The Kirkland City Council’s next “virtual” meeting takes place Tuesday, April 20. The meeting uses video conferencing technology provided by Zoom. 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 April 20 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 and is televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31. Here are a few highlights from the upcoming meeting:

Study Session: Vision Zero Action Plan and Active Transportation Plan Update
At the Study Session, City Council will receive a presentation about the Vision Zero Action Plan development and the Active Transportation Plan update and provide feedback and direction. Kirkland’s Vision Zero policy was adopted in 2015 as part of the Transportation Master Plan. The goal is that by 2035 all transportation-related fatal and serious injury crashes in Kirkland will be eliminated.

Proclamations

In addition to a Records and Information Month Proclamation, the following proclamations will be presented at the April 20 Council Meeting:

2021 Earth Month Proclamation: The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. On that day, 20 million Americans across the nation demonstrated support for environmental protection. For information and activities to celebrate Earth Month with the City of Kirkland, visit www.kirklandwa.gov/earthmonth.

Stand Against Racism Proclamation: Stand Against Racism is a signature campaign of YWCA USA to build community among those who work for racial justice and to raise awareness about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism in communities. More information about the City of Kirkland’s commitment to examine and dismantle institutional and structural racism can be found on the City’s website.

Other items include:

• 2021 Neighborhood Safety Program Recommended Projects and Neighborhood Street Lights Project Update
• 2021 State Legislative Update #7
• Moss Bay and Everest Neighborhood Plans Update

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. Please see www.kirklandwa.gov/council for more information on how to provide spoken comments. 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 and the City Clerk's Office staff will endeavor to return your call. 

The Kirkland City Council is considering several options for the closure of Park Lane to vehicle traffic during certain dates and times in summer 2021. At their April 6, 2021 meeting, the Council discussed four options for closure to vehicles and tasked City staff to conduct outreach to businesses and community members and seek input and feedback, particularly from affected businesses. This feedback will be presented to the Council to help inform their decision, which is expected at their next meeting on May 4, 2021.

The Park Lane information page on the City website offers several channels to provide comments and feedback as well as further details on the options for closure to vehicles. Briefly, the four options under consideration are:

• Closure to vehicles in the evenings, May 1 – Oct 1, 2021 (similar to summer 2020);
• Closure to vehicles weekday evenings, and full-day closures on weekends and holidays, May 1 – Oct 1, 2021;
• Closure to vehicles day and evening from May 1 – Oct 1, 2021;
• Take no action

A virtual community meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 19, 2021 to discuss proposed closure options. Those interested in participating are encouraged to register here. Feedback can also be provided through the community survey. 

We need your help in becoming a more transparent government! The City of Kirkland is creating new ways to share information with the community about how the City as an organization is performing. Please take our survey here.

This is part of a larger effort of ensuring the safety and respect of Black people and examining and dismantling structural racism in Kirkland. For more information on that effort, please visit the City’s website.

Starting today, April 15, everyone 16 and older who wants a COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible to receive one in Washington state. To find an appointment near you, go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov, and enter your zip code. As of March 31, Phase Finder is no longer be required to verify eligibility.

Vaccination ultimately will bring this pandemic under control, and the impact of COVID-19 will decrease as more people are protected through vaccination. Until then, Public Heath – Seattle & King County remind us that we must remain committed to proven prevention strategies:

• Wear a well-made, snug fitting face mask and maintain physical distancing
• Limit activities with unvaccinated people from outside your home
• Avoid crowded indoor spaces
• Improve ventilation in workplaces, businesses, and homes, including opening doors and windows when you can
• Stay home from work and get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms or were exposed to someone who has tested positive – testing is free at any of the King County and Seattle sites

For more information about getting vaccinated in King County, visit kingcounty.gov/vaccine.

The warmer days of spring have arrived! With the warm weather comes spring cleaning. Many of us take advantage of the sunshine and longer days to clean our cars, driveways, rooftops, and patios.

But there’s a potential dirty side to spring cleaning: toxic pollution to Kirkland’s creeks, wetlands and lakes. Outdoor washing can send dirty wash water laden with soap, chemicals, and other toxins into the street storm drain. From there, the water flows to the nearest creek and Lake Washington. This water is separate from our sewer system and is usually not treated or filtered.

There’s no problem with doing any of this washing at home, but it does matter how and where you choose to wash. It’s important to Wash Right to prevent pollution.

How can you Wash Right?

• Driveway and Deck Cleaning. Use a broom to sweep up dust and debris. If you need to pressure wash, use only cold water with no soap or chemicals. Use rolled up old towels to divert wash water to a landscaped area to soak it up.
• Car Washing. Use a commercial car wash or wash your car on a lawn or gravel area where the water can soak into the ground. Keep soap out of street and storm drains. If you don’t have a lawn/gravel area, use rolled up towels to divert water to a landscaped area.
• Roof Cleaning. Use a blower or sweep to remove moss and debris. If you must use chemicals, use the least toxic product. Disconnect downspouts and divert water onto a landscaped area. Visit https://growsmartgrowsafe.org for product information.

As part of the City’s Sustainability Master Plan, Kirkland has goals to protect and enhance the health of Kirkland’s creeks, lakes and wetlands. We need your help keeping pollution out of Lake Washington! Learn more at www.kirklandwa.gov/stormwater.

