The Kirkland City Council met on August 3, 2022, in a hybrid meeting. Here’s a brief overview of some of the items from the meeting:
Tenant Protections Policies – The Council voted 4-3 to pass Ordinance O-4810, creating a new chapter of the Kirkland Municipal Code relating to tenant protections. Additional information on this item is found further down this newsletter.
Final Draft of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan – The Council provided feedback on the final draft Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan, the six-year guide and strategic plan for managing and enhancing Kirkland’s park and recreation services. This final draft PROS Plan was based on a comprehensive community engagement process occurring throughout 2021 and 2022.
Parks Funding Exploratory Committee Formation – The Council authorized the creation of a Parks Funding Exploratory Committee, to be made up of representatives from across Kirkland and intended to meet from September through February 2023. The focus of the committee would be to provide recommendations to the City Council on whether and how to best proceed with park ballot measure(s) in 2023 to accelerate the timeline on enhancing Kirkland’s park facilities and recreational opportunities. Additional information on this item is found further down this newsletter.
Future of Park Lane Discussion – The Council authorized additional study of Park Lane as a festival street closed to vehicle traffic. The study of Park Lane may include, among other items, parking mitigation, programming, street activation including winter, infrastructure recommendations and requirements, public safety, and costs. The study is anticipated to inform future deliberations by Council regarding closing Park Lane to vehicles.
How to watch: Kirkland City Council meetings are streamed live and can be watched after the fact 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.
To watch the Council discussions on the specific agenda items outlined above, visit the City’s website. The full agenda packet with information on each item is located on the City’s website.
The next City Council meeting is on September 6, 2022. The regular meeting on the third Tuesday, August 16 is cancelled for summer break.
During its August 3, 2022, meeting, the Kirkland City Council voted 4-3 to pass Ordinance O-4810, creating a new chapter of the Kirkland Municipal Code relating to tenant protections. The adopted ordinance focuses on two regulations related to notice of rent increase and limits on move-in fees.
Read more on the City’s website.
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 During its August 3, 2022, meeting, the Kirkland City Council voted unanimously to authorize the creation of a Parks Funding Exploratory Committee. The purpose of committee is to make recommendations to the City Council in late Spring 2023 regarding potential parks ballot measure(s) for placement on the November 2023 ballot. Interested in serving on this volunteer committee? Read more on the City’s website.
Dozens of small businesses in Kirkland received in total more than half-a-million dollars in financial relief to help in their pandemic recovery efforts thanks to federal funds allocated by the City through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Read more on the City’s website.
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Bill Newbold is Kirkland Fire Department’s newest Deputy Chief. DC Newbold comes to Kirkland as an experienced chief fire officer who’s served in the cities of Redmond, Bellingham, and Bothell.
DC Newbold first considered fire service in 1991 after seeing a sandwich board in Covington advertising for volunteer firefighters. He then joined King County Fire District 44, Mountain View Fire & Rescue, while working as an engineer at Boeing.
He says his favorite things about being in the fire service are:
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Working with a large team that does a critical job
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That he’s always learning - about different fire specialties like technical rescue, haz-mat response and others
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How quickly things can change, especially with emergency response
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Problem-solving
DC Newbold was a Deputy Fire Chief with Redmond Fire, the Fire Chief at Bellingham Fire and Deputy Chief with Bothell Fire.
While at Redmond Fire, he always considered Kirkland Fire Department as the “nice family next door” and was happy to join KFD as Deputy Fire Chief.
Bill and his wife Sharon have two children and they all enjoy outdoor activities like boating and hiking.
Welcome Deputy Chief Newbold!
National Night Out 2022 in Kirkland was a big hit on Tuesday, August 2, with about 20 block parties across the City!
Community members met outside to host bbq’s and potlucks, chat with neighbors and get to know police officers, firefighters, community responders, and City Councilmembers who stopped by to say ‘hello.’
A big thank you to our community members for organizing these fun block parties for National Night Out 2022!
