The Kirkland City Council met on March 15, 2022 – here’s a brief overview of some of the items from the meeting:

Study Session – Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Plan: City staff presented an update to the Active Transportation Plan. This Plan focuses on projects that improve safe and accessible bicycle and pedestrian connections to activity centers, transit, parks and to the Cross Kirkland Corridor. Staff also presented about the Vision Zero Action Plan. Vision Zero is the goal for zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries on our streets. Finally, Council got an at-a-glance update on the Capital Improvement Program.

Police Use of Force Dashboard: the Council received the second presentation on third-party evaluation and analysis of the Kirkland Police Department’s use of force data. This followed the Jan 18 City Council Study Session presentation by the City’s consultant, Police Strategies LLC.

KZC 95 Tree Code Update: the Council adopted amendments to Kirkland Zoning Code Chapter 95 (KZC 95), commonly referred to as the Tree Code. This is the culmination of a series of presentations to Council over the last few months, as well as community and stakeholder feedback over the last few years.

Bridle Trails Code Amendments: the Council amended City codes to support mixed-use redevelopment of the Bridle Trails Neighborhood Center properties of up to five stories in height. This action was initiated by the owner of the TechCity Bowl property, who applied for a Community-Initiated Amendment Request for a zoning text amendment. This action is consistent with the policies of the Bridle Trails Neighborhood Plan chapter of the Comprehensive Plan and has been included at five Planning Commission meetings, including a public hearing at Planning Commission on Feb 15 to receive public comments on the draft amendments.

Special Events Code Updates and Beer/Wine Gardens: City staff updated the Council on Special Events and made recommendations on potential changes to the Kirkland Municipal Code. The Council provided direction on various policy items, including all-ages beer/wine gardens, limitations on the number of events, and athletic event registration requirements. Based on Council feedback, staff will return with updates to the Kirkland Municipal Code for Council consideration.

How to watch:
Watch last night’s Kirkland City Council meetings on the City of Kirkland Facebook page and the City YouTube channel, in addition to the livestream on the City website. Meetings are also televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31. Please note: City Council meetings will remain virtual until further notice. The full agenda packet with information on each item is located on the City’s website.

The next regular City Council meeting is on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

The City has several exciting positions open across our organization. Now’s the time for you to find your next role doing great work with great people. Here’s a sampling of some of our open positions:

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Manager (Full Time)
The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Manager will be responsible for the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives for the City of Kirkland and the community-at-large. They will guide implementation of the City’s DEIB 5-Year Roadmap, conduct on-going reviews, support community relations, and advise the City Council and leadership on matters related to DEIB. To learn more about this opportunity, visit the listing here.

Parks and Community Services (Seasonal, Part Time)
Make a difference in your community and join the Parks team. Kirkland Parks and Community Services offers a variety of rewarding employment opportunities including positions as Day Camp Leaders, Swim Instructors, Lifeguards, Maintenance, Harbor Master, Facility Attendants and more. For more information, current opportunities, and to apply, visit www.Kirklandwa.gov/ParksJobs.

For more employment opportunities with the City, visit our Government Jobs page.

Come join a virtual town hall on a potential Kirkland Police Department body-worn camera program on Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

The City Council intends to implement a body-worn camera program in order to increase police accountability and transparency, but they would like to hear from the community on policies and other considerations before making the final decision.

In addition to exploring the benefits, opportunities, costs, and concerns of a body-worn camera program, this community engagement process will also explore policy considerations. Some of the considerations to be discussed include who within the Kirkland Police Department should wear body-worn cameras, when recording with the cameras should occur, if and when recordings should be stopped, and under what circumstances the footage should be shared.

For more information, to register for the meeting, and for additional ways to provide feedback, please visit www.kirklandwa.gov/BodyWornCameras.

The City of Kirkland Parks & Community Services has published an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan for parks and park facilities in Kirkland. This plan will help Kirkland’s parks be more accessible through guidance of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The City welcomes feedback on this plan until April 8, 2022.

“Kirkland prioritizes being an inclusive and equitable community where everyone is respected, valued, and has a sense of belonging,” said Kirkland Councilmember Amy Falcone. “This transition plan is a critical step on our journey towards better serving the needs of our community by eliminating barriers in our park system. We invite feedback from our community to help shape the plan’s priorities and help us get this right.”

