Aquatics, Parks, and Recreation 2023 Ballot Measure

During its July 18, 2023, meeting, the Kirkland City Council acted on the recommendations of the Parks Funding Exploratory Committee and placed before Kirkland voters the option to expand aquatics, parks, and recreation facilities, operations, and programs through the adoption of Ordinance O-4857 which submits to the voters for the November 2023 ballot a levy lid lift proposition to expand aquatics, parks, and recreation facilities, operations, and programs.

If approved, Proposition 1 would complete all associated capital construction projects by 2028 and achieve the following in the first five years:

• Indoor aquatic and recreation center operations (center to be constructed separately)
• Add nine year-round restrooms
• Additional park rangers and enhanced park safety
• New sport courts for sand volleyball and pickleball
• Increase beach lifeguard hours and new water safety programs
• Expand teen programs and teen center operations
• Green loop trail networks
• Park operations, maintenance, and improvements

Ordinance O-4857 also describes the City’s plan to construct a new 86,000 square foot aquatic and recreation center at the former Houghton Park & Ride to be funded separately through the City's General Fund. Ballot measure revenue would fund operations and programming at the facility.

This new facility would include:

• indoor pools for swim lessons, swim teams, and lap swim and would help address the documented waitlist for swim lessons, which totaled over 10,500 in 2022,
• family friendly warm water pools with lazy rivers,
• spray and play fun,
• opportunities for senior programs, exercise classes, and more.

In addition to more aquatics opportunities, the new center would offer new recreation spaces to help address the community’s demonstrated need, such as:

• fitness rooms and equipment for aerobics, cycling, kickboxing, yoga, weight training, and other fitness programs,
• gymnasiums for youth sports, sports leagues, clinics for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball, and drop-in use,
• multi-purpose space for dance, youth and adult art classes, and youth camps after school and over school breaks.

Here is the title as printed in on the November 7, 2023 General Election ballot and also available on the King County Election website.

City of Kirkland
Proposition No. 1
Levy Lid Lift for Expanded Aquatics, Recreation, and Parks Facilities, Operations, and Programs

The Kirkland City Council adopted Ordinance No. O-4857 concerning funding for expanded aquatics, recreation, and parks facilities, operations, and programs. This proposition funds aquatic and recreation center operations, parks maintenance, year-round restrooms, park rangers, beach lifeguards, sports courts, teen services, and green loop trail networks by increasing the City's regular property tax levy to a maximum rate of $1.38386/$1,000 of assessed valuation (generating approximately $10,800,000 for these purposes) for collection in 2024. The 2024 levy amount will be the basis to calculate subsequent levies (RCW 84.55). Qualifying seniors, disabled veterans, and others would be exempt (RCW 84.36).

Should this proposition be approved:

Yes

No

If approved, the City expects the capital construction projects funded by Proposition 1 would be complete by 2028, including the following in the first five years:

Indoor aquatic & recreation center operations

• Initial design for an 86,000 square foot indoor aquatic and recreation center, to be constructed separately
• Operations and programming of all center spaces, including warm water recreational pool, lap pool, a two-court gym, fitness rooms, classrooms, a multipurpose room, and more
• $4.4 million design; construction to be funded separately; $2.08 million annual operations to start in 2027

Add 9 year-round restrooms

• Winterize restrooms at: Crestwoods Park, Edith Moulton Park, Juanita Bay Park, Marsh Park, O.O. Denny Park, and Waverly Beach Park
• Build new restrooms at: McAuliffe Park, North Rose Hill Woodlands Park, and Terrace Park
• $7.7 million construction; $390,000 annual operations

Additional park rangers & enhanced park safety

• Hire one additional park ranger – doubling current coverage
• Add 2,400 part-time seasonal park ranger hours – tripling current part-time coverage
• Automatic locking gates at key parks across the community, including: Crestwoods Park, Everest Park, Houghton Beach Park, Juanita Bay Park, Juanita Beach Park, and O.O. Denny Park
• $600,000 construction; $260,000 annual operations

