The Kirkland City Council’s next regular meeting takes place Tuesday, February 15, 2022, via Zoom. Here are a few highlights from the upcoming meeting agenda:

Study Session – Joint Meeting with the Park Board: The Council and Park Board will hold a joint study session to discuss level of service for our parks, park acquisition and development strategy, and exploring an indoor recreation and aquatics facility.

Study Session – East Link Bus Service: Staff from the City, King County Metro, and Sound Transit will present and seek Council feedback about the East Link Connections project. That project is intended to restructure bus service in anticipation of Sound Transit’s new Link light rail “2 Line” stations opening in 2023 and 2024. The “2 Line” will connect downtown Seattle to Bellevue and Redmond.

“Kirkland 2044” Comprehensive Plan Update: The Council will hear about the preliminary plan for the major update to the Comprehensive Plan, scheduled for 2022-2024. Staff will seek direction from Council on the scope of work, key themes, and objectives for the process.

Public Hearing on Kirkland Transportation Benefit District: The Council will be holding a public hearing about the Council assuming the authority and functions of the Kirkland Transportation Benefit District. More information on public hearing is provided in another article.

Exploring Potential Park ballot measure for November 2023: The Council will consider updating the 2021-2022 Priority Goals and City Work Program to include, “exploring potential comprehensive Park ballot measures for placement on the November 2023 ballot.” Based on Council direction at the meeting, a final resolution will be brought to the Council for adoption at the March 1, 2022 Council meeting.

Proposed Expansion of School Zone Safety Camera Program: The Council will receive a presentation about the proposed expansion of the school zone safety camera program.

Tree Code Amendment – Framework for Completion: The Council will review Part 4 of the draft amendments to Kirkland Zoning Code Chapter 95 (also known as the “Tree Code”). These amendments are the result of prior Council feedback and direction received during the November 16, January 4, and February 1 Council meetings. Based on Council feedback during the meeting, the Council might review the final draft amendments and consider adoption during the March 1 Council meeting.

Meeting details:
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 February 15 meeting will be available on the City website prior to the meeting on the Kirkland City Council agendas webpage. You can also receive meeting agendas in your inbox by subscribing to “City Council Agendas” on the Kirkland email lists subscription page. Please note: City Council meetings will remain virtual until further notice.

How to watch:
Watch Kirkland City Council meetings on the City of Kirkland Facebook page, on the City YouTube channel, or streamed live on the City website. Meetings are also televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31.

How to participate:
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. For additional questions, please call the City Clerk’s Office at (425) 587-3190.

The City Council will hold a public hearing on February 15, 2022, to consider assuming the powers and functions of the Kirkland Transportation Benefit District. This is the next step in the Council’s ongoing consideration of how to fund safer routes to school and other pedestrian and bicycle safety projects.

Transportation Benefit Districts can raise revenue for specific transportation projects, usually through vehicle license fees (car tabs) or sales taxes.

The public hearing is related to the Council assuming the powers and functions of the Kirkland Transportation Benefit District, not whether to enact any changes to fees or taxes. If the Council proceeds with assuming the District’s powers and functions, the City would undertake a significant public engagement process prior to increasing any fees or taxes. The plan for the community engagement process will be included in the materials provided to the Council and community as part of the public hearing.

Information on joining the public hearing as part of the February 15 City Council meeting will be posted to the City’s website. Read the full release on the City’s website.

Kirkland’s Totem Lake Connector contractor is planning to suspend work on Feb. 11 until concrete is available again due to the ongoing concrete drivers’ strike.

“We have progressed to the point that we need to pour concrete in order to place any of the additional steel for the bridge,” said Jason Noelck, Kraemer North America’s project manager for the pedestrian and bicycle bridge’s construction. “As of the end of this week, we’ll be on an indefinite pause until the strike concludes or until there’s another source of concrete.”

That does not mean, however, that all progress has halted on the Totem Lake Connector. Back in Duluth, Minn., ironworkers are continuing to fabricate and store the pedestrian and bicycle bridge’s steel components. In Kirkland, the project management team is continuing to make use of the time—proactively responding to anticipated supply-chain delays and testing the bridge’s deck lighting.

To read more about this, please visit the City’s website.

Despite the challenges of 2021, the Green Kirkland Partnership had a terrific year with significant accomplishments in our community and natural area parkland thanks to the many volunteers, partners, contractors, and City staff who contributed to the partnership.

A few of our favorite highlights from 2021 include:

• 1,024 Volunteers gave 6,605 volunteer hours of service.
• 7,423 Native plants installed including 1,012 trees.
• 40 New acres enrolled in restoration.
• 300 of 510 Total acres now enrolled in restoration.

We’re grateful for the dedication to the partnership from the community and invite you to read more on our Green Kirkland 2021 Accomplishments Flyer.