The ADA Transition Plan identifies and prioritizes current accessibility changes needed for participation with parks and park facilities, such as parking stalls, curb ramps, paths of travel, and facilities. It also provides a schedule to address issues and defines procedures for dealing with future issues.

The ADA Evaluation and Transition Plan is part of the City’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces (PROS) Plan, for which the City has been engaging the community since June 2021. The updated PROS Plan will identify a series of recommendations for existing parks, recreational facilities, programs, and other services. These recommendations will guide decision making and investments over the next five to ten years.

The ADA Evaluation and Transition Plan for Kirkland’s parks and park facilities was performed by a consultant, Bureau Veritas. They used standard methods and procedures for assessing compliance with Title II of the ADA, as well as applicable state and local requirements. Bureau Veritas provided accessibility assessment reports for 52 parks and facilities, which are available in the Transition Plan document.

“We are excited to create a formal ADA Transition Plan,” said Lynn Zwaagstra, Director of Parks and Community Services. “Not only will it identify existing and future accessibility needs, this plan will be a record of accessibility facility standards and will continue to provide mandated ADA design criteria for future parks and park facility projects.”

Public feedback on the plan will be accepted from March 10 through April 8, 2022, during a 30-day comment period and will then be factored into the final ADA Transition Plan.

• Copies of the ADA Transition Plan are available on the City’s website. Additional print copies are available at the two King County Public Libraries in Kirkland.
• Feedback on the ADA Transition Plan may be submitted online from March 10 through April 8, 2022, at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BDDPW6W

For more information on the ADA Evaluation and Transition Plan and the Play It Forward planning effort, please visit: https://kirklandwa.gov/playitforward

Residents at Merrill Gardens senior living community recently showed their appreciation for Kirkland police and firefighters by providing them with free breakfast to-go, complete with bacon, eggs and pastries. The breakfast was the residents’ way of showing our first responders how much they’re appreciated.

Due to COVID, the breakfast was held in the lobby and officers and firefighters had to take their food to-go. Residents said next year they hope to sit down with first responders and get to know them a little better.

Thank you for sharing your appreciation of our dedicated first responders, Merrill Gardens!

Pet licenses provide furry family members with I.D. in case they ever get lost. If your pet is found and has a license, our Animal Control Officer can give him or her a ride home, so you don’t have to go to the animal shelter to pick them up. The fees collected from pet licenses go directly into Kirkland’s Animal Services Program to provide service, education and enforcement.

Also, any pet owners who license their pets during the COVID-19 emergency proclamation will have all late fees waived and will not have to provide proof of rabies vaccination if they don’t have it at the time of licensing. These temporary changes are to help make it easier to license pets during the pandemic.

By law, all dogs and cats twelve weeks old and older owned by Kirkland residents must be licensed and vaccinated against rabies. Licenses expire after one year and must be renewed on or before the date of expiration.

So don’t leave it up to luck this St. Patrick’s Day - get your pet licensed!

More information can be found on the City’s Pet Licensing page.

Kirkland recently launched an Anti-Idling Public Awareness Campaign, a community-led effort to educate on the effects of idling and encourage all to limit time spent idling. Reducing car trips altogether is ideal, but when you need to drive, turning off your vehicle rather than idling while you’re parked is a simple and impactful change you can make.

Turning off your car instead of idling saves money and fuel. According to research by the Argonne National Laboratory, letting a vehicle idle for more than 10 seconds burns more fuel and emits more CO2 than turning it off and restarting your car.

Idling negatively impacts the environment. By turning it off you’re reducing emissions and helping improve the air quality.

Idling can have adverse health impacts on you and those around you. Turning off your car reduces the amount of pollutants you, and others around you are breathing in.

Idling can damage your car’s engine. A vehicle’s fuel is only partially combusted while idling, which can lead to fuel residue buildup on cylinder walls, which can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption.

When you’re able, turn it off for yourself and for your community.

Want to learn more or get involved? Check out the Anti-Idling Campaign highlight on the What You Can Do to Help the Environment webpage and contact the City volunteers leading this effort.

