Collection fees on outstanding tickets and fines with the Kirkland Municipal Court will not have to be paid through August 31, 2020. 

If you have an outstanding ticket or fine that has accrued collection fees, now is the time to contact the Kirkland Municipal Court to avoid paying those fees. Until August 31, anyone that contacts the Court to pay a ticket or fine, or make payment arrangements, will avoid any and all previously accrued collection fees. Individuals with tickets or fines will only be responsible for paying the original amount that was turned over to collections during this amnesty window.

The Court is in the process of transition collection services from Alliance One to Linebarger. If individuals owing collections fees don’t contact the Court before the amnesty program is over their accounts will be turned over to Linebarger and collection fees will start to accrue once again.  

You can call 1-844-546-9366 or go online www.Kirklandpay.com to make payments. You may also mail payment to Kirkland Municipal Court, PO Box 678, Kirkland WA 98083-0678 or use the drop box just outside the front door.  Make your check or money order payable to the "Kirkland Municipal Court" and include your citation number in the memo section of your draft. You may also call the Court at 425-587-3160, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to make a credit card payment or make payment arrangements.

The City of Kirkland, the Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission, Hinojos & Jimenez Art, and Centro Cultural Mexicano of Redmond invite our residents and guests to enjoy a brand-new public art exhibition positioned along Park Lane.  

This vibrant, four-piece series was funded through the King County COVID-19 Response Fund and two grants from 4Culture, and is meant to tell the story of hope, strength and resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each sculpture is unique and portrays a different message, and all are wearing face coverings to represent our current COVID reality. The pieces were crafted by two Mexican American artists, Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez, and are titled Life/La Vida, Care/Cuidate, Wisdom/Sabiduria and Hope/El Futuro.

Meant to create a space for connection and COVID-19 awareness, the pieces reflect the rich heritage, symbolism, tradition, and history of the Mexican culture.

The Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission felt that the art was a great fit for Park Lane. The new sculptures tell a compelling story while aligning with the City’s journey from being the first domestic epicenter of COVID-19 to now being the epicenter of resilience. The KCAC’s recommendation to move forward with the art was advanced by the City Council, which approved the art installation unanimously. 

“We are thrilled with Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez’ generosity and appreciate their willingness to share their art with our community,” said Councilmember Kelli Curtis. “This series tells our story beautifully, through vivid colors and inspiring symbolism, while embracing diversity and inclusivity. We invite you to explore this dynamic exhibit and hope that you love it as much as we do.”  

The sculptures are poised along Park Lane near Starbucks, Cactus Restaurant, Zeeks Pizza and Beijing O’Chef. The message of Life is portrayed by a masked woman meant to represent the beauty of life, while Care is the image of a farmworker that represents our state’s Latino essential workers who ensure that healthy food is on our tables even in a pandemic. Hope is represented by the new generation, to remind us to work toward a better future, and Wisdom is represented by a senior citizen to remind us of the value and experience that seniors can offer in these difficult times.

“On behalf of the City of Kirkland and the Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission, we are so excited to share these timely, cultural, and colorful sculptures installed on Park Lane for everyone in the community to enjoy,” said Tere Alonso Thompson, Cultural Arts Commissioner and Chair of the Park Lane Sculpture Committee. “The images beautifully illustrate the value of caring for one another and one’s community. It has been a pleasure working with Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez to arrange this outdoor exhibit and we are extremely grateful for their generosity and collaboration. We hope these special pieces will offer everyone inspiration, joy and comfort.”

“En nombre de la Ciudad de Kirkland y de la Comisión de Artes Culturales de Kirkland, estamos muy entusiasmados  de tener la oportunidad de poder compartir estas coloridas y culturales esculturas instaladas en Park Lane para que todos en la comunidad las disfruten,” dijo Tere Alonso Thompson, Comisionada de Artes Culturales y Chair del Comité de Escultura de Park Lane. “Las imágenes ilustran maravillosamente la importancia de cuidarnos unos a otros y a la comunidad.  Ha sido un placer trabajar con Angie Hinojos Yusuf y Carlos Jimenez para organizar esta exposición al aire libre y estamos muy agradecidos por su generosidad y colaboración. Esperamos que estas piezas especiales ofrezcan inspiración, alegría y tranquilidad a todos.”

