Coming Up at Council
The Kirkland City Council’s next “virtual” meeting takes place Tuesday, January 19. The meeting uses video conferencing technology provided by Zoom in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery plan to reopen Washington. The regular business meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and is preceded by a 5:30 p.m. study session.
The agenda for the January 19 meeting will be available on the City website prior to the meeting 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 Ziply Cable Channel 31.
Here are a few highlights from the upcoming meeting:
Study Session: NE 85th St. Station Area Plan
At the 5:30 p.m. Study Session, the Council will review the NE 85th St. Station Area Plan Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) and provide direction for the formation of a preferred alternative for the Station Area Plan. More information about the Station Area Plan and how to provide comments can be found in this edition of This Week in Kirkland and at www.kirklandwa.gov/stationareaplan.
Day of Racial Healing Proclamation
The National Day of Racial Healing was established on January 17, 2017 by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and is observed every year on the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. By proclaiming January 19, 2021, the Day of Racial Healing, all Kirkland residents are encouraged to share in collaborative community discussion on how to heal from the impacts of racism. The City is sponsoring a series of Kirkland Talks community dialogue events about racism throughout 2021. Information will be posted to the City’s website.
Other items include:
- A briefing on the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act and an anticipated regional Independent Force Investigation Team that will include non-law enforcement community representatives
- A proposal to authorize limited use of food trucks requested by existing brick-and-mortar businesses for special events in the City-owned downtown parking lots
- The first State legislative update of 2021
- City Council regional committee assignments
- Review and discussion of the 2021-2022 City Work Program
- The agenda for the upcoming February Council Retreat
Council will accept live spoken commentary under 'Items from the Audience' or ‘Public Hearings’ at regular meetings via Zoom audio/video on a computer or telephone connection. The connection links are provided on each individual meeting agenda. Speakers are asked to limit their remarks to three minutes apiece, and no more than three speakers may address the Council on any one subject. However, if both proponents and opponents wish to speak, then up to three proponents and up to three opponents of the matter may address the Council. Zoom audience members will be alerted to ‘raise their hand’ virtually if they wish to address the Council at the appropriate time in the meeting. Written comments can be submitted to CityCouncil@kirklandwa.gov.
Please call (425) 587-3190 and leave a message before 5 p.m. on the day of the Council meeting with any questions; City Clerk's Office staff will endeavor to return your call.
For more information about the Kirkland City Council, please visit the Council webpage.
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The City strives to create a Kirkland where Black people feel safe and respected, and where interpersonal, institutional and structural racism no longer exists. On August 4, 2020, the City passed Resolution 5434 (R-5434), committing to several actions related to examining and dismantling institutional and structural racism in Kirkland.
These actions come with significant funding over the next two years, and we need your input to advise us on how best to use this funding and how to reimagine Kirkland. Your feedback on this work will have a direct influence on various City and Police Department culture, policies, programs, and practices. This work is intended to ensure the safety and respect of Black people in Kirkland.
For more information on R-5434, including ways to get involved and ways to stay informed, visit the Ensuring the Safety and Respect of Black People webpage. To give feedback now, visit: R-5434 Community Feedback. Thank you for being involved in your community!
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In honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., City administrative offices are closed on Monday, January 18. City services normally accessible through email, the Our Kirkland service portal and over the phone will resume 8 a.m., Tuesday, January 19.
On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, the Kirkland City Council proclaimed Monday, January 18 as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and encouraged all Kirkland residents and businesses to serve their neighbors and community on this day and throughout the year. The proclamation was read by Councilmember Toby Nixon.
To view the proclamation, visit the City website.
The City of Kirkland is trying to do all it can to help businesses survive COVID-19 and thrive beyond it. We need your input to help inform strategies of support. Please visit Business Survey: COVID-19 Impacts & Support to take the survey.
For more information on the City's response to COVID-19, including resources and tools for Kirkland businesses, visit the Business Resources webpage on the City website.