The City of Kirkland is excited to announce a brand new tree planting rebate program! City of Kirkland will provide rebates up to $500 per property for planting qualifying trees on your property.

Trees help prevent flooding in our neighborhoods, provide shade for our homes, and help filter pollutants to provide clean water for Lake Washington. Planting trees is an easy, affordable way to help the environment on your own property.

Learn more at https://kirklandwa.gov/treerebate.

April is Earth Month and you are invited to celebrate with the City of Kirkland! Learn more about activities planned throughout the month at www.kirklandwa.gov/EarthMonth.

Registration Begins Today! Register online at kirklandparks.net or call us at 425-587-3336.

Programs include:

• Aquatics
• Adult Sports
• Summer Camps
• Virtual Fitness Classes
• And More!

Did you know? Kirklandwa.gov can currently be viewed in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Persian, Portuguese, Hindi, and Telugu. Look for the green button on the top of each page and use the drop down menu to select your preferred language. The new City of Kirkland website launched in December 2020. Thank you to everyone who has helped us find errors that are common in website conversions and for providing details through the 404 page. We welcome additional feedback through our brief survey.

Starting this coming Monday, April 19, many middle and high school students in Lake Washington School District head back to in-person instruction. With them will be Kirkland’s amazing School Resource Officers. Did you know that one of our SROs played in the minor leagues for the New York Mets? Or that one of them used to teach English as a Second Language to middle schoolers before becoming a police officer? Meet Kirkland’s full SRO team and find out which one is a competitive cyclist and which one has a family of six children, two cats, and a dog – visit our SRO Program webpage.

The SRO Program is a partnership between the Kirkland Police and the Lake Washington School District. To help us understand how the SRO Program is performing, we’re also developing a public dashboard about SROs as part of the City’s work around R-5434. Take our survey to give input on how the City should display SRO data: https://www.research.net/r/NT5LL2N.

Also - our school zone safety cameras at John Muir Elementary/Kamiakin Middle School and Rose Hill Elementary have been recently reactivated. Don't forget to slow down so that are students are safe when they walk and bike to school. More information on this program is available on the City’s website.

Totem Lake

Commuters should expect delays on Willows Road Northeast this week while Interwest Construction’s crews continue concrete work on the trail that will eventually connect the Cross Kirkland Corridor to the Redmond Central Connector and Eastrail.

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/willowsconnection

Cross Kirkland Corridor – Totem Lake

The Cross Kirkland Corridor in Totem Lake is detoured onto surface roads between 120th Place Northeast and 128th Lane Northeast as Kirkland contractors use it to make progress on two of Totem Lake’s most ambitious capital projects, the Totem Lake Park and the Totem Lake Connector pedestrian and bicycle bridge.

The park construction is on schedule to finish early this summer, and the bridge construction is getting underway with an anticipated completion in Fall, 2022.

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/totemlakeconnector or www.kirklandwa.gov/totemlakepark.

Cross Kirkland Corridor – Everest/Moss Bay

Anticipating an April 16th start date, users of the Cross Kirkland Corridor will encounter a short detour between 7th Avenue South and 6th Street South as construction of the Feriton Spur Park expansion begins.

The short detour will direct pedestrians and bicycles to a protected pathway along 5th Place South. The detour is expected to last up to five months, and during that time, parallel parking will be restricted along the north portion of 5th Place South.

The Feriton Spur Park expansion is expected to open to the public in September and will extend the developed section of the Cross Kirkland Corridor to 6th Street South with a pickleball court, urban farm and the corridor’s first bathroom, among other amenities.

Northeast 132nd Street – Juanita

Drivers commuting along Northeast 132nd Street, between 100th and 97th avenues northeast should continue to expect minor delays this month while Kirkland’s Fire Station 24 contractor installs a stormwater drainage line, as part of the Fire Station 24 construction.

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/firestation24

Multiple Locations – North Rose Hill/South Rose Hill

Drivers should expect construction this week along various sections of Northeast 75th Street and 128th Avenue Northeast while Kirkland’s Neighborhood Greenways contractor closes lanes to establish a variety of traffic-calming features.

Northeast 75th Street at 120th Avenue Northeast, in the South Rose Hill neighborhood, is closed this week as Kirkland’s contractor constructs an elevated intersection to improve intersection safety along this section of the new greenway. This section of road is expected to reopen on April 16.

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/greenways

City of Kenmore (Juanita Drive)

The City of Kenmore is closing a two-block section of Juanita Drive from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting March 24 and continuing until mid-May.

Kenmore is closing the arterial between Northeast 153rd and 155th places while its contractor continues to make progress on a mile and a half of sidewalk and bicycle lanes. After 3 p.m., Juanita Drive will be open to one lane, two-way traffic controlled by portable traffic signal.

Visit https://kenmoreconstruction.com/juanita-sidewalk-project

Northshore Utility District – 100th Avenue Northeast

The Northshore Utility District is conducting night work which will close travel lanes along 100th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 132nd Street and Northeast 142nd Street from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., starting April 13. Access to businesses will be provided as the Utility maintains their infrastructure.

Northshore Utility District – Juanita Drive

The Northshore Utility District is continuing night work of their sanitary sewer line along Juanita Drive between Northeast 128th Street and Northeast 133rd Place from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Work on this section of pipe is expected to be complete on April 16.