Per King County’s recommendations, Juanita Beach remains closed this week, as bacteria levels are still above threshold. People and pets should not swim, drink lake water, or engage in other water activities at Juanita Beach.
More information, and updates about Juanita Beach Park, can be found on the City webpage.
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Thinking of ways to prepare your home to keep cool in the heat?
This summer, eastside residents have an opportunity to learn about and purchase discounted heat pump systems through Energy Smart Eastside, a multi-city energy efficiency program.
Heat pumps are highly efficient cooling and heating systems that use less energy than traditional electric heating systems and can result in lower utility bills.
To qualify for the Energy Smart Eastside discount, attend a free, 1-hour virtual workshop.
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Only a few days left to apply for event funding!
The City is accepting applications for 2023 tourism grants. Interested in putting on a special event and festival in Kirkland? Want help paying for marketing and operations? There’s still time for your event to be considered – applications are being accepted through Monday, August 8.
For more information on grant funding criteria and to access the 2023 online grant application, visit the Tourism Grant webpage.
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Running errands, going to work, or visiting a friend? Community Ride can help you get around. By riding Community Ride this month, you’ll get a chance to win a $50 gift card.
Community Ride is an on-demand service that gets you where you need to go! Book rides straight from your phone for the same cost as a bus ride!
Your first ride earns you five entries into the gift card raffle and every ride after earns you one entry. Take Community Ride before August 31 for a chance to win! Download the app and learn more at kingcounty.gov/metro/communityride.
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The City of Kirkland Office of Emergency Management is offering a Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) Rodeo on Saturday, August 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for CERT trained community members.
The CERT Rodeo is an opportunity for Kirkland residents to refresh and practice their CERT skills and have some fun! Skill review includes hands on practice with fire extinguishers, disaster first aid, team building, communications, and light search and rescue.
Haven’t taken a CERT class before? Join the Fall 2022 CERT class and learn about emergency preparedness, disaster first aid, live fire suppression, and more.
The class is on September 20, 22, 27, and 29 from 6 – 9 p.m., with a drill on October 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Registration is $25 for Kirkland residents.
Find more details and sign up at www.kirklandwa.gov/cert
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Lakeview Drive – Lakeview
Kirkland’s 2022 street paving contractor is maintaining intermittent lane-closures on Lakeview Drive between its intersections with Lake Washington Boulevard and Northeast 64th Street.
Watson Asphalt is repairing damaged curbs and upgrading curb ramps that are out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/streetpreservation
Northeast 132nd Street at I-405 – Juanita/Kingsgate
Drivers will encounter traffic control that will be in place into fall as the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) contractor begins the first phase of major construction, including the removal of trees in the project area.
Travel lanes on Northeast 132nd Street have shifted south, and left turns are prohibited except onto Totem Lake Boulevard for drivers traveling westbound and into Woodlake Apartments for drivers traveling eastbound.
WSDOT is building a new on-ramp for northbound Interstate 405 traffic and a new off-ramp for the interstate’s southbound traffic. The project will enhance sidewalks and bicycle lanes and will create roundabouts at the ramps’ Northeast 132nd Street intersection.
For questions about this traffic control or this project, call WSDOT’s project hotline at 425-224-2433.
Visit https://wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-projects/i-405northeast-132nd-street-interchange-project
Date: August 29 – 31, 2022
Location: North Kirkland Community Center, 12421 103rd Ave NE
The summer season is tough for our community’s blood supply. Book an appointment today and spend just one hour donating one pint of blood to save a life. Thank you!
Appointments are required.
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Join Green Kirkland Partnership and help our parks and natural areas thrive.
Volunteers are greatly needed at events in August!
Volunteers will help restore critical habitat by removing invasive plants such as blackberry or ivy, planting native plants (Oct-March), and pitching-in with stewardship tasks like mulching and weeding.
All experience levels and ages are welcome following the safety and event guidelines. Tools and training are provided. Events are 100% outdoors and rain or shine!
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