Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. Who doesn’t love a holiday that is focused on bringing family and friends together to give thanks and enjoy delicious food, and maybe, a great glass of wine. In the spirit of the holiday, I wanted to share with you five things that I’m thankful for this year.
1. The opportunity to serve you as Mayor.
It has been an incredible honor to serve as your Mayor this year. Being Mayor has given me the opportunity to connect with so many more members of our community-- from participating in the Tolling of the Boats ceremony to honor submarines and crewmembers lost at sea, to numerous ribbons cuttings welcoming new businesses to our community, to seeing hundreds of smiling children at our first annual Truck-a-palooza. Having the opportunity to get to know so many incredible members of our community has been the best part about being your Mayor.
2. Our incredibly engaged community!
Did you know that some elected officials in other cities actually lament the lack of engagement in their community? I am so thankful that we don’t have that problem here in Kirkland! Thousands of you took the time to engage with us on a variety of topics this year, including off-leash dogs areas, the development of our Citywide Connections Map, community policing, and the creation of our first ever Sustainability Master Plan.
In addition to providing input to help shape our city’s future, thousands of community members volunteer every year to do tasks such as removing invasive species, cleaning trash, or coaching youth sports. This year alone we had 47 Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) graduates. Each of these individuals completed a 26-hour course so that they would be prepared to help themselves and their communities during an emergency. Additionally, over 5,000 of you gave your time as a City volunteer. Your efforts helped someone in need, improved our parks, made our city run smoother, or made our community safer. I am grateful for all of you.
3. My amazing colleagues on the City Council and our dedicated City staff.
It has been my privilege to serve with such a dedicated group of elected officials and City staff. The hard work, commitment, and fellowship of every member of the Council is inspiring. I want would like to extend a special thanks to Councilmembers Tom Neir and Dave Asher, who are both retiring from the City Council this December.
I also want to thank every member of our City staff. I am grateful daily for the support of our City Manager Kurt Triplett, and am constantly impressed by the dedication of our City staff. I am also especially grateful for the service of our first responders and public works crews. Many of our firefighters, police officers and public works crew members will be working this holiday, sacrificing time with their families and friends so that we can be safe.
4. Our thriving business community.
It’s been incredible to watch our city grow and thrive over the 35 years I’ve had the pleasure of calling Kirkland my home and where we run our business. This year was truly special watching the transformations at Kirkland Urban and the Village at Totem Lake. I am grateful for every business that chooses to make Kirkland their home, and I’m looking forward to doing some holiday shopping at our local merchants for Small Business Saturday on December 30.
5. Being a part of this amazing community that is undoubtedly the best place to live, work, and play.
We are so blessed to be able to call Kirkland home. I am thankful for every day that I get to spend in this beautiful city. It’s the people, and our collective commitment to caring for each other, that make this such a special place. I hope that every one of you has a safe and joyous Thanksgiving holiday.
Best,
Mayor Penny Sweet
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This week kicks off the holiday travel season. The Kirkland Police Department would like to share the following tips to help protect your home when you're traveling:
- Keep a low profile on social media. Don’t tip criminals off by sharing too much information.
- Prepare your home for safety while away. Lock all doors, windows, and close blinds.
- Keep an exterior light on or sensor light.
- Hold your mail and newspapers.
- Get a home monitoring system.
- Leave a key with family or a trusted neighbor.
Safe travels!
As we busily prepare to host friends and family for home-cooked Thanksgiving Day feasts, the Kirkland Fire Department Prevention Bureau would like to share some holiday cooking tips to help keep everybody safe. More cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day, so please use caution as you create your holiday meals.
Here are our top five tips for having a safe and fun holiday!
1. Avoid turkey fryers
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is of the opinion that turkey fryers that use cooking oil, as currently designed, are not safe, even when used by the most well-informed and careful consumers. The NFPA urges people who prefer fried turkey to seek out professional cooking services, available through grocery stores and restaurants, or consider an “oil less” turkey fryer.
2. Stay focused
The leading cause of kitchen fires is unattended cooking! The more alert you are, the better. While it’s tempting to imbibe in delicious holiday drinks throughout the day, consider limiting your alcohol intake until after the cooking is complete. The same goes for medications that might make you drowsy.
3. Remain in the kitchen
Always remember to stay in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling or broiling, and be diligent about using timers so that nothing gets forgotten on the stove. If you are technologically inclined, a quick conversation with Apple’s famous virtual assistant “Siri” will have your timer set without you ever having to push a button.
4. Keep flammable materials away from heat
Keep anything that can catch fire, including oven mitts, towels, paper products and food packaging, away from burners, crockpots and other heat sources. Also, forgo your gorgeous flowing holiday outfits until after the meal has been prepared. Loose sleeves and dangling scarves can catch fire easily if they contact a gas flame or an electric burner.
5. What to do if you have a cooking fire
Fire needs air to breathe! If you experience a small grease fire in a pan, smother the flames by placing a lid on the pan. Never pour water on a grease fire in a cooking pan. Denying it oxygen is your best bet for swiftly stifling the flames. In the case of an oven fire, turn off the heat and close the door until the fire is out, and make sure to have the unit serviced before using it again.
When in doubt, just get out! And remember to close the door behind you to help contain the fire. Once outside, call 9-1-1 from your cell phone.
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
License your pet today at http://bit.ly/KirklandPetLicense!
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City Hall will be closed November 29 and 30 for Thanksgiving Holiday
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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!
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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.
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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!
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