New sport courts

• Sand volleyball court at O.O. Denny Park
• Outdoor pickleball complex with 3 courts
• $1.3 million construction; $20,000 annual operations

Increased beach lifeguarding & new water safety program

• Expand Kirkland’s beach lifeguarding season – from the middle of June through the middle of September – and add an additional hour to daily lifeguarding at Houghton Beach, Juanita Beach, and Waverly Beach parks
• New comprehensive water safety education program including life saving devices at all waterfront parks, water safety signage, and outreach activities
• $130,000 annual operations

Expand teen services & Kirkland Teen Union Building operations

• 7-day a week operation of the Kirkland Teen Union Building (KTUB) as a teen center for Kirkland youth with drop-in after school programs
• Year-round outdoor recreation, life-skills activities, and mental health support for Kirkland teens
• Daytime usage of KTUB building for adult and preschool programs to meet community needs
• $460,000 annual operations

Green loop trail networks

• Acquisition, easements, and development of key segments of the Green Loop trail in the Finn Hill neighborhood
• $4.4 million capital costs (acquisition and development)

Park operations, maintenance, and improvements

• Hire necessary staff to support all projects as well as additional operations, maintenance, and improvements
• $370,000 annual operations in 2024

*NOTE: all costs estimated in 2024 dollars.

When will these projects take plage?

If approved, the City expects the capital construction projects funded by Proposition 1 would be completed by the end of 2028. Below is a chart showing the proposed timeline of projects. Final dates are subject to change. Operating costs are ongoing and continue after construction projects are completed. 

Note about Aquatic and Recreation center construction: Levy lid lift funds would pay for Aquatic and Recreation Center operations and part of the 2024 Design costs. In Ordinance O-4857, City Council committed to using Limited Tax General Obligation (LTGO) Bonds to pay for remaining Center design and construction expenses, with debt service paid from the City’s General Fund (listed in the chart as orange bars with diagonal stripes).

Kirkland uses property taxes to fund City services. Kirkland’s levy is the total amount of property tax revenue the City can collect in one year. The King County Assessor determines the assessed valuation (AV) of your property. The property tax levy rate is determined by taking the city’s total levy amount and dividing it by the total property value in the city. The rate is then applied to every $1,000 of a property’s value, which determines the individual amount of property taxes paid. Washington state law limits increases in annual City levy revenue to 1% per year plus new construction regardless of changes in property values. The exception to this rule is a levy lid lift, which allows the City to ask voters to increase the property tax levy rate to meet the community’s needs.

Learn more about property taxes in Washington in this video:

What would this measure cost a Kirkland homeowner?
The ballot measure proposes an ongoing property tax levy of approximately $0.28 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation (AV). If approved, the measure would generate approximately $10,800,000 annually for these purposes starting in 2024. In Ordinance O-4857, acknowledging current fluctuations in AV, the Kirkland City Council committed to collect only what is needed for these projects, should AV change at a different rate than predicted. The 2024 incremental increase continues after 2024 to fund ongoing programming and service increases.

Using information available from the King County Assessor’s Office in July, City staff estimate that Proposition 1 would cost the owner of a $1,000,000 valued Kirkland home about $280 per year, or approximately $23.38 per month.

To calculate the impact this measure would have on your home’s property taxes, please visit the King County Assessor’s Office Tax Transparency Tool after October 1. Once on the page, you may need to click the far-right tab labeled, “Tax” and input your home address. You will see the “Proposed Tax Changes” this measure’s tax rate has on your home’s assessed valuation. To the left of that window you will see a breakdown of your property’s 2023 property taxes and the additional impact of this levy. 

*note levy costs rounded

What about people on a fixed income?
Seniors and persons with disabilities may qualify for tax exemptions. For more information, contact the King County Assessor’s Office at www.kingcounty.gov/assessor or Tel: 206-296-7300 or TTY: 206-296-7888.