According to the new plan announced by Gov. Jay Inslee, Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery, regions across the state, including King County, entered Phase 1 on Monday, January 11.
In Phase 1, we will continue to operate as we have under the current temporary restrictions with some additional fitness, entertainment and sports activities allowed at a limited capacity.
This new path forward allows us to balance fighting COVID-19 and saving lives with safely reopening the economy and vaccinating as many people as possible.
To move to Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington plan and reopen more businesses and activities, our region must meet four metrics associated with regional hospital capacity and admissions, case rates and test positivity. Read the Governor's announcement for more information and details about the new two-phase system.
Please visit the Public Health - Seattle & King County website (www.kingcounty.gov/covid) for the latest guidance and information about COVID-19.
Have you ever had a question about something you’ve noticed in the City, or a concern about City infrastructure, including streets, parks, sidewalks or streetlights? The Our Kirkland service request portal is your direct connection to City Hall. You can report nonemergency issues, request services, ask questions, or even contact the City Council.
Our Kirkland is simple to use and you can create an account, which allows you to conveniently review the status and progress of your request and find details about how the issue was resolved. Your request will be efficiently routed to the appropriate staff for review, action and resolution. Requests and reports may also be submitted anonymously, based on your preference.
Our Kirkland service requests can be submitted via desktop computer or by using the free mobile app. Got photos? Photos are welcome whenever you would like to alert the City to a pothole, or another concern that is best described visually. For more information about Our Kirkland, or to submit a request, visit: https://kirklandwa.qscend.com/ourkirkland/, or access Our Kirkland right from the City’s homepage at www.kirklandwa.gov.
Please note that Our Kirkland is for nonemergency issues only. Residents in need of immediate assistance should call 9-1-1.
On Thursday, January 7, the City hosted an online community workshop to introduce the N.E. 85th Street Station Area Plan Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and invite community members to learn more about the project.
In this phase of the project, the City seeks input on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). The Draft SEIS is a detailed analysis of each potential Station Area Plan alternative and looks at possible impacts and mitigation measures across elements such as air quality, aesthetics, stormwater management, transportation, housing, public services, and more. The community’s input will be taken into consideration as decisions are made about which parts of each alternative should, or should not, be incorporated into the final Station Area plan.
Comments on the Draft SEIS are due by February 5, 2021. Learn more about this project and view all published documents on the project webpage: www.kirklandwa.gov/stationareaplan.
The City has recently kicked off two studies in Finn Hill and the Juanita area and conducted online engagement sessions for each study in December, 2020. The study overviews, as well as the recordings and details of both engagement sessions, have been published on the City website:
NE 131st Way / 90th Ave NE Multimodal Corridor Safety Study
Holmes Point Street Standards and Holmes Point Drive Corridor Study
To follow the progress of these studies and/or provide input please subscribe to this City email list.
Every week, more and more businesses are added to Shop Local Kirkland, making it easier than ever to support your favorite small businesses, nonprofits, arts organizations and service entities. Shop Local Kirkland is a convenient connection to a vibrant world of local artisans, entrepreneurs, restauranteurs, artists and more, all available from the comfort of your living room.
You never know what you'll find on Shop Local Kirkland!
Along with safe, contactless pickup and delivery options offered by many businesses, Shop Local Kirkland has rolled out In-Car Dining, which transforms your vehicle into a mobile dining room! Enjoy the beautiful view at Marina Park from one of the designated free In-Car Dining parking spaces, and get your favorite takeout delivered right to your car.
To see participating restaurants, visit: www.ShopLocalKirkland.com and select “In-Car Dining.”
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Kirkland offers free Christmas tree collection during the first two full weeks of January (Monday, January 4 - Friday, January 15). Place undecorated, unflocked natural trees under 6-feet tall next to your cart on your regular service day during the first two weeks of January. Trees taller than 6-feet should be cut into segments up to 6-feet long.
Collected trees will be composted by Cedar Grove.
