Attend the Kirkland 2044 Visioning Event on Jan 11 - We need your help shaping the future of Kirkland! Every eight years, our community comes together to create a vision and policies to guide future growth of the city. Doing so helps ensure the needs and desires of people who currently - or would like to - live, work, learn and play in Kirkland are reflected. We know growth is coming, including more neighbors, more jobs, and more housing and transportation options.  The Kirkland 2044 Comprehensive Plan process will help us guide that growth over the next 20 years. Register to attend the event on January 11. Learn more by visiting www.kirklandwa.gov/k2044 and sign up for email alerts.

Thank you to our residents and businesses for your ongoing patience and resiliency as we get through this weather event together. Our Public Works crews continue working around the clock to keep our priority streets clear, and our Parks crews have supported keeping City buildings accessible.   

Don’t forget to stay up to date with important information by checking the City’s Twitter and Facebook pages and visiting: https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Whats-Happening/News/Snow-Dec-2022  

With warmer temperatures in the forecast and anticipated rainfall, the City is working proactively to prevent the localized urban flooding caused by clogged storm drains. 

If you can safely do so, please clear your storm drain grates of snow, ice, and other debris so the water can flow uninterrupted. 

There are over 12,000 storm drains in the City of Kirkland, and safely ensuring that all are free from obstructions will reduce flooding and increase the overall safety of our roads for both vehicles and pedestrians. 

Wondering where your neighborhood storm drains are located? Go to https://maps.kirklandwa.gov/Html5Viewer/. In the operational layers, turn on “Utilities, Storm System, Catch Basins.”  

Do you know what to do in case of an emergency?  

• Contact Puget Sound Energy for power outages and for downed trees on power lines at 1-888-225-5773 or report via the outage map online.    
• Know your water district. With freezing temperatures, water pipes are at risk. Know your water servicer and have contact information handy. Visit our water webpage for more info. 

For information on the City’s snow response, including snowplow routes, quick links, and frequently asked questions, visit: www.kirklandwa.gov/snow. 

For many, the holidays are a time for parties and celebrations. But this season is set against a bleak backdrop: traffic fatalities reached a 20-year high in 2021, and early data indicates that 2022 could be even deadlier. Through October of this year, 639 people died in traffic crashes in Washington, and more than half of those traffic deaths involved impaired drivers. 

The good news is that everyone can step in to prevent someone from driving drunk or high. Washington law enforcement will be doing their part with extra patrols across the state, now through January 1. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission has some helpful tips for how you can help too: 

• Be sober behind the wheel and prevent someone you care about from getting a DUI or hurting others while driving impaired 
• Arrange for or provide a ride 
• Arrange for the person to stay where they are 
• Offer your couch for the night 
• Engage someone else to help, including calling 911 

Calling 911 to prevent a crash is better than calling to report one. Taking action to prevent a DUI-related crash is an emergency. When talking to 911 dispatchers, they will want to know: 

• Make and model of the car 
• License plate number 
• Route and direction being travelled 
• Description of the driver 

You’d reach out to stop a friend from falling or getting hurt from an unseen danger. We do the same when we stop people we love from driving while drunk or high. Let’s get everyone home safely for the holidays. 

The holiday shopping season is a prime time for scammers to take advantage of people. Thousands of people become victim every year to holiday scams, and older adults are often targets.  

Consider these tips to stay safe:  

• Practice good online habits. Don’t click on suspicious links or attachments. Don’t give over passwords, personal information, or account information on suspicious sites. Check that the URL of sites you visit are legitimate and secure (https).  
• Know who you’re dealing with. Check reviews on the company you’re purchasing from. Avoid sellers who make odd requests or who’s business and billing information does not match as advertised.  
• Be careful how you pay. Don’t wire money directly to a seller. Avoid paying with pre-paid gift card.  
• Be suspicious. When communicating online and over the phone, don’t be pressured. Be aware of scamming tactics that use urgency to ask for information. Most legitimate businesses and organizations have your safety in mind and have practice measures in place such as never calling you to request personal information over the phone. When in doubt, look up a company’s phone number on your own and call them from your phone. 

 Read more about how to protect yourself and loved ones at FBI.gov. 

The Parks Funding Exploratory Committee (PFEC) wrapped up 2022 with a lively meeting on December 8 exploring property taxes in Washington, ballot funding mechanism options, and the City’s budget. Over the past three months, the committee learned all about maintaining and operating parks, dove into aquatics and recreation programs in Kirkland, and reviewed the recommendations of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan.

PFEC will resume in 2023 to work towards making recommendations to City Council by the end of February for potential parks ballot measure(s).

Catch up and review presentations from past meetings and learn more about PFEC at kirklandwa.gov/parks2023ballot.

Kirkland Blood Drives 

Don’t wait: make your plan to donate blood at either of the January blood drives being hosted by the City of Kirkland. Kick off the New Year at the North Kirkland Community Center on January 3 or 4, or join at City Hall January 23 or 24. Preparing our blood supply for extreme weather is critical for patients in all of our Northwest hospitals.  Bloodworks Northwest will be on site to help us save lives. Book a City of Kirkland Blood Drive Appointment and be a lifesaver. Please arrive with your photo ID and wearing a face mask.