Each piece rests on a four-foot by four-foot base and stands eight feet tall. The art will be in place for approximately two months. 

Learn about about the amazing world of stream bugs and their role in our local creek ecosystems!

Join Green Kirkland and Public Works staff from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, August 21, for a virtual exploration of Cochran Springs Creek in Watershed Park. This non-technical webinar is for those in our Kirkland community looking to learn a little more about the fun, fabulous, and sometimes mysterious stream life, right in your neighborhood.

During this exploration, we will:

• Investigate the streamside habitat and identify some of the trees and shrubs growing there.
• Dive into Cochran Springs Creek to learn about the critters living on the rocks and in the mud below the surface of the water.
• Learn about the health of our local creeks and watersheds.

There will be a short Q & A session following the presentation slides.

Find more information and register for this webinar. Registration is required to receive login information.

108th Avenue Northeast

Kirkland’s contractor has delayed until Aug. 17 the three-week, three-block day-time closure of 108th Avenue Northeast it had planned between Northeast 52nd and 55th streets.

The closure will start each day at 7 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.

This doesn't mean, however, that commuters won't encounter traffic revisions this week on the same section of 108th Avenue Northeast. 

Starting Thursday, Aug. 13, Marshbank Construction will also be reducing 108th Avenue Northeast to one lane—with alternating traffic—from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In the evenings, nights and early mornings between Aug. 17 and Sept. 4, the contractor will close the center turn-lane from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. Marshbank will provide access for local traffic between Northeast 55th and 60th streets.

The detour will route commuters along Northeast 68th Street, Lakeview Drive and Northeast 38th Place.The detour will route commuters along Northeast 68th Street, Lakeview Drive and Northeast 38th Place.

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.

Marshbank expects to complete the upgrades by spring of 2021. 

Visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/108thavewatersewer

Finn Hill

Drivers commuting along Finn Hill’s 84th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 132nd Street will encounter minor traffic delays next week while Kirkland’s contractor prepares the two streets for the new layer of pavement its crews will be applying in August and September.

Lakeside Industries is paving 84th Avenue Northeast, between 124th and 132nd avenues northeast and Northeast 132nd Street, from Juanita Drive to 80th Avenue Northeast.

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/streetpreservation

100th Avenue Northeast Closure

A short section of 100th Avenue Northeast, just south of its intersection with Simonds Road, remains closed until Aug. 13.

The all-day, all-night closure allows Kirkland’s contractor to replace the three-decade-old Cedar Creek culvert with a new 10-foot-wide, by eight-foot-tall concrete box culvert.

The new culvert will open nearly a mile of upstream habitat to trout, Coho and other salmon. It will also provide enough space for the 100th Avenue Northeast Roadway Improvement Project.

This future project will add two more automotive lanes, sidewalks and sidewalk-level bicycle lanes on both sides of the street between Northeast 139th and 145th streets.

The City is strongly encouraging commuters to use the official detour route—Northeast 145th Street, Juanita-Woodinville Road—while 100th Avenue Northeast is closed. To ensure drivers don’t speed through Juanita’s neighborhoods, the Kirkland Police Department is patrolling the neighborhood roads that connect 100th Avenue Northeast to Juanita-Woodinville Road.

Kirkland is promoting the detour route on the electronic reader boards, in the project flyer and on a pair of community signs its staff installed at the project’s limits. Additionally, Kirkland’s staff members will monitor the area during the closure, and if patrol emphasis is warranted, they will coordinate with the police department.

Visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/100thavedesign