During the 2022 Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan update, thousands of Kirkland community members told the City how much they love Kirkland’s parks system, trails and recreation programs and that they desire more park facilities and recreational opportunities. Kirkland's 2022 PROS Plan together with the City's capital improvement plan, outlines a path for the City’s continued investment in parks and recreation.

However, City Council has heard that many in our community want the City to accelerate the timeline on delivering on what the community is asking for. Therefore on March 1, 2022, Council adopted Resolution 5514 at its March 1, 2022 meeting directing staff to explore potential comprehensive Parks ballot measure options to be placed before Kirkland voters in 2023. In August 2022, City Council re-stablished a Parks Funding Exploratory Committee (PFEC), made up of representatives from across Kirkland, to lead the community input process and provide recommendations to the City Council in March 2023 on whether and how to best proceed with ballot measure(s) in 2023.

This project consists of many phases and include opportunities for community engagement.

• Summer 2022: Staff and consultants kicked off facility feasibility study and costing analysis for potential ballot measure investments
• Summer 2022: City Council established a Parks Funding Exploratory Committee made up of representatives from community groups and at-large community members
• September 2022 - March 2023: Parks Funding Exploratory Committee met twice a month to learn and review information about potential investments
• March 21, 2023: Parks Funding Exploratory Committee final report presented to City Council
• Summer 2023: City Council to decide what ballot measure options to bring to voters and to pass a resolution to initiate the public voting process
• July 18, 2023: City Council adopted Ordinance O-4857 to submit to Kirkland voters for the November 2023 ballot a levy lid lift proposition to expand aquatics, parks, and recreation facilities, operations, and programs
• Fall 2023: City to provide educational information about the ballot measure(s)
• November 7, 2023: General election

If you have an additional question not covered here, please email parksballot@kirklandwa.gov

How will the City staff the indoor aquatic and recreation center?

If Proposition 1 is approved by Kirkland voters, the City expects to start the hiring process for the indoor aquatic and recreation center in 2026, so that the center is ready for use when construction is completed. The City would approach hiring and staffing the center in a manner consistent with its current practices. Learn more about City of Kirkland hiring and benefits at www.kirklandwa.gov/Government/Work-at-the-City

Staffing recommendations for the indoor aquatic and recreation center were evaluated as part of the 2023 Recreation and Aquatic Center Feasibility Study. A minimum of 18 full-time staff were recommended for a facility of this size, including six aquatics staff, as well as over 45,000 part-time staff hours. Learn more on the Recreation & Aquatic Center Feasibility Study website.

Has the City purchased the former Houghton Park and Ride site?

The former Houghton P&R property is currently (as of September 2023) owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). On March 16, 2022, WSDOT notified the City that it was surplussing the Houghton P&R property and asked if the City was interested in receiving additional information regarding the surplus. The City immediately responded indicating strong interest. Purchasing surplus property from other governmental entities without competing with the private market makes it more affordable for the City of Kirkland to purchase land for future use. In preparation for this potential acquisition, the City Council included $10 million for the purchase of the site “for potential aquatic and recreation facilities and/or affordable housing partnership project” in the 2023-2024 biennial budget.

In February 2023, WSDOT determined the fair market value price of the site to be $9 million. The City continues to be in dialogue with WSDOT, and the City and WSDOT signed a letter of intent regarding the purchase of the property on July 5, 2023. The City and WSDOT are in the process of finalizing the sale.

The former Houghton P&R property was evaluated alongside the North Kirkland Community Center as two potential sites during the Parks Funding Exploratory Committee process this spring and early summer. Ultimately, the former Houghton P&R was selected by Council as the preferred site after deliberation at several Council meetings.

What is the size of the former Houghton Park and Ride site?

The size is approximately 5 acres.

Where is the City getting funds for the construction of the aquatic center? How much will the aquatic center cost to construct?

If approved, the levy lid lift funds from Proposition 1 would pay for Aquatic and Recreation Center operations and part of the 2024 Design costs. In Ordinance O-4857, City Council committed to using Limited Tax General Obligation (LTGO) Bonds to pay for remaining Center design and construction expenses, with debt service paid from the City’s General Fund.

