific community groups to refine elements in the design, such as identifying additional measures to mitigate user conflicts on the surrounding trails in Island Crest Park.

City staff will continue to update Let’s Talk as this project progresses. Thanks for continuing to follow along!

Tomorrow night, staff will present the 30% design for a new Bike Skills Area (BSA) at Deane's Children's Park to City Council. View agenda packet materials here. Details for watching and/or speaking at the meeting are provided below.

The hybrid meeting will be broadcast live on MITV Channel 21 and live streamed on the City Council’s YouTube Channel.

Registering to Speak: Individuals wishing to speak live during Appearances must register their request with the City Clerk's Office at 206.275.7793 or email the City Clerk and leave a message before 4:00 PM on the day of the Council meeting. Please reference "Appearances" on your correspondence and state if you would like to speak either in person at City Hall or remotely using Zoom. Each speaker will be allowed three (3) minutes to speak. A timer will be visible in Council Chambers and online to speakers, City Council, and meeting participants. Please be advised that there is a time delay between the Zoom broadcast and the YouTube or Channel 21 broadcast.

Public Appearances: Notify the City Clerk in advance if you will be providing your comments in person at City Hall or remotely using Zoom. If providing your comments using Zoom, staff will be prepared to permit temporary video access when you enter the live Council meeting. Please remember to activate the video option on your phone or computer, ensure your room is well lit, and kindly ensure that your background is appropriate for all audience ages. Screen sharing will not be permitted, but documents may be emailed to Council.

Join by Telephone at 5:00 PM (Appearances will start sometime after 5:00 PM): To listen to the meeting via telephone, please call 253.215.8782 and enter Webinar ID 892 8137 7148 and Password 730224 if prompted.

Join by Internet at 5:00 PM (Appearances will start sometime after 5:00 PM): To watch the meeting over the internet via your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click this link.
2. If the Zoom app is not installed on your computer, you will be prompted to download it.
3. If prompted, enter Webinar ID 892 8137 7148, Password 730224.
4. The City Clerk will call on you by name or refer to your email address when it is your turn to speak. Please confirm that your audio works prior to participating.

Join In-Person at Mercer Island City Hall at 5:00 PM (Appearances will start sometime after 5:00 PM): Council Chambers, 9611 SE 36th Street

Submit Written Comments: Email written comments to the City Council at council@mercerisland.gov.

On February 2, the Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) voted to approve the 30% design for a new Bike Skills Area (BSA) facility at Deane’s Children’s Park (3-2, 2 absences). The final draft of the 30% design was developed with community feedback collected from two community meetings, two online surveys, and three PRC meetings. Now the approved 30% design will be presented to the City Council on March 7. Details for joining the City Council meeting will be shared here when available.

During the next stages of the design process, a few elements will continue to be studied. These include selecting the preferred location for the bike park entrance path and identifying additional measures to mitigate user conflicts on the surrounding trails in Island Crest Park. Staff will continue to engage the community in resolving these design elements, so stay tuned here on Let’s Talk for more opportunities to provide feedback.

UPDATE: The recording of the 02.02.23 Parks & Recreation Commission meeting is available here. The discussion and approval of the 30% design for the BSA begins at approximately 53:00.

Mercer Island's Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) will discuss the updated conceptual design of a new Bike Skills Area at their upcoming meeting this Thursday, February 2, at 5:00pm. During the meeting, the PRC will review the input received during the community meeting held on January 24 and the final draft conceptual design. Agenda materials are available here; the final draft of the conceptual design will be available by January 31.

Details for attending the meeting are available below.

Register to Speak: Individuals wishing to speak live during Appearances must register their request with the staff liaison at 206.275.7861 or email to raven.gillis@mercerisland.gov before 4pm on the day of the PRC meeting. Please reference "Appearances" in your correspondence and state if you would like to speak either in person at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center or remotely using Zoom. Each speaker will be allowed three (3) minutes to speak.

Join by Telephone at 5:00pm: To listen to the meeting via telephone, please call 253.215.8782 and enter Webinar ID 825 9108 6996, Password 896196 when prompted.

