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February 15, 2024
The podcast is an amazing journey through the world of Kirkland. Check it out.
The next meeting of the Kirkland City Council is on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. This will be a hybrid meeting, and community members are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via Zoom.
Here’s a brief overview of some of the items on the Business Agenda for the February 20 meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m.:
Council will receive a briefing on a draft bond ordinance intended to fund the Transportation Benefit District capital projects and construction and renovation to Fire Stations 27, 21, and 26.
Council will receive an update on and will consider adopting the 2024-2026 Planning Work Program (PWP). The PWP guides the Planning and Building Department’s work over the next three years on long-range planning projects that will help shape the future of Kirkland.
Council will receive a briefing on the outreach findings from the Juanita and Kingsgate Neighborhood Plan update process and will provide direction for further study of the community-initiated land use change requests in the Juanita neighborhood.
Council will receive an update to the City’s 2024 State Legislative Agenda.
Prior to the above business agenda, the Council will also hold a Study Session starting at 5:30 p.m., where they will discuss:
- Downtown Parking Study
- Kirkland Teen Union Building operations
How to watch: Kirkland City Council meetings are streamed live and can be watched after the fact on the City of Kirkland Facebook page and the City YouTube channel, in addition to the livestream on the City website. Meetings are also televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31.
How to participate: Members of the public wishing to address the Council may do so in-person or via Zoom during the “Items from the Audience” part of the agenda. That part of the agenda occurs at the beginning of the Council’s business meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. Information on the comment sign up process to provide comment to the City Council, and on attending the meeting virtually, is available on the City Council webpage.
Written comments can also be submitted to CityCouncil@kirklandwa.gov. For additional questions, please call the City Clerk’s Office at (425) 587-3190.
Help Shape Kirkland’s 2024 Stormwater Management Program Plan
We all want to keep our waters clean both for the animals who live there as well as people who enjoy playing at Lake Washington. Kirkland's creeks, wetlands, and lakes are home to lots of wildlife! Rain carries pollution from our streets directly into the closest lake, stream or wetland, where it can affect fish and wildlife.
You are invited to comment on Kirkland’s 2024 Draft Stormwater Management Program Plan by February 23. The 2024 Draft Stormwater Management Program Plan describes actions that the City of Kirkland takes to reduce stormwater pollution and protect our creeks and lakes.
- finding + cleaning up spills
- preventing pollution
- public involvement
Talk to Us About Transportation – Using Our New Mapping Tool
Whether you walk, drive, bike, or bus it, we all want to travel through Kirkland quickly and safely. Help us prioritize our list of transportation projects to improve traffic and safety in the City over the next 20 years!
Give us your thoughts on sidewalks, bike lanes, transit, intersections and more, by using our new Kirkland Transportation Project Engagement Map tool to offer ideas, comments, and suggestions on proposed City projects.
The mapping feedback tool will be available until February 29, 2024: https://dks.mysocialpinpoint.com/kirkland/map#
How can I contact the City with questions, requests, or suggestions?
You can always contact City staff through the Our Kirkland service portal, available on the web and mobile app. Submitting your comments through Our Kirkland ensures the right staff receives the information and can follow up with you.
In honor of Presidents' Day, City administrative offices are closed on Monday, February 19, 2024. City services normally accessible through email, the Our Kirkland service portal and over the phone will resume 8 a.m., Tuesday, February 20.
Fire, police, and other critical services will remain fully operational.
For a full list of 2024 City Hall Holiday Closures, visit the City’s website.
While the November 2023 parks ballot measure did not pass, the City Council and staff continue to hear that expanding swim opportunities is still important to the Kirkland community. The City is working to understand and balance community needs and priorities for community pools in Kirkland.
To support this, the City has published an online survey related to the Parks Prop 1 measure from November 2023 and the community’s needs and desires related to a community pool. Community members can access the survey now through Monday, February 26 at 8 a.m.
In addition to the survey, the City is hosting three small-group feedback sessions on February 26, 27, and 28, regarding the 2023 Proposition 1 ballot measure. The intent of these sessions is to understand the reasons community members supported or opposed the measure. These sessions will be held in-person at Kirkland City Hall, and interested community members can sign up to attend at www.kirklandwa.gov/ParksBallot.
Feedback from the community survey and feedback sessions will help inform the City Council’s decision on whether to continue to explore a community pool as they work to balance community needs and priorities.
We all want the highest quality employees keeping Kirkland such an amazing place to live, work, and play. To support this, the City of Kirkland has launched a pioneering childcare initiative that will help ensure that the City is attracting and retaining the best and brightest.
Read more.
Community members now have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27 to apply to serve on a City advisory board or commission. These groups advise the City Council, come up with new ideas, take public comment, and provide formal recommendations on topics like Cultural Arts, Human Services, Tourism, Transportation and more.
Kirkland’s Community Resource Officers are assigned to various learning communities to help keep students safe and build meaningful relationships with students and families. February 15 is School Resource Officer Appreciation Day, and we’re grateful for all they do every day to support our young people. Thank you CRO’s!
Emergency preparedness can expand outside your family - get to know your neighbors and find out how you can better support each other! Check out the latest video from the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and see how community members in Kirkland get prepared!
Kirkland’s green spaces don’t just restore themselves! Join the fun and dedicated team of 50+ Green Kirkland Stewards and help engage your community in the restoration of natural area parkland in Kirkland.
