The next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 10, and it will be the final City Council meeting of the year. Though newly elected Councilmembers typically start their service after January 1, this year will be a little unique. Councilmember Kelli Curtis was selected in Feburary 2019 by the City Council to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of former Mayor Amy Walen. Curtis is serving in the role until the election results are certified this month.
Councilmember-elect Neal Black ran for the seat currently occupied by Curtis this fall. The December 10 meeting will be Councilmember-elect Neal Black's first meeting serving on the Kirkland City Council.
However you may recall that Councilmember Curtis ran for election unopposed this fall. She will be returning to the City Council in her new position at their first meeting of 2020 on Tuesday, January 7.
All of this explanation is a long way to say, welcome Councilmember-elect Neal Black, and we hope that Councilmember Kelli Curtis enjoys her short winter break!
Stay tuned, we'll be providing more information about our newly elected Councilmembers in future editions of This Week in Kirkland.
|
The City of Kirkland wants to make walking and biking safer, easier, and more accessible for everyone. Safe and active transportation enables people of all ages and abilities/disabilities to get where they need to go safely and efficiently. We need to hear from you! Your thoughts will help the City update our Active Transportation Plan and develop Safer Routes to School Action Plans. These plans guide the City's future investments in transportation infrastructure.
Take our short survey today!
The City Council continued their robust discussion of the citywide transportation connections map during their meeting on Tuesday, November 19. Earlier this year, the City Council directed staff to create a single, citywide transportation connections map that shows all the potential street and pathway connections, and to create the map in consultation with Kirkland’s residents, businesses, and other stakeholders. Over the past several months, hundreds of community members have taken the time to share their input on various proposed connections. The City sincerely appreciates everyone that took the time to engage in this community conversation.
During the meeting the City Council took several actions to move the map closer to its final version, including:
- Further exploring a pedestrian connection/bridge along NE 132nd St and considering gaining additional engineering analysis about this connection;
- Expanding the Goat Hill Emergency Response Time Study scope to include long-term maintenance and improvements to the existing access streets; and
- Several additional smaller-scale adjustments to the connections map.
Based on direction from the City Council, City staff will return to Council with a final draft map for Council’s review and adoption at its December 10, 2019, meeting. You can view all of the actions taken on this agenda item on the City website (this topic starts at approximately 2:08:03 in the recording). For more information on this civic conversation visit the citywide connections map webpage.
|
The Community Safety Advisory Group (ComSAG) met again last week to continue discussing a potential fire ballot measure for November 2020. At this stage the ComSAG is focused on learning everything they can about the operations of the Kirkland Fire Department including needed station renovations and firefighter health and safety. The ComSAG meets this Thursday, November 21 to tour Station 22, Station 26, and Station 25. Community members that are interested in learning along with the ComSAG will be able to access materials online on the City website after the meetings. You can watch last week’s presentation on station renovations, and firefighter health and safety on the City's YouTube channel.
The Community Safety Advisory Group (ComSAG) will meet for the duration of 2019 through March 2020 to review options to improve response times, keep stations seismically sound, and improve firefighter health and safety. The ComSAG will review investments to accomplish goals such as fire station seismic renovation, expansion, additional firefighter staffing, potential training facilities, and funding mechanisms for a November 2020 ballot measure for Fire and Emergency Medical Services. The ComSAG's recommendation to the Council will be presented March of 2020.
After years of dormancy, Village at Totem Lake developer CenterCal Properties LLC is breathing new life into the now-burgeoning region of north Kirkland known as Totem Lake.
Not only have they set out to craft an innovative, unique and thriving district that blends shopping, dining, entertainment and housing, they are placing Kirkland, Washington on a distinct and exclusive map of places around the world with permanent art installments by world famous Polish artist Mirek Struzik. The art installment, which will feature a cluster of three stainless steel dandelions reaching 14 and 16 feet in height, is slated for the vibrant public plaza and outdoor park area situated adjacent to the upcoming Cinemark multiplex theater.
The Village at Totem Lake will be the first location in the United States to feature Struzik’s art.
“We thought that this would be a really unique opportunity to bring a world-renowned artist into Kirkland,” said CenterCal Development Associate Elizabeth Clipp Martin at a recent Council meeting.
Meant to instill feelings of nostalgia while sparking hope, dreams, conversations and whimsy, the dandelions are light, airy and striking in appearance, and will be lit at night for added allure. The goal is memorable placemaking, and CenterCal’s vision is that “meet me at the dandelions,” will be a phrase commonly repeated by Kirkland community members, families and guests.