Join by Internet at 5:00pm: To watch the meeting over the internet via your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82591086996?pwd=OWUrR0xEbHoxZkNGSmR4dnpjN0VVUT09#success
2. If the Zoom app is not installed on your computer, you will be prompted to download it.
3. If prompted, enter Webinar ID 825 9108 6996, Password 896196

Join In-Person at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center at 5:00pm: The meeting will be available for you to watch live remotely from the Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street.

The meeting will be recorded and uploaded to the City's YouTube channel. We will update this post when the video recording is available to view.

Join us on January 24, at 6pm, for the next community meeting to discuss the conceptual design for a new Bike Skills Area (BSA) facility on Mercer Island. During this virtual meeting, we'll review the updated design and then break out into small groups for more discussion and feedback. Details, including the link to register via Zoom, are provided below.

BSA Community Meeting #2

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 | 6-7:30pm | Virtual via Zoom

Register to participate: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsc-ihqDssGdJxiLjbL5lSNa2ar6NqWoyg

View the updated conceptual design here: https://letstalk.mercergov.org/17636/widgets/57117/documents/38590

UPDATE: The recording of the 01.05.23 Parks & Recreation Commission meeting is available here. The discussion of the BSA conceptual design begins at approximately 22:47.

Mercer Island's Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) will discuss the updated conceptual design of a new Bike Skills Area at their upcoming meeting this Thursday, January 5, at 5:30pm. The updated design is based on feedback provided by the PRC during its December meeting as well as responses to our second Community Survey (199 responses received). During the meeting, the PRC will receive a summary of survey results and review the updated design. Agenda materials, which include the updated conceptual design, are available here.

Details for attending the meeting are available below.

Register to Speak: Individuals wishing to speak live during Appearances must register their request with the staff liaison at 206.275.7861 or email to raven.gillis@mercerisland.gov before 4pm on the day of the PRC meeting. Please reference "Appearances" in your correspondence and state if you would like to speak either in person at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center or remotely using Zoom. Each speaker will be allowed three (3) minutes to speak.

Join by Telephone at 5:30pm: To listen to the meeting via telephone, please call 253.215.8782 and enter Webinar ID 825 9108 6996, Password 896196 when prompted.

Join by Internet at 5:30pm: To watch the meeting over the internet via your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82591086996?pwd=OWUrR0xEbHoxZkNGSmR4dnpjN0VVUT09#success
2. If the Zoom app is not installed on your computer, you will be prompted to download it.
3. If prompted, enter Webinar ID 825 9108 6996, Password 896196

Join In-Person at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center at 5:30pm: The meeting will be available for you to watch live remotely from the Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street.

The meeting will be recorded and uploaded to the City's YouTube channel. We will update this post when the video recording is available to view.

On December 1, the Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) received the concept design for a new Bike Skills Area (BSA) at Deane's Children's Park. (Video - Discussion begins at 30:20) Now we want to hear from you about the proposed design! Review the concept and provide feedback via our brief survey.

Take the survey here:

https://letstalk.mercergov.org/bike-skills-area-design/survey_tools/bsa-concept-design-survey

This second community survey will be available through December 31 and will inform updates to the proposed BSA design, which will be shared with the community in January. We will also announce more opportunities to provide feedback, including the date for our next community meeting, soon here on Let's Talk.

UPDATE: The recording of the 12.01.22 Parks & Recreation Commission meeting is available here. The discussion of the BSA conceptual design begins at approximately 30:20.

Mercer Island's Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) will discuss the conceptual design of a new Bike Skills Area at their upcoming meeting this Thursday, December 1, at 5:30pm. The conceptual design is based on survey responses and general feedback collected during the first community meeting. The conceptual design is available to view here: BSA Concept Design for Discussion (12.01.22)

The virtual meeting will be broadcast live on Zoom as well as posted on the City Council's YouTube channel after the meeting. Agenda materials for the Bike Skills Area agenda item are available here. (Note that this post will be updated when the conceptual design is available.)

Details for attending the meeting are available below.

Register to Speak: Individuals wishing to speak live during Appearances must register their request with the staff liaison at 206.275.7861 or email to raven.gillis@mercerisland.gov before 4pm on the day of the PRC meeting. Please reference "Appearances" in your correspondence and state if you would like to speak either in person at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center or remotely using Zoom. Each speaker will be allowed three (3) minutes to speak.