Stewards are ongoing volunteers who share their love of green spaces by leading volunteers in restoration projects in their local parks with support and training from the Parks Department.
What you could be part of as a Green Kirkland Steward:
We had a ‘tree-mendous’ 2023 thanks to our dedicated volunteers, Parks staff, and partners in the Green Kirkland Partnership! 56 Green Kirkland Stewards hosted over 200 stewardship events across 24 parks. Over 1,800 volunteers contributed a whopping 7,897 hours of service and nearly half of our volunteers were youth under 18!
With your help, over 10 acres of natural area were newly enrolled in restoration and 9,700 new native plants were installed. This brings our enrollment to 325 acres of 512 total acres of natural area parkland enrolled in restoration in Kirkland parks.
Thank you for being part of positive change in your parks!
Over the past three months, scammers have reportedly stolen more than $600,000 in bitcoin/crypto currency from Kirkland community members. Kirkland Police reminds you to be vigilant when strangers demand money via crypto. Thieves will pose as government agencies, or company representatives, to commit these frauds. Be aware!
When you charge your phone or plug in the coffeemaker, you probably don’t worry about starting a fire. But it could happen. Kirkland Fire Department shares these safety tips to help prevent electrical fires:
- Plug only one heat-producing appliance – like a coffee maker, toaster, or space heater - into an outlet at a time.
- Major appliances like refrigerators, dryers, washers, stoves, air conditioners and microwaves should be plugged directly into a wall outlet – not an extension cord or power strip.
- Check electrical cords to make sure they’re not running across doorways or under carpets. Do not tape electrical cords down.
- Do not use extensions cords as substitutes for permanent wiring.
- Plug multi-plug adapters directly into an outlet - never into an extension cord or another adapter.
- Use light bulbs with the right number of watts for fixtures.
- Use ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), which shut off an electrical circuit when it becomes a shock hazard. GFCIs should be installed in bathrooms, kitchens, garages and basements.
Electrical warning signs to watch for:
- Frequent blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers
- Tingling feeling when you touch an appliance
- Discolored or warm power outlets
- Burning or rubbery smell coming from an appliance
- Flickering or dimming lights
- Sparks from an outlet
And any time you need electrical work done, make sure it’s by a qualified electrician! You can verify an electrician's licensing information on the State of Washington's Labor and Industries website.
Have a business idea? Hone your idea and your pitching skills with our Business Workshops and Pitch Competition. Apply by Feb 16:http://tinyurl.com/ypxfz4sp
Lake Street Pedestrian Scramble
Puget Sound Energy continues five weeks of utility relocations this week in the Kirkland Avenue and Lake Street intersection.
Crews will be working from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. to relocate Puget Sound Energy’s existing electrical vault on the southwest corner of the intersection.
Most of the work will take place on the southwest corner of the intersection. However, the relocation could require some work on the southeast corner, as well as one night of work in Kirkland Avenue’s intersection with Main Street. That night is March 19 to March 20.
5th Ave S Water Main
Fifth Avenue South, between Sixth and Seventh streets south remains closed this week while a Kirkland contractor upgrades the water main beneath the street. Eighth Street South is open, but reduced to one lane, with alternative traffic.
The path that links Seventh and Eighth streets south remains closed, as well.
Kirkland’s Fifth Avenue South and Eighth Street South water main contractor closed the pedestrian path that links Eighth Street South to Seventh Street South. Strickland and Sons will re-open the path in the spring when its crews complete the water main upgrades.
Additional Construction Projects
Find out about additional construction projects here.
Jaya Ramesh and Priya Saaral, Authors of “Parenting at the Intersections: Raising Neurodivergent Children of Color”
Date: Tuesday, February 27
Location: Kingsgate Library, 12315 NE 143rd St
What if parenting were an act of social justice? Local authors, therapists and parents Jaya Ramesh and Priya Saaral discuss parenting children of color with neurodivergence within the context of various interlocking systems of oppression in their book, "Parenting at the Intersections: Raising Neurodivergent Children of Color".
Reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities is available by request. Email access@kcls.org at least seven days before the event. Automated closed captioning is always available for online events.
FREE CPR Class - FULL
Date: Wednesday, February 21
Location: Kirkland Fire Station 22, Multi-purpose Room
Come and learn at a free, in-person CPR class for community members. The Kirkland Fire Department is partnering with the Medic One Foundation (MOF) to provide free CPR classes in Kirkland on a regular basis. The February class is full, but check back to see when our next CPR class in Kirkland will be!
Wheels and Reels
Enjoy a night under the stars at our 2024 Winter Drive-In Movie Series at Juanita Beach Park!
- February 24 – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PG-13)
- March 23 – Super Mario Bros (PG)
- April 13 – The Little Mermaid (2023) (PG)
The parking lot opens at 6pm and the movie starts at 7pm. Registration is required - $20 per vehicle.
All ages are welcome, bring the whole family. To register and for more information please visit https://bit.ly/3RB5fHV or call 425-587-3336. Events will be held rain or shine – no refunds. No RV’s, limos, buses or alcohol.
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This Black History Month, we take time to celebrate the extraordinary achievements and contributions made by Black people to our community and beyond. Check out a video from the Africans on the Eastside Fashions Night Out event from August 2023.