City to Rename Park on the Lid 'Aubrey Davis Park'

With local and state officials fighting over whether or not to toll Interstate 90, city officials are moving ahead with a ceremony to rededicate a local park over the freeway in honor of the man who was a driving force behind its creation.

On Saturday July 13, at 4:30 p.m., as part of the Summer Celebration Festival, Mercer Island's Park on the Lid will be renamed "Aubrey Davis Park," in honor of Mr Davis's huge influence in reducing impacts of the Interstate 90 highway corridor.

Former Mercer Island Mayor and City Councilmember Davis, and his wife Henrietta, moved to Mercer Island in 1960. He served as a Councilmember from 1967 to 1978, and then as Mayor from 1970 to 1974. Among his many achievements, Mr. Davis was the principle negotiator in what became the 1976 Interstate 90 Memorandum of Agreement.

Davis demanded that the State redesign the highway to take into account the impact on the Mercer Island community. When asked about the freeway expansion, Davis's signature response was, "We don't want to see it. We don't want to hear it. We don't want to smell it." 

The resulting design transformed the Island portion of the project into a corridor of landscaped parks, green space, and pedestrian pathways adjacent to the I-90 expanded freeway.

The one-hour dedication ceremony will be located at the park on SE 22nd Street by the tennis courts. All are invited to come hear Mayor Bassett and other dignitaries speak and unveil new signage.