Potential cost estimates were included in the 2022 Recreation and Aquatics Center Feasibility Study.  The estimated construction costs for an 86,000 square foot facility at the Houghton Park and Ride location were estimated $108,500,000 in 2025 dollars. This estimate includes all costs related to design and permitting, construction, furniture, fixture, and equipment procurement, and making the building ready to open. Learn more about costing on the Recreation and Aquatics Center Feasibility Study website

What is approximate cost of a new year-round restroom in a park?

The cost estimates for new year-round restrooms in Kirkland parks vary from $2,280,000 to $2,670,000 in 2024 dollars depending on the site location and conditions.

Will there be membership fees for the aquatic and recreation center?

The City anticipates that an indoor aquatic center would charge daily use fees or membership fees to help offset the operational costs of the center. Fees were modeled in the 2023 Recreation and Aquatics Center Feasibility Study. Any fees would be determined by City Council based on extensive community outreach and engagement. Discussion on fees would be guided by the cost recovery policy adopted in 2019.

Modeled Daily Fee (without Membership)

Modeled Membership Option

• Fees are for drop-in use of most areas of the center (aquatics and dry-side amenities).
• Membership rates would likely include basic fitness class and childcare/watch services.
• Low-income memberships would be available based on a sliding scale.

[Source: 2023 Recreation and Aquatics Center Feasibility Study Appendix] 

Is there a master plan for the Green Loop Trail?

Creating a master plan for the Green Loop Trail is a funded project in the 2023-2028 Capital Improvement Program. The City expects to begin the master plan process in 2024.

I’ve heard about the Sammamish Community and Aquatic Center with a building owned by the City of Sammamish but operated by the YMCA. Can you tell me more about that?

Sammamish Community & Aquatic Center is a 2-story 69,000 square foot facility opened in 2016. The building includes a 6-lane, 25-yard lap pool, a 3,300 square foot leisure pool, a spa, two gymnasiums (three gym courts total), a jogging track, fitness space, group fitness rooms, a break room, a family center room, two meeting spaces (maximum capacities 42 and 52), child watch areas, and administration offices. The Parks Funding Exploratory Committee (PFEC) toured the Sammamish Community and Aquatic Center as an example of a similar-sized facility to what the City of Kirkland might build.

The facility is owned by the City of Sammamish who contracts with the YMCA to operate the facility. The YMCA is responsible for determining what programming to offer and all expenses related to programming, maintenance, repairs, and building operations. The YMCA of Greater Seattle sets membership fees, which are the same across all YMCA locations in their service area. A family membership for a family of two adults plus dependents is $1,848/year + $125 joining fee and an adult membership is $1,092/year + $100 joining fee. Membership dues can be paid monthly, and the Y offers Affordable for All pricing to provide access to all. City of Sammamish residents receive a 75% discount on the joining fee. There is also a 10% discount for all youth facility-based programs.

The project was bid in 2014 with the following budget (see project materials here):

• $32,900,000 total ($55,812,500 in 2023 dollars)
  • $29,700,000 construction costs ($50,383,929 in 2023 dollars)
  • $3,200,000 soft costs ($5,428,571 in 2023 dollars)
• Additional Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment (FF&E) paid by YMCA: $500,000
• Sitework: in-kind donations from volunteers
• Total cost (including construction, soft costs, FF&E): $33,400,000 ($56,660,714 in 2023 dollars)

The YMCA paid $5,000,000 of the total construction + soft costs and the City of Sammamish paid $27,900,000 of total construction + soft costs covered by a portion of the city’s financial reserves and the Parks CIP funds.

Comparing actual cost of Sammamish center to estimated cost of Kirkland center, using 2023 dollars for comparison:

* Projected contingencies tend to be significantly higher than actuals. The Kirkland amount is projected while the Sammamish amount is actual. 

Did the City consider an operating model for the aquatic and recreation center where an outside partner would provide daily operations instead of the City operating internally? 