More information about the Green Kirkland Partnership, including ways to get involved, is available at GreenKirkland.org.

The City is accepting applications for various volunteer boards and commissions through February 21, 2022. Advisory boards and commissions are an excellent option for anyone who has wanted to have a voice in important decisions that affect Kirkland and work with others to make a positive difference in the community. Several advisory boards and commissions have vacancies.

“Serving on a board or commission can be a rewarding and fascinating experience,” said Kirkland Councilmember Amy Falcone. “To be a truly belonging community, we need diverse voices and perspectives to advise the City Council on significant topics for the community, including parks, tourism, transportation, planning, and design review. I served on the Human Services Commission before becoming a Councilmember, and I found it to be such a meaningful way to help shape Kirkland’s future and serve my community.”

The City’s volunteer boards and commissions are responsible for formulating new ideas, gathering information, hearing and receiving public comments, analyzing complex issues, and making recommendations for specific projects and policies.

Interested Kirkland residents, or those meeting the eligibility requirements, are invited to apply by submitting an application to the City Clerk by 4 p.m. on Monday, February 21, 2022. Eligibility requirements differ for each board or commission. Visit the Current Recruitment Positions page or call the City Clerk’s Office at 425-587-3190 to learn more about each board and find the community service application.

Members of the advisory boards are appointed by the City Council. Virtual interviews will be held on the evenings of March 29 and/or March 31, 2022.

Vacancies are available on the following volunteer boards and commissions:

• Cultural Arts Commission
• Design Review Board
• Park Board
• Planning Commission
• Salary Commission
• Transportation Commission
• King County Landmarks Commission

Youth-specific vacancies are available on the following volunteer board and commissions:

• Library Board
• Transportation Commission

Most boards/commissions hold monthly evening meetings. For more information, visit the Current Recruitment Positions page on the City’s website.

The City of Kirkland has posted its draft Stormwater Management Program Plan and invites community members to review and submit comments or suggestions by March 1, 2022. The draft plan describes potential actions that the City could take to reduce stormwater pollution and protect our lakes and streams.

Stormwater pollution is a leading cause of pollution reaching Kirkland creeks, lakes and wetlands. This pollution comes from everyday activities such as driving, yard care, pet waste management, car washing, and land development. Preventing stormwater pollution involves reducing the amount of pollution that we put onto the landscape (source control) and removing contaminants from runoff before it reaches local waters (treatment).

Kirkland operates under a state-issued permit that allows the City to discharge stormwater from its public drainage system into rivers, lakes, and streams as long as the City implements programs and works with its residents and businesses to reduce pollutants in stormwater. The City’s draft 2022 Stormwater Management Program Plan describes actions that the City will take in 2022 and beyond to maintain compliance with the permit and protect our lakes and streams. Examples of these actions are public education around natural yard care and vehicle maintenance, tracing and halting spills or dumping of pollutants to the municipal stormwater system, reviewing development plans to control stormwater pollution at construction sites, and maintaining the City’s network of stormwater pipes, ditches, and ponds.

The draft 2022 Stormwater Management Program Plan is available online at www.kirklandwa.gov/stormwater. Comments can be provided via e-mail to stormwater@kirklandwa.gov. For more information about the City’s Storm and Surface Water Management Programs, visit www.kirklandwa.gov/stormwater. To learn more about the State Department of Ecology stormwater permit, search “Phase II Western WA Municipal Stormwater Permit” at www.ecy.wa.gov.

When you're cleaning out your house or garage this spring, check our Beyond-the-Cart Recycling Guide for local drop-off recycling options. Paint, batteries, TVs, mattresses, old clothes – you’ve got options to recycle.

Visit kirklandwa.gov/whatdoidowith to find places in or near Kirkland you can take your items. Need help finding other options, or have questions? Our Recycling Hotline can help. Email recycle@kirklandwa.gov or call (425) 587-3812 with your recycling questions.

On Jan 28, Kirkland’s Totem Lake Connector contractor removed its crane from the work site between Totem Lake Boulevard and the Cross Kirkland Corridor.

The crane’s removal is part of Kraemer North America’s efforts to prepare the site for an undetermined period of inactivity, imposed on it by the concrete drivers’ strike, which has halted progress on dozens of capital projects throughout the region.

Kraemer North America plans to continue preparing the site for inactivity and then to suspend the work on Feb. 11. The contractor will resume progress when the concrete drivers’ strike ends and concrete is, once again, available.

Until now, Kraemer North America has been able to make significant progress on the pedestrian and bicycle bridge by focusing its labor on welding the bridge’s joints together and completing other project elements that don’t require concrete.

View a time-lapse video of the crane’s removal on the City’s Facebook site.