The City Council held its third ever "virtual" Council meeting on Tuesday, April 7. Below is a summary of some of the highlights from the meeting. You can view the entire meeting on the City website. 

Community Safety Advisory Group (ComSAG)

Staff presented Council with the full ComSAG report, along with a Resolution accepting the recommendation. The ComSAG’s recommendation to the Council came after five months of meetings to educate group members and discuss what elements of this potential ballot measure the ComSAG believes are most important for the City. The ComSAG is recommending two measures be placed on the November 3, 2020 ballot for Fire and Emergency Medical Services.

The Council discussed revisions to the resolution in response to COVID-19 and its impacts on the City and its first responders. City staff expects to present the revised Resolution during the Council meeting on Tuesday, April 21.

For more information on the ComSAG, please visit the ComSAG webpage.

Shoreline Master Program

The City Council approved the pending Shoreline Master Program (SMP) proposed code. The approval included two ordinances, one for the proposed changes to the Shoreline Policies located within the Comprehensive Plan (Ordinance O-4700), and the second covering the update to the Shoreline Regulations of Kirkland Zoning Code Chapter 83 (the Shoreline Master Program), along with several associated updates in the Zoning Code.  The decision by Council is the final recommendation from the City that will be transmitted to the Washington State Department of Ecology for final approval. 

The passing of the ordinance included direction from the Council for staff to establish a policy allowing the demolition of an existing boathouse to be deferred to a future update while the matter is studied. The next Periodic Update is scheduled for 2028.

For more information on the SMP update process, please visit the City's SMP Periodic Update webpage. 

Governor Inslee is offering a new Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant program to assist small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Up to $5 million in funds are provided through the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund and administered by the State Department of Commerce. The grant program will provide a limited number of businesses in Washington’s 39 counties with a grant up to $10,000. Applications are available here: http://startup.choosewashingtonstate.com/covid-grants/

You can find more resources for businesses on the City's COVID-19 Resources for Businesses webpage. 

The City of Kirkland traditionally celebrates those who volunteer their time with the City at an annual April event.  While COVID-19 response is precipitating a postponement of this event, we take this opportunity to share these volunteer stories of outstanding service to the community.  This is the first of three in a series which recognizes City of Kirkland volunteers who have during the recent year gone the extra mile.

Leadership Award 

This award is given to the volunteer who demonstrates ability to lead a group toward a goal; to provide guidance to others; to coordinate people and processes toward the attainment of a goal.

Nicole and Dustin Neurath, both pee wee soccer volunteer coaches for age divisions three-to-four years and five-to-six years, have been involved with pee wee sports for years and consistently create a positive experience for participating youth and families. Nicole is kind and positive and her practices are well thought out, ensuring each child learns soccer in a fun and safe environment. Dustin engages kids in fun, interactive ways using well-developed and high-energy practice drills and games.

Behind the Scenes Award 

This award is given to the individual or group who consistently fulfills their volunteer commitment, is supportive, reliable and can be counted on in a pinch.

Lauren Schulz is a consistently positive force in the City’s pee wee sports program. She helps children, ages three to six, to be successful and have fun, while supporting new coach volunteers. Lauren ensures that kids feel supported and cared for while learning basketball.  Her kindness and knowledge make her a great coach while inspiring others to positively impact our community.

Travis Merkel takes pride in his volunteer assignment. As a new Kirkland homeowner, he recognized an opportunity to better his neighborhood.  He has transformed a public area ravine—initially covered in invasive blackberry brambles and knotweed and previously used as an unsanctioned dump site. Following months of debris removal and invasives clearing, the ravine is now safer and looks like a park.

Kirkland Fire Milton ‘Bob’ Knight KECT Award 

This award, named after the founder of the Kirkland ham radio team, is given to the Kirkland Emergency Communications Team (KECT) volunteer member who has given selflessly of their time and knowledge, just as Bob Knight did.

Josh Saran is committed to building a strong, capable Kirkland Emergency Communications amateur ham radio team. Josh spends hours each month addressing technical equipment needs and supporting organizational team requirements. Josh mentors new radio operators and serves as a technical advisor to the Office of Emergency Management. Josh is passionate about the mission of amateur radio operations and helping the community.

Current Volunteer Opportunities 

Currently, schools are closed, and our children are home in response to Governor Inslee’s “stay home, stay healthy” order. During this public health emergency, our children and teens are spending a lot of time in the home. An estimated 13 million households with children in the U.S. have at least one gun. Not all these firearms are stored securely, with approximately 4.6 million children living in a household with at least one gun that is stored loaded and unlocked. Adults should always assume children and teens know where guns are stored, and it is our responsibility to keep them locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition.

Consistent with RCW 9.41.360, Unloaded firearms should be secured with a firearm locking device, such as a trigger guard lock or cable lock, or in a locked location, like a safe or lock box. Ammunition should be stored separately from the firearm in a secure location. Gun safes and gun lock boxes come in all sizes and are available with quick access entry codes if needed.

As parents and adults, we are doing everything possible to keep our children safe and healthy during this medical crisis. Let’s also do our best to keep our children safe while at home by not providing them access to a loaded firearm. The men and women of the Kirkland Police Department would like to thank you for your help and support during this time of crisis and want you to know we will be here when you call.

The 2019 Enhanced Police Services and Community Safety ballot measure approved by Kirkland voters included funds for gun safety measures. If you would like a free trigger lock for your weapon, please contact us at police@kirklandwa.gov.

A suspect has been arrested in conjunction with multiple reported vehicle prowls at the Kingsgate Park and Ride, located at 13001 116th Way NE in Kirkland. In February, multiple victims reported having their parked and unoccupied vehicles prowled. Some of the victims reported that the catalytic converters on their vehicles had also been removed. This resulted in victims having replacement bills that exceeded multiple thousands of dollars.

The Kirkland Police Pro-Act Team was assigned the cases for follow-up investigation with the hope that a suspect could be identified. During the month of March, numerous hours were dedicated to this investigation which subsequently lead to identifying the suspect. On April 5, the suspect was arrested in Duvall with the assistance of detectives from the King County Sheriff’s Office. His vehicle was seized at the time, as it was believed stolen property was possibly inside along with the reciprocating saw that he used to cut the catalytic converters from the vehicles.