The operating model of the aquatic and recreation center was discussed at Parks Funding Exploratory Committee (PFEC) meetings, by staff, and by City Council. PFEC toured the Sammamish Community and Aquatic Center operated by the YMCA as an example of a similar-sized facility to what the City of Kirkland might have and then PFEC members asked about an option for Kirkland where the YMCA or another group provided operations. 

Ultimately, after discussions the preference was for the City to both own and operate a facility with City staffing. Some reasons for this decision include: 

• Having an outside operator in control of operations limits community access to the facility. Having City operations would ensure community access to elements of the facility such as the multi-purpose rooms and community spaces.
• The City already manages recreation and aquatic programs at existing community centers and the seasonal Peter Kirk Pool, and contracting out operations of a new aquatic and recreation center would add unnecessary complexity to existing operations.
• City staff would be more able to respond to changing community needs and add new programming or shift programming options more easily than an outside operator. 
• The City learned through the COVID-19 pandemic and KTUB that having City operations at City facilities provides much better flexibility in times of emergency. When the City owns and operates a building, staff can shift to using it for warming centers or cooling centers or mass care in earthquakes or catastrophic events. These are fortunately rare, but as the pandemic taught the City, they do happen. So, if the City is going to invest over $100 million dollars in a facility, the City wants the facility to be available to help the community when they need it most. Leasing out operations hampers those options significantly.  
• The City of Kirkland is a Full-Service City, which means that nearly all services (parks, police, fire, court, jail, planning, etc.) are operated by City departments and staff. It would be aligned with current City operations for the City to directly operate a potential aquatic and recreation facility.  The City of Sammamish is a Contract City, meaning they contract with King County and other outside providers for many services such as police and fire, therefore their contract with YMCA to run the aquatic and recreation center is aligned with their city's typical operations.

What is the future of the Peter Kirk Pool? Are there plans to remodel the pool or Peter Kirk Park?

At this time, there are no plans to demolish the Peter Kirk Pool or change current seasonal operations. Staff are currently evaluating smaller maintenance improvements for the pool to be implemented over the next few years. Creating a master plan for Peter Kirk Park is currently an unfunded project in the City’s Capital Improvement Program. There are no current active plans to remodel the park.

Will future city councils be required to fund the activities as described in Proposition 1? How can the City guarantee that the funds from the levy will be used as described?

According to state law, revenues from a levy lid lift (which is what Proposition 1 is) can only be used for the purposes as described in the ballot measure title. These purposes are further described in Ordinance O-4857. The City will make a Park Levy Fund to receive the Proposition 1 revenues and will not be able to spend Proposition 1 revenues on items or services that are not outlined in Proposition 1. For example, the Proposition 1 funds are directed to be spent on levy investments including aquatic and recreation center operations, year-round restrooms, park rangers, beach lifeguards, sport courts, teen services, parks maintenance, and green loop trail networks, and they would not be able to be spent other City services such as Fire and Police since the ballot measure title is focused on expanded aquatics, recreation, and parks facilities, operations, and programs.

How many people are on the waitlists for City of Kirkland aquatics programs?

At the end of the 2022 season, there were 10,850 waitlist entries for aquatics programs including swim lessons. Many individuals were waitlisted for multiple programs and there were 1,475 unique individuals on the 2022 aquatic waitlists.

At the end of the 2023 season, there were 10,107 waitlist entries for aquatics programs made by 1,449 unique individuals.

Note these numbers were run after the aquatics season ended each year. The total number of waitlist entries for an entire season is higher because individuals are removed from waitlists when they are offered a registration spot and either accept or decline it.

What percent of City of Kirkland recreation program slots are used by people who live in Kirkland?

In 2022, about 80% of total registered recreation program participants resided in Kirkland.

