The next meeting of the Kirkland City Council is on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. This will be a hybrid meeting, and community members are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via Zoom.  

During the Business Agenda, Council will review and consider for adoption mid-year amendments to the 20234-2024 biennium budget. 

Meeting details:      

The business meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and is preceded by a 5:30 p.m. study session. The agenda for the June 18 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.        

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.        

How to participate: Members of the public wishing to address the Council may do so in-person or via Zoom during the “Items from the Audience” part of the agenda. That part of the agenda occurs at the beginning of the Council’s business meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. Information on the comment sign up process to provide comment to the City Council, and on attending the meeting virtually, is available on the City Council webpage.      

Written comments can also be submitted to CityCouncil@kirklandwa.gov. For additional questions, please call the City Clerk’s Office at (425) 587-3190.  

Stay in the know: you can also get a preview of what’s coming up at Council in the coming weeks and months by checking out the City Council Agenda Calendar.  Please note: this calendar is subject to frequent change and does not constitute legal notice.    

How can I contact the City with questions, requests, or suggestions? 

You can always contact City staff through the Our Kirkland service portal, available on the web and mobile app. Submitting your comments through Our Kirkland ensures the right staff receives the information and can follow up with you.  

For more opportunities to provide feedback to the City, please visit our Community Conversations page.

The downtown Lake St and Kirkland Ave intersection is officially open to vehicles since it closed for construction on April 1. The project replaced the failing stormwater system to decrease risk of flooding, made upgrades to surrounding curb ramps and traffic signals, and raised the intersection to the level of the surrounding sidewalks which serves as a safety measure to slow traffic. When activated later this summer, the new pedestrian plaza will stop all direction of traffic and allow for multidirectional pedestrian crossing.

Next time you are downtown, take our snazzy new intersection for a spin!  

For more information about the project, visit https://www.kirklandwa.gov/lakestreetpedscramble  

This summer you may notice a few more helpful folks in our parks! The City of Kirkland Parks Department has kicked off the summer season with several new seasonal park rangers. The park ranger team includes full-time park ranger Betty and new seasonal rangers Daniel, Dane, and Rory. 

Just for fun, we asked the new rangers their favorite animal in our parks. Daniel’s favorite is the classic mallard duck. Dane’s is the not so elusive coyote in our parks. While Rory’s favorite is a barred owl recently spotted swooping in at Edith Moulton Park. 

The park ranger program provides customer service to park visitors to ensure a safe, welcoming, and positive experience for all park users in Kirkland’s parks and natural areas. 

As ambassadors for Parks and Community Services, park rangers provide education, enforcement, and safety resources around park rules, environmental hazards, and park services. Rangers spend a lot of time in busy areas like the marina and waterfront parks, but you’ll also see them walking trails in our natural areas and green spaces. 

Please give them a friendly hello when you see them and be sure to reach out if you need their assistance as they are always happy to chat about our parks! 

More information about the program can be found on the City's Park Ranger Program website. The park ranger program works in collaboration with Kirkland Parks Management, King County Marine Rescue Dive Unit, and the Kirkland Police Department. 

Congratulations to more than two dozen firefighters and one City staffer recognized for their service at Kirkland Fire Department’s Promotion and Retirement Ceremony on June 6! 

Promotions: Lieutenant – Ryan Stevie, Doug Tomczak; Captain – Cory Caulk, Josh Pratt 

Firefighter of the Year 2023 – Stephen McCauley 

Fire Officer of the Year 2023 – Brent Anderson 

Community Service Award 2023 – Martin Paul 

Special Presentation Award – Anneke Davis 

Years of Service Recognition: 

5 years – Michael Allan, Kasey Bielec, Corey Hall, Andrew Lim, Ryan Magnin, Aaron McVay, Albert Park, Carlos Toledano 

10 years – Dustin Hill 

15 years – Mike Boyer, Darren Broekhuis, Darren DeBoer, Megan Keyes 

Retirements: Brian Ferguson, 23 years; Steven Brownlee, 27 years; Randy Scott 28 years; Bryan Vadney, 39 years 

Interested in becoming a Kirkland firefighter? Here's the info.

The Kirkland Fire Department ALSO had a big milestone for its vehicles. Last Monday the Kirkland Fire Department held the final Push-In Ceremony, pushing E125 into the bay. Over the last three weeks we have commissioned three new vehicles, E125, E122, and A122 with this long standing tradition.

The history of the push-in ceremony dates back to the early days of the American Fire Service of the 1800s when horse-drawn equipment had to be pushed back into the station following a call. That tradition has been adopted by the modern fire service when accepting a new apparatus.   

Thank you to all those who came out and joined us in pushing the fire truck! 

Sun, fun, and pride! What a show out for our annual Pride celebration last Friday afternoon! Thank you to all the community who came out to celebrate together. There were arts and crafts, community resources, educational materials, a photo booth, live music and performances, a dance off, remarks from Mayor Curtis and members of the City Council, and best of all – community support and love.  

We hope to see you all again next year!  

Every school day, over 1,700 people make their way to Juanita High School. 1,345 of those people typically arrive by car. Eva Salmon heroically counted every single car, bike, and bus that arrived to Juanita High for two school days to determine the school's daily carbon emissions due to transportation. 

She estimated that each day over 4,000 pounds of CO2 are emitted by students and staff who are going to school (see the math). Juanita High is served by nine yellow school buses that are only half full on average. Watch Eva's video laying out the facts of The Juanita Situation.

50% of Kirkland’s total greenhouse-gas emissions come from vehicles, leading the City of Kirkland to identify transportation as a Focus Area in its Sustainability Master Plan. The City has set a goal to reduce driving per capita by 20%. If 20% of Juanita High drivers instead took the bus, walked, or rode a bike to school, they could reduce their emissions by over 1,000 pounds a day! That's equal to the carbon sequestered by 8 tree saplings grown for 10 years.  

You hopefully already have an emergency preparedness kit ready to go in case of a disaster. If you have pets, did you know they need kits, too? Kits should be in a portable container in case an evacuation is necessary. Here are some suggestions for what to put in an emergency “go kit” for pets to keep them healthy, safe, and feeling as secure as possible under a stressful situation:  

1. Enough food and water for at least a three-day supply per pet.  
2. Medications and medical records.  
3. First aid kit.  
4. Collar or harness (with ID tag & rabies tag) and a leash.  
5. Crate or pet carrier. Can be used to store the other items when not in use.  
6. Sanitation. Pet litter and a litter box, if needed. Include plastic trash bags and bleach for cleaning.  
7. Comfort items. A favorite treat or toy can help ease your pet’s anxiety.   
8. A photo of you and your pet(s) together. 

Last but not least, license your pet! It’s the best way to be reunited with them if you are ever separated. 

For more information on assembling and maintaining disaster supply kits for pets (and people), visit https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Buildakit  

Northeast 116th Place (Goat Hill)

Goat Hill residents should expect road closures this week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Northeast 116th Place. Kirkland’s contractor is keeping open the Northeast 120th Place access to Goat Hill. Puget Sound Energy’s crews are working nights to relocate its gas lines, as well.

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/goathill

 

Eighth Avenue West and Fifth Street West

West of Market residents should expect road closures at various areas along Eighth Avenue West, between Fifth Street West and Market Street while a Kirkland contractor upgrades the sewer mains beneath the streets.

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/eighthavenuewestupgrade

 

Juanita Drive

Kirkland’s Juanita Drive Corridor improvements contractor is planning on June 10 to June 12 to close 79th Way Northeast while its crews repave the section