Apartment and condo-dwellers also have access to Christmas tree collection next to their dumpsters on specific dates. For those who live in apartments in the northern part of Kirkland (Juanita, Finn Hill, Kingsgate, Totem Lake), trees will be collected on Thursday, January 14; apartment residents in the southern part of Kirkland will have trees collected on Friday January 15. See our Christmas tree collection map for additional details.
Artificial trees must be disposed in the garbage – there is no recycling option – so if you are ready to switch away from an artificial tree, see if you can find someone else who can use it before resorting to the trash can.
To learn more about recycling in the City of Kirkland, visit: kirklandwa.gov/recycle.
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Totem Lake
Willows Road Northeast remains closed to all traffic south of its intersection with 141st Avenue Northeast.
Interwest Construction plans to continue the closure until Jan. 22. After reopening Willows Road on Jan. 22, Interwest Construction plans to close the road on Jan. 25 to southbound traffic until Feb. 26.
This project, referred to as the Willows Road Regional Trail Connection, will complete a gap in King County’s regional trail network, progressing toward a more complete network that connects the Totem Lake and Redmond urban centers, the Woodinville Wine Country and the Willows Road high-tech corridor.
Visit: https://www.kirklandwa.gov/WillowsConnection
Juanita
A City of Kirkland contractor is closing Northeast 116th Street’s center turn-lane through February while its crews upgrade a series of crosswalks near McAuliffe Park and A.G. Bell Elementary School. The center lane will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each work day.
Westwater Construction is also closing an additional lane from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., with flaggers maintaining the flow of two-way traffic.
This project improves pedestrian safety in the Juanita neighborhood with a total of four upgraded crosswalks along Northeast 116th Street, between 104th Avenue Northeast and 113th Place Northeast. These improvements will increase safety for those walking between destinations north of Northeast 116th Street, like McAuliffe Park, and destinations south of the Northeast 116th Street, like Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School.
Visit: https://www.kirklandwa.gov/116thCrosswalks
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Kirkland Parks & Community Services presents "Color Your World!"
Ongoing
Online event
Skin comes in many different colors, and all are beautiful. Draw a picture of yourself, show us the color of your skin, hair and eyes. Let us see how beautiful and proud you are! For more about Color Your World, watch this great video on the Parks & Community Services Facebook page.
Email your picture with your name to tharrison@kirklandwa.gov. Your art will be featured on the Kirkland Parks & Community Services Facebook page!
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Green Kirkland Partnership presents MLK Jr. Day of Service at Juanita Beach Park and North Rose Hill Woodlands Park
10 a.m. to noon, Monday, January 18
IMPORTANT NOTE: These events are outdoor events. *Pre-registration is required for all participants to ensure we are following public health guidelines and have enough tools/space. There are no drop-in options at any event at this time.
Join the Green Kirkland Partnership and volunteer for a fun day of environmental stewardship at Juanita Beach Park and North Rose Hill Woodlands Park!
Volunteers will help restore critical habitat by removing invasive plants such as blackberry or ivy, planting native plants, and pitching-in with stewardship tasks like mulching and weeding. With your help, this park with have healthy and thriving natural areas for years to come!
All COVID-19 protocols will be in place. Pre-registration is required. Facial coverings and social distancing are mandatory. For more information about these events and to register, visit the Green Kirkland Partnership webpage.
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Kirkland Performance Center presents: A Virtual Concert with Nite Wave
8 p.m. Thursday, January 28
Live, virtual show
Formed in 2011 as the result of a Craigslist Ad, Nite Wave is a band passionate about 80s New Wave and putting on a show you’ll never forget. Nite Wave has had the privilege of being hand picked by Billy Idol to open up for him on tour and have also shared the stage with Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s, Clive Farrington of When in Rome and Multi-Platinum selling artist Tiffany.
Everything from Prince to Depeche Mode to Duran Duran to INXS and more!
Nite Wave pays homage to the artists who designed a decade and bring a certain energy to their shows that is unique and infectious.
Visit the Kirkland Performance Center Facebook page to view this livestream.
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