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Mayor Penny Sweet would like to invite you to participate in all of the events being offered this Saturday, October 12 at City Hall for All.
School safety cameras at John Muir Elementary/Kamiakin Middle School, and Rose Hill Elementary will start issuing tickets as of Monday, October 14. During the month of September the school zone cameras have issued 3,624 warnings. Starting October 14 the fine for exceeding the school zone speed limit (20 mph) for speeds over 25 mph will be $136 per incident. Additionally, a graduated fine of $250 incident will be issued for speeds over 30 mph. Photo enforcement cameras will operate 30 minutes before and after the start of school and 30 minutes before and after the end of school.
The primary goal of the school safety camera pilot is to use the automated enforcement cameras to reduce speeds in school zones thereby reducing the risk of serious injuries or fatalities from collisions. Aside from the goal of traffic safety, the secondary goal of the project is to encourage people to use alternative modes to school, like walking or biking, rather than automobiles. Please watch the video below for more information or visit the School Safety Camera Pilot FAQ on the City website.
If you're interested in sharing your input on investments the City could make in creating safer routes to schools visit the City's website.
This week you may have noticed hundreds of brightly colored flags have popped up at Juanita Beach Park and Hazen Hills Park. No, the flags aren't marking some sort of buried treasure, they're marking something much more nefarious... un-scooped dog poop. As part of a project aimed at protecting the health of humans, pets and the environment, City staff have placed yellow survey flags to indicate where un-scooped dog poop was discovered during a 3-week observation period in September.
Along the shoreline of Juanita Beach, City staff marked 66 instances of un-scooped poop, with another 105 cases on the north side of the park. A total of 94 cases were documented at Hazen Hills Park in the Evergreen Hill neighborhood.
Kirkland’s estimated 20,000 dogs generate almost 6,000 pounds of dog poop every day. Dog poop contains harmful bacteria and germs that can spread disease to other dogs and wildlife. When it rains, dog poop washes away to the nearest storm drain, stream, creek, or lake. The bacteria in dog poop can harm water quality and can make our favorite places to swim and play unsafe.
The easiest and most effective way to prevent the spread of disease and water pollution is to scoop the poop, bag it, and put it in the trash.
To aid in this effort, the City has installed six new dog poop bag dispensers alongside trash cans in Juanita Beach Park and Hazen Hills Park.
City staff will continue to monitor these areas to see if outreach efforts and the installation of the new dispensers leads to a decrease in un-scooped dog waste in the two parks. All of these efforts are funded through a grant from the King Conservation District to help improve water quality.
Sign the pledge to be a Super Scooper and receive a FREE poop-scooping toolkit!
For more information, visit www.kirklandwa.gov/petwaste.
On Saturday, October 19 you’re invited to join the Kirkland City Council and the Green Kirkland Partnership in celebrating the thousands of native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers that volunteers plant across the more than 500 acres of natural areas in Kirkland every year.
Green Kirkland Day is an annual volunteer event that kicks off the planting season while also recognizing the tremendous contribution thousands of Green Kirkland Partnership volunteers make each year. Green Kirkland Day features events at five parks, including North Rose Hill Woodlands, Watershed, Juanita Bay East, Edith Moulton, and Rose Hill Meadows Park. A Kirkland City Councilmember will attend each event to welcome and thank the volunteers that are responsible for planting native trees, shrubs and ground covers; removing invasive plant species; and spreading wood chip mulch. No experience is necessary, and we encourage volunteers of all ages to join us. Register to volunteer at the event online at www.greenkirkland.org.
“Last year alone, Green Kirkland Partnership volunteers donated over 10,000 hours of volunteer time and planted over 4000 native plants,” said Lynn Zwaagstra, Director of Parks and Community Services for the City of Kirkland. “Green Kirkland Day is an opportunity to thank our volunteers, celebrate Kirkland’s natural areas and have fun with family and friends in the outdoors.”
Volunteers are encouraged to dress for the weather in clothes that you don't mind getting dirty (warm layers and rain gear are encouraged), wear close-toed shoes, and bring a filled water bottle. Tools, training, and gloves will be provided. Lunch will also be provided courtesy of our sponsors: REI, CLIF Bar, PCC Kirkland, and Forterra. More information about volunteering is available on the Green Kirkland Partnership website. This event is made possible by King Conservation District and EarthCorps.
Each week we will provide an ongoing list of Kirkland’s capital projects that will affect traffic. We will list new projects first.
Elementary School Walk Route Enhancements – Northeast 104th Street
Kirkland’s School Walk Routes contractor plans this week to continue directing traffic onto one lane of Northeast 104th Street, between 126th and 132nd avenues northeast. A-1 Landscaping and Construction will operate the lane-closure from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. while its crews build a new sidewalk that will enable Mark Twain Elementary School students to walk to school.
