Staff are available to assist with any questions or concerns you have by e-mail at eParks@kirklandwa.gov or by calling (425) 587-3330.

The Kirkland City Council’s next “virtual” meeting takes place 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5. The meeting uses video conferencing technology provided by Zoom in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. 

The agenda for the May 5 meeting is available on the City website at: Kirkland City Council agendas. The meeting can be viewed in real time via the live stream on the City website at: http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/council/Meetings/WatchCouncilMeetings.htm and is televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Frontier Cable Channel 31.

As always, the Kirkland City Council welcomes public involvement at its meetings and would like to encourage community members to take advantage of its available options for remote participation. For the first time, community members will have the option to provide comments via Zoom. Community members who wish to join the Zoom meeting by telephone can call US: 877 853 5257 (toll free) or 888 475 4499 (toll free) using webinar ID 998 7505 5989, or via computer here with password 219201.

Comments will continue to be received through voicemail (425-587-3090) and email at: councilmeetingcomment@kirklandwa.gov. Comments received by 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, will be read into the record during the Council Meeting, with the following caveats:

• When and if a particular agenda item receives a large number of comments, the City will read into the record three (3) comments representing each side of the presented issue. The comments will be selected based on the date and time received, giving priority to the earliest received comments.
• City leadership will read submitted emails verbatim up to a three (3) minute limit, exactly as if the commenter was providing their testimony in person. (Comments from the public received during “Items from the Audience” in a typical meeting are limited to three minutes in length.)
• The deadline for comment submittal for inclusion in the meeting (provided the comment is not related to a heavily commented agenda item as outlined above) is 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5. NOTE: comments received after the deadline will be provided to the Councilmembers for their review at the City’s earliest convenience.

For more information about the Kirkland City Council, please visit the Council webpage. 

With Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent announcement that the State is easing restrictions on outdoor recreational activities, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission released a list of more than 100 parks and public areas that will open for day use only starting tomorrow (Tuesday, May 5).

This is great news for Kirkland residents, as Bridle Trails State Park and Saint Edwards State Park both made the list. Saint Edward State Park, which spans areas of both Kenmore and Kirkland, will open with reduced capacity, in order to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements. Capacity reductions are accomplished by reducing the number of parking stalls available to visitors and guests, therefore limiting the number of people who can access the park at the same time. For more information on the reduced capacity at Saint Edward, please visit the website.

Located in south Kirkland, Bridle Trails State Park boasts a lush, heavily wooded 28-mile trail system that stretches throughout the park’s 489 acres. It is known for being equestrian friendly and is a wonderful way to experience “wilderness” in an urban setting.

Parks is asking visitors follow its guidelines for responsible recreation in the outdoors, which can be found on the Parks website. Opt for day trips close to home, and remember, the Governor’s Office has asked that you only travel in vehicles with members of your household. Before you leave, confirm that the park you want to visit is open, as certain parks – particularly those prone to overcrowding – remain closed.

Importantly, avoid crowds. Be prepared to change your plans should you arrive at your destination only to find it filled with guests. Always stay six feet away from other park users, and make sure you bring your own water and hand sanitizer, as visitors may find limited restroom services and reduced water access facilities.

For more information on the Washington State Parks response to COVID-19, please visit the “Previous Coronavirus COVID-19 Updates” webpage.  

Please note that the reopening applies to state-managed parks, wildlife areas, recreation land and boat launches. However, it may take several days for gates to be unlocked and sites to be serviced at remote areas due to limited staff capacity. For a complete list of State parks reopening on May 5, please visit the Washington State Parks webpage. 

By Erin Murphy and Meredith Li-Vollmer

Over 500 staff at Public Health – Seattle & King County have been in an emergency activation for COVID-19 since late January, when the first identified U.S. case was reported in Washington. Since then, we have been committed to the round-the-clock efforts to respond to the multitude of needs that this pandemic created.

But we are also human. When we heard the Stay at Home Order has been extended through May 31, a number of us immediately had a very human reaction, thinking less about the big picture of the pandemic and more about what this means for our personal lives. Like so many others, we keenly feel what this means to have kids out of school, social lives curtailed, more time spent within the confines of the home. Even though we had expected that the extension might happen, when it became official, our first reaction was, “How do we do this for longer?!”

Your Feelings Are Valid

How does a parent tell their 6-year-old daughter that she still can’t see any friends for a while? How does someone living alone manage go for another month without a hug and physical touch?

Right now, as Public Health, we just want to validate your feelings. Things feel really hard right now and all the emotions that the Stay at Home extension order brings up are real. Beyond the rollercoaster of emotions, uncertainty is exhausting. It is so natural for us as humans to crave and need certainty—whether it be a specific number, data point for making decisions, or overall stability.

So many of us have to figure out yet again how to cope with logistical nightmares and economic stress. Many of us likely hoped that things would be different, even if just a little bit, after May 4th. It easy to become cynical and waiver in your resolve to social distance. We know it’s hard to feel like we are all in this together when a trip to the grocery store means you may see a number of people not taking social distancing or other protective measures seriously.

It’s Worth It to Slow the Spread

After the momentary grief that some of us in the health department felt when the Stay at Home extension was announced, we shifted our focus to why this Stay at Home order was put into place. Collectively, the people in this region have shown the power of staying home. With our sacrifices and diligence, we have slowed the spread of COVID-19, a virus that has the ability to infect huge numbers of people if unchecked.

COVID-19 is still spreading and people are still getting sick—in King County, nearly 100 new cases are confirmed a day according to this week’s data. And people will continue to get sick since we are all susceptible to a virus that’s new to human populations. But dealing with 100 new cases a day is manageable within our healthcare system.

Currently, people with severe cases of coronavirus are able to get hospital care and our hospitals can provide lifesaving measures if needed, like ventilators and ICU care. Other patients are also able to get care for the many other medical emergencies that happen each day, like heart attacks and severe injuries. If we experienced a dramatic rise in cases—such as if social distancing was lifted now—hospitals could be overwhelmed. Heart-wrenching decisions would be necessary if the number of patients who need lifesaving care surpassed the availability of those resources.

As our health officer, Dr. Jeff Duchin, has said, “I don’t think it’s possible to prevent all transmission. We need to keep the number of cases manageable. We want to see something like a slow burn, where it doesn’t evolve into an uncontrollable raging fire.”

It’s Worth It to Protect Essential Services and Workers

There are many people who can’t stay home because they are essential workers, providing all of us with critical services, like sanitation, utilities, food, childcare, delivery, and healthcare. If you can stay home, the choice can feel like burden, but every individual choice matters. Those of us who can stay home can help protect those workers and the services they provide.

Feel All the Feelings

So we are going to ride the tidal wave of emotions and stand together to slow the spread of COVID-19. We know it doesn’t always feel like “WeGotThisWA” and that’s ok. Go ahead and feel all the feelings—rant with a coworker, call a friend to cry, share your stress with a neighbor.

Life is full of tensions right now, with good days and bad days. When we find ourselves on the other side of this, may we be able to look back and know that we focused on the things that we value most to get us through.

For more from the Public Health - Seattle & King County, visit the webpage and the Public Health Insider Blog.