The City will not publish a special edition newsletter on Friday, April 17.  For more information on the City's continued response to COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 information webpage. If you need access to resources, visit the resources for Kirkland residents and resources for Kirkland businesses webpages. 

If you are interested in learning about ways to serve the community during this time of need, visit our ways to help webpage. 

Enjoy the sunny weather this weekend and remember, always practice social distancing in City parks and public areas by staying at least 6 feet away from others. 

In honor of Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week, the City celebrates the important work of Animal Control Officer (ACO) Jennifer Matison.

The City’s Animal Services Program is part of the Kirkland Police Department and is dedicated to serving Kirkland residents and their four-legged family members. One of the cornerstone benefits of the program is its ability to reunify lost pets with their owners through their pet licenses, which are required by law in Kirkland. The fees from your pet license sustain the Animal Services Program, allowing the City to provide animal control services, animal sheltering and care for strays.

Most importantly, pet licenses provide identification information, allowing us to swiftly reunify lost family pets once they are found.   

Hard at work since the City’s Animal Services program launched in 2018, Officer Matison’s diverse work history and education make her a perfect fit for the Animal Control Officer position. She has worked in the veterinary field as a surgical assistant, has experience as a corrections officer and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She is deeply passionate about animal welfare and has a keen knack for making fast friends with Kirkland’s population of furry four-legged critters and their humans.

In 2019, Officer Matison responded to a total of 887 calls for service and returned 49 lost animals to their owners. She attended 56 community events and meetings, each to provide education and outreach about pet licensing and domestic animal concerns. She responded to 27 dog bite complaints, 41 barking dog complaints and handled various cases of suspected neglect and hoarding, always working to balance the needs of the animals with compassion for the circumstances.  

And don’t think that Officer Matison’s job is all fluffy puppies and purring felines. Whether a deserted six-foot snake, turtles, a potentially vicious dog or a rowdy batch of kittens rescued from an alleged hoarding situation, it is up Officer Matison to respond and address the situation in a way that ensures community safety.

Join us in thanking ACO Matison for her service to the community!

NOTE: Any pet owners that license their pets during the COVID-19 emergency proclamation will have all late fees waived. Pet owners will also not have to provide proof of rabies vaccination if they do not have it available at the time of licensing. These temporary changes are to help make it easier for people to license their pets during this challenging time.

City of Kirkland contractors are working to expedite projects during Gov. Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order to capitalize on limited traffic flows in the Totem Lake region at this time and minimize later impacts on commuters. For updates and news about Totem Lake, please visit the Totem Lake information page on the City website.

The 2020 edition of Totem Lake magazine is now available! This 28-page publication includes feature stories about Totem Lake Park, the Totem Lake Connector and progress reports on 23 capital and private development projects that, together, are implementing the vision of Totem Lake as a walkable, vibrant and green urban village. 

Totem Lake Boulevard

To expedite the installation of a retaining wall along Totem Lake Boulevard, a Kirkland contractor is closing all but one of the arterial's five lanes. 

As a result, commuters will have access to one of the Boulevard's southbound lanes until May 4 or until Gov. Jay Inslee ends the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” proclamation. Marshbank Construction, the contractor, has established a detour for northbound Totem Lake Boulevard traffic. 

The extra lane is allowing Marshbank’s crews to work more efficiently while they rebuild the street and install a new retaining wall that will help support the road. Marshbank's crews are also closing two lanes along 120th Avenue Northeast and Totem Lake Way while they rebuild the sidewalk and roadway. The sidewalk on the southeast side of the road is closed as well. 

For more information, visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/totemlakeconnector or www.kirklandwa.gov/totemlake

Cross Kirkland Corridor

To the south, the Cross Kirkland Corridor remains closed between 120th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 124th Street until April 20 while the Northshore Utility District’s contractor improves the reliability of Totem Lake’s sewer system. Using orange detour signs, Razz Construction is directing trail users around the construction site via 120th Avenue Northeast, Northeast 116th Street, and 124th Avenue Northeast.

The rest of the Cross Kirkland Corridor remains open to the public. However, the City of Kirkland is urging everyone to practice social distancing. City crews have added temporary signage along the Cross Kirkland Corridor to remind people who are walking, jogging, and biking to practice social distancing. 

For more information, visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/ckc

108th Avenue Northeast

Drivers should continue to expect minor traffic impacts this month on 108th Avenue Northeast while a Kirkland contractor upgrades an aging water and sewer main along the north-to-south arterial.

Marshbank Construction is replacing the two systems—both more than five decades old—to increase their capacities to serve Kirkland’s growing population and to reduce the systems’ needs for maintenance.

That need is most urgent in the sewer line, which runs from Northeast 68th Street to Northeast 53rd Street. Settling soil has created a sag in the sewer line, allowing sewage to accumulate there and requiring maintenance crews to periodically flush the line.

The contractor is also replacing the water main between Northeast 68th and 60th streets.

Marshbank expects to complete the upgrades by December. 

For more information, visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/108thavewatersewer

A camping adventure for outdoorsy and indoorsy types! Join the Washington State Parks Foundation on Friday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m., streaming live on YouTube. Set up your tent and sleeping bags in your living room or yard and enjoy ranger talks, acoustic guitar sing-alongs, dance, poetry and special campfire recipes like s’mores cocoa!

The Washington State Parks Foundation is also hosting a photo contest of the best house-camping setup. Submit photos for a chance to win an REI gift certificate! The prize will be announced at the end of Friday’s Camp-In.

Join the fun at the Great Washington Camp-In!