If you have an additional question not covered here, please email parksballot@kirklandwa.gov

The Parks Funding Exploratory Committee (PFEC) was re-established by City Council at their Special August 3, 2022 meeting to lead the community input process and provide recommendations for a potential ballot measure(s) to Kirkland City Council by 2023 including:

• Recommended capital investments
• Recommended operating investments
• Recommended funding mechanism(s) to cover increased costs

PFEC met approximately twice a month from September 2022 through February 2023. The committee's results were present to City Council in March 2023. Based on community input, City Council will make a final decision on ballot measure(s) by the summer of 2023.

PFEC is chaired by Councilmember Kelli Curtis and comprised of over 44 diverse stakeholders that have an interest in Kirkland’s parks and recreation services. PFEC members come from all walks of life and reflect the diversity of Kirkland, including with respect to race; ethnicity; gender; sexual orientation; gender identity; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; status as a homeowner or renter; neighborhood; family composition; languages spoken; policy perspective; and age.

Watch the PFEC Recommendations Video

• July 20, 2023: Council Places Park Ballot Measure Before Voters Media Release
• July 18, 2023: Ordinance O-4857 adopted by City Council submitting a levy lid lift proposition to expand aquatics, parks and recreation facilities, operations, and programs for the November 2023 ballot.
• June 6, 2023: Final Parks Funding Exploratory Committee Report(PDF, 63MB) accepted by City Council (Resolution 5584)
• May 16, 2023: Statistically Valid Survey Report(PDF, 1MB), Open-Link Community Survey Report(PDF, 2MB), Recreation & Aquatics Center Feasibility Study Addendum(PDF, 3MB), and PFEC Report Addendum(PDF, 2MB) presented to City Council.
• March 31, 2023: Final Recreation and Aquatics Center Feasibility Study Report
• March 21, 2023: Parks Funding Exploratory Committee Report presented to City Council
• September 2022 - March 2023: Parks Funding Exploratory Committee meetings

• September 20, 2022: Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan adopted by City Council
• August 3, 2022: Parks Funding Exploratory Committee established (Resolution 5551)
• May 17, 2022: Parks Facilities Feasibility Study Scope of Work presented to City Council
• May 17, 2022: ADA Title II Transition Plan for Parks and Community Services(PDF, 2MB) adopted by City Council
• March 1, 2022: City Work Program amended to include ballot exploration (Resolution 5514)

• May 2021: Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan kickoff and outreach including focus groups, community conversations, statistically valid survey and more. 

• February 2020: Regional Aquatics Facilities Exploration Report(PDF, 11MB)  presented to City Council 

• October 2018 - January 2019: Off-leash Dog Area Exploration

• May 2018: Memorandum of Understanding to work on a Regional Aquatics Facilities Exploration with the City of Redmond, City of Bellevue and King County(PDF, 2MB)   (R-5318)

• November 17, 2015: 2015 PROS Plan(PDF, 15MB) adopted by City Council

• March 2015: ARC Center Project Public Engagement Findings Report(PDF, 5MB)

• October 2014: Aquatics, Recreation & Community Center (ARC) Concept Plan Report(PDF, 8MB) 
• September 2014: Aquatics, Recreation & Community Center (ARC) Concept Plan Technical Report(PDF, 8MB)

Kirkland Aquatic, Recreation, and Community Center Background(PDF, 39KB)

• 2015: The ballot measure for a Metropolitan Park District and Aquatics, Recreation and Community Center (ARC) failed in November.     
• 2014: The Lake Washington School District Capital Facilities Bond Measure failed, leaving no options to repair or replace the Juanita Aquatic Center.
• 2013: Lake Washington School District announced potential to close the Juanita Aquatic Center. City Council approved pursuit of an indoor recreation facility on the work plan and potential sites were identified.
• 2012: Community approved the 2012 Parks Levy to provide for parks maintenance and capital investment.
• 2011: Parks Funding Exploratory Committee recommended investments in park maintenance and capital improvements. An indoor recreation and aquatics facility was tabled.
• 2007: Indoor Recreation Feasibility Study recommended a 93,000 square foot indoor recreation and aquatics center
• 2001: Indoor Recreation Needs Survey indicated community need for an indoor recreation and aquatics facility.