Totem Lake Gateway Project
Night construction continues on the first in a series of projects that will complement the pedestrian plazas and streetscapes established by The Village at Totem Lake. From now until late October, Marshbank Construction will be building the outfall for a stormwater system that will collect rain water runoff from 36 acres along Totem Lake Boulevard and the Cross Kirkland Corridor. The system will then direct that stormwater into Totem Lake. For more information, visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/totemlakegateway
Goat Hill Stormwater Upgrade
Commuters traveling along Juanita Drive should continue to expect traffic delays near Juanita Beach Park until early November while Kirkland’s contractor wraps up a vital upgrade to the Goat Hill stormwater system. Grade Incorporated’s construction crews will be using heavy machinery to transport the 30-inch stormwater pipe across Juanita Drive and, once completely installed, will repave the trench. Flaggers will direct traffic through the work zone, when necessary.
Third Street Water Main Upgrade
Kirkland’s Third Street water main contractor continues this week to upgrade the Third Street water main. Shoreline Construction expects intermittent closures of Third Street between Central Way and 5th Avenue, and will also close one lane of Central Way, at its intersection with Third Street when necessary. During lane closures on Central Way at Third Street, a uniformed police officer will control traffic at the intersection. Flaggers and detour signs will direct traffic around the work zone during road closures along Third Street. Final paving of the street is scheduled for the end of October. For more information, visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/thirdstreetwater.
124th Avenue Northeast Sidewalk
Kirkland’s contractor will complete the new sidewalks in October along the west side of 124th Avenue Northeast, between Northeast 90th and 108th streets. That will leave three sections yet to be completed—between Northeast 100th and 104th streets—by private developers. When complete, the sidewalk will create a continuous walkway between South Rose Hill and Totem Lake. For more information, visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/124thavenue.
Sixth Street Improvements
The Everest community and the City of Kirkland will be celebrating on October 23 the completion of the Sixth Street corridor’s last major capital construction project. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. on Ninth Avenue South.
Kirkland’s Contractor, Lakeside Industries, will be working along Sixth Street between Fourth Avenue and Northeast 68th Street, re-installing the utility lids for the water and sewer mains previously upgraded underneath the street. Work for this task will occur between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The contractor is planning to re-stripe the arterial’s travel lanes overnight when conditions are right. We cannot provide an exact time for this task, but the City expects it to occur within the next two weeks. Once the road is permanently striped, the City will activate the new four-way traffic signals at Sixth Street and Ninth Avenue South. For more information, visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/6thstreet.
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Citywide Connections Map Study Session
Tuesday, October 15. 6:00 p.m.
City Hall Council Chamber
Staff will provide an update to the City Council regarding the Citywide Connections Map civic conversation. More information will be available Friday, October 11 in the Council packet.
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Access City Services on a Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m.
Once again this year community members will be able to access City services such as pet licensing, paying utility bills, and passport applications on a Saturday. Services will be available from 12 top 4 p.m. with the final passport applicant taken at 3:45 p.m. More information on applying for a passport is available on the City website.
Truck-a-palooza! 12 to 2 p.m.
Come down and see trucks! trucks! trucks! from 12 to 2 p.m. in the City Hall north parking lot. We'll have fire trucks, police vehicles, garbage trucks, plows, excavators, gators and more! Kids of all ages will have the opportunity to get a picture taken sitting on a fire engine, explore a police cruiser, and experience all types of City vehicles. There will be fun giveaways for the kids!
Sustainability Fair 1 to 4 p.m.
The Peter Kirk Room (off the south entrance of City Hall) will transform into a sustainability extravaganza from 1 to 4 p.m. We will have tips on all types of things you can do to make your home more sustainable---from solar panels to rain gardens to proper recycling techniques. Come and get information on how you might be able to access funds to build a rain garden or special financing for energy efficiency or solar projects. We'll also have a smorgasbord of FREE give-a-ways, including a bag of compost, courtesy of the City of Kirkland (while supplies last).
Sustainability Summit 2 to 5 p.m.
We want to hear from you! Join us for a continuation of the civic conversation on a range of topics related to sustainability. This highly interactive discussion will cover how to encourage students to bike, walk, and bus to school, environmental sustainability, and more. You can drop-in for one topic or stay for the entire time. This is a great opportunity to share your input in a casual environment on a multitude of issues that impact our community. If you attended the June Sustainability Forum or the July Sustainability Focus Groups, you can find out and provide feedback about what's next for the City’s Sustainability Master Plan. If you're interested in attending, please RSVP so that we can have enough materials for everyone.
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Pee Wee Monster Bash
North Kirkland Community Center
Friday, October 25, 10 a.m. to noon
Gather up your ghastly ghouls, miniature monsters and caped crusaders for the Kirkland Parks and Community Services Department’s annual costumed Pee Wee Monster Bash!
The 2019 Pee Wee Monster Bash is for preschoolers age one through 5. Your tiny tykes will love our clever collection of kooky Halloween-themed carnival activities, including a cookie walk, swamp fishing for tasty treats, crafts, a monster movement maze, story time and more! Admission to this open house-style event is $15 and kooky costumes are welcome. Please leave your strollers at home so there’s more room for exploration and fun.
Toy prizes will be awarded to all attendees!
This event sells out, so pre-registration is strongly encouraged. For more information about the Pee Wee Monster Bash or to register, please visit the City website.
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