Join by Telephone at 5:30pm: To listen to the meeting via telephone, please call 253.215.8782 and enter Webinar ID 825 9108 6996, Password 896196 when prompted.

Join by Internet at 5:30pm: To watch the meeting over the internet via your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82591086996?pwd=OWUrR0xEbHoxZkNGSmR4dnpjN0VVUT09#success
2. If the Zoom app is not installed on your computer, you will be prompted to download it.
3. If prompted, enter Webinar ID 825 9108 6996, Password 896196

Join In-Person at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center at 5:30pm: The meeting will be available for you to watch live remotely from the Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street.

Our first Community Survey for a new Bike Skills Area is live! Feedback from this survey will facilitate a conceptual bike skills area design that will be presented to the community and the Parks and Recreation Commission in December. Your input on potential features for the bike skills area will help us create a design that meets the goals of the community, including riders and non-riders alike.

Take the survey here:

https://letstalk.mercergov.org/bike-skills-area-design/survey_tools/bsa-community-survey-nov

The survey includes 25 questions. To advance to the next question page, make sure you complete your responses and then click the button that says "Save & Continue."

Please provide your input by November 21, when the survey closes. Thank you for participating!

The City temporarily closed the Bike Skills Area (BSA) at Upper Luther Burbank Park in October 2021 due to significant operating challenges and safety concerns. Over several months, staff and the Parks & Recreation Commission collected community feedback and evaluated alternatives for reopening a BSA on Mercer Island. This post summarizes the process that led to the City Council authorizing funds to design a new BSA at Deane's Children's Park. For more background information about the process from October 2021 to July 2022, visit our Let's Talk page for the Bike Skills Area at Upper Luther Burbank Park.

The Bike Skills Area (BSA), formerly known as the BMX park, was originally built in Upper Luther Burbank Park by neighborhood riders in the 1970s. At the time, the parkland was owned and managed by King County. Use of the area continued, with riders creating and shaping jumps and trails within the ravine area. The name of this location was changed in 2021 to reflect new biking trends and changes in facility use in the last five decades. changes in the use of the facility over the past five decades to include other biking styles.

Over the years, increased use and unauthorized expansion of the Bike Skills Area caused damage and degradation to the surrounding hillsides and vegetation. The City temporarily closed the BSA in Upper Luther Burbank Park to restore vegetation and evaluate whether the area could safely and sustainably operate as a bike skills location going forward.

Action Sports Design, LLC (ASD) performed a full assessment of the existing site. The final report was completed in April 2022 and included several recommendations for the re-design of the BSA in Upper Luther Burbank Park. However, due to the complexity of the site (topography and lack of existing stormwater infrastructure) and anticipated permitting requirements, reopening the BSA in Upper Luther Burbank Park would require significant engineering and design, likely taking up to two years to complete design, environmental review, and construction.

From April to July 2022, City staff and the Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) solicited public input and evaluated other park sites where a new BSA could be located. At the end of that process, the PRC recommended that the City Council appropriate funds to develop a 30% design for a new BSA facility at Deane’s Children’s Park. On July 19, 2022, the City Council accepted the PRC’s recommendation and appropriated $75,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund to move forward with developing a 30% design (AB 6120).

For many years, Deane’s Children’s Park was home to the City’s Adventure Playground. The park provided an environment for kids to imagine, build, and create their own adventure in a forested area. The Adventure Playground operated between 3-5 days per week in the summer and fall as both a drop-in activity and organized summer camp program, averaging between 30-60 children at a given time.

Although the site has many trees, the site lacks healthy understory vegetation and has already been significantly impacted by active recreation. The City no longer offers the Adventure Playground program. Construction of a new BSA in this location would not adversely or negatively impact the site.

While the Deane’s Children’s Playground site presents many opportunities for a new BSA, additional design work is necessary to ensure proper access, including consideration of the surrounding park amenities such as the nearby playgrounds; active and passive park uses; and the connection to Island Park Elementary and Island Crest Way trails. The Commission discussed many of these considerations before making their formal recommendation.