Kirkland’s Sustainability Master Plan is the City’s framework for creating a greener, more sustainable community. Action ES 1.2 establishes an expectation that the City will work with community members to create public/private partnerships to reduce emissions.

Enjoy a visit to a State Park for free on March 19 in honor of Washington State Parks' 109th birthday. On State Parks Free Days, visitors are not required to display a Discover Pass, which is normally required for vehicle access to state recreation lands.

Kirkland has two nearby state parks!

• Bridle Trails State Park is a 482-acre park and a favorite for its horse trails. Parking is located at 5300 116th Ave NE, Kirkland, WA. The park is open 6:30 a.m. to dusk.
• Saint Edward State Park is a 316-acre park along Lake Washington and was once a Catholic seminary. Parking is located at 14445 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore, WA. The park is open 8 a.m. to dusk.

Washington State Parks offers 12 State Parks Free Days per year. The next one is Friday, April 22 in celebration of Earth Day. More information about Free Days, including 2022 dates, can be found at Washington State Parks news.

Do you have plans to travel? Need a passport? Plan ahead!

Passport application appointments are available at Kirkland City Hall and are currently scheduling thirty days out. Appointments fill up quickly. Availability for a new week opens every Tuesday.

Routine service can take up to 18 weeks from the day an application is submitted. Expedited service is available for an additional fee of $60 and can take up to 12 weeks from the day an application is submitted.

• The City processes adult (16+) and minor applications
• You can schedule an appointment either online or by phone
• The Passport Applicant Checklist on our website provides a list of documents you need to bring to your appointment

For more information about the application, answers to FAQs, and to make an appointment, visit our Passport Services webpage.

PKCC Trips and Tours: Tacoma Museum of Glass

Date: Thursday, March 24
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Location: Meet at the Peter Kirk Community Center, 352 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, WA
Ages: 50+

PKCC Trips and Tours is heading to the Tacoma Museum of Glass! This 75,000 square foot art museum dedicated to the medium of glass offers live glass blowing demonstrations and dynamic exhibits. Enjoy a relaxing dinner at Stanley and Seaforts before heading back home.
Bring lunch $.

For more information, and to register, visit the PKCC Van Trips event page.

Mermaid Ball Father/Daughter Dance

Date: Friday, March 25
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Location: North Kirkland Community Center, Multi-Purpose Room, 12421 103rd Ave NE, Kirkland, WA, 98034
Ages: 3 to 10 years, all genders and gender identities welcome
Cost: $35

Come along and follow us to the bottom of the sea where we’ll join in the Jamboree at the Mermaid Ball! Enjoy refreshments, dancing, a mermaid craft, and a commemorative photo. Make a splash with your little mermaid and sign up early for this event before it’s sold out. Ages 3 to 10 years with Dad, Grandpas, uncles or other father figures. All genders and gender identities welcome. Register online at https://bit.ly/3CeszSd.

Nowruz Celebration

Date: Sunday, March 27
Time: 12 - 5 p.m.
Location: Marina Park, 25 Lakeshore Plaza, Kirkland 98033
Ages: All ages

Join the Iranian Society of Washington State in celebration of springtime and learn about this holiday which celebrates the Persian New Year. Bring your family to Marina Park where you can enjoy a traditional haft-seen, festive music, dancing, face painting, and magic show.

For more information, visit the Community Events page.

Free Gardening Classes with Cascade Water Alliance

Take a free gardening class with Cascade Water Alliance and garden smarter. Running March through April, this annual series offers classes to help you have beautiful, healthy landscapes while using water efficiently.

The list of classes include:

• March 19: Sustainable Gardening, A Better Way to Beautiful, by Peggy Campbell
• March 26: Gardening for Wildlife, by Greg Rabourn
• April 2: How to Use Mulch for a More Drought Resilient Garden, by Christina Pfeiffer
• April 9: Heavenly H Plants, by Marianne Binetti
• April 23: Let’s do Easy to Grow Plants that Beneficial Creatures Love, by Lisa Taylor
• April 30: Weeds and Water: Wisdom for Resiliency, by Jessi Bloom

The 2022 Cascade Gardener classes will be held through Zoom.

For more information, and to register, visit: https://cascadewater.org/water-efficiency/cascade-gardener/