The art is funded in part through a City commitment in the redevelopment agreement for the Totem Lake Mall, in which it obligated $100,000 for public art in the plaza. That funding has been enhanced by CenterCal, which is nearly matching the City’s investment with an additional $79,000. In addition to the funding obligation, the redevelopment agreement stipulates that CenterCal coordinate the selection of the artwork with the City Council and the Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission (KCAC).
To fulfil that part of the agreement, Martin presented at a recent KCAC meeting, gaining important feedback which helped inform CenterCal’s vision for the project. In a highly collaborative conversation, KCAC members gave various suggestions they felt would help elevate the project and truly create an artistic destination. CenterCal not only listened but made numerous revisions to its original proposal.
“That meeting was incredibly valuable,” Martin said.
The KCAC is a volunteer board of community members dedicated to preserving, maintaining and enhancing artistic presence in the Kirkland community. The KCAC advises on key art projects throughout the City and makes recommendations to the City Council on various public art installments. The group is made up of artists, art curators, community members and art advocates – all who enjoy deep and meaningful bonds with their work on the commission and Kirkland as a whole.
Kirkland has an incredibly educated art community and their feedback was fantastic, Martin reiterated to the Council.
CenterCal is beginning construction on the public plaza now, which is part of the Village at Totem Lake’s second phase of development. The dandelions feature has been commissioned and the dandelions are scheduled to be installed in spring of 2020. Once the park is complete, in roughly May of 2020, the community will be invited to a special “reveal” event!
 |
|
Each week we will provide an ongoing list of Kirkland’s capital projects that will affect traffic. We will list new projects first.
No impacts this week.
When possible we will also provide information on special events that are impacting traffic.
The 19th Annual Turkey Trot 5K Family Fun Run & Walk takes place 8 a.m. on Sunday, November 24 in Marina Park. The course stretches from Marina Park to Carillon Point and back again.
𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀:
Kirkland Avenue from Lake Street to the water, Lakeshore Plaza and the parking lot from Market Street to Kirkland Avenue will be CLOSED from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Eastbound Central Way will close briefly for the Kids Dash at 8:30 a.m. and at the 9 a.m. race start (the road will reopen by roughly 9:10 a.m., once all the runners and walkers are on the course)
𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟴:𝟯𝟬 𝗮.𝗺. 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟭:𝟯𝟬 𝗮.𝗺. 𝗮𝘁:
Northbound Lake Washington Blvd at Lakeview Drive
Southbound Lake Street at Kirkland Avenue
𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚: 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙇𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩/𝙇𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙡𝙫𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨
Thank you for your patience during this annual event! For more information about the Turkey Trot, please visit: https://www.hopelink.org/event/19th-annual-turkey-trot.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
During the month of November, the collection of extra yard waste will be free for single family residences in Kirkland.
Please help us prevent flooding in your neighborhood by cleaning leaves off storm drains and out of streets. Fallen leaves pile up on storm drains and on our streets, blocking rainwater from draining, which can lead to localized flooding. City crews work hard to keep storm drains clear of leaves, but with over 12,000 drains in Kirkland, we could use your help!
|
|
|
|
 |
|
City Hall Closed November 29 and 29 for Thanksgiving Holiday |
 |
|
Kirkland Winterfest
Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Marina Park 40 Lake Shore Plz, Kirkland, Washington
The Kirkland Downtown Association presents, Kirkland Wintefest! Join our community for our annual tree lighting! As per usual, we will have a sledding hill (with real snow!), bonfires, vendors, food trucks, live music, pictures with Santa, and of course THE HOLIDAY TREE!
|
 |
|
Google Lights
Friday, December 13, 2019 at 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Google Inc., 747 6th St S
Be the first group to see Google turn on their 25,000 Christmas lights with choreographed music at the Kirkland campus. Free hot cocoa and cookies to first 2,000 people.
Please bring unwrapped toys to donate to Lifewire
and nonperishables for Hopelink!
Brought to you by Google, SRM development, the Kirkland Downtown Association, and City of Kirkland.
We encourage walking to this event on the Cross Kirkland Corridor, taking the metro, carpooling or biking. Parking is limited.
Google lights is ongoing until Christmas. Take a stroll on the CKC anytime to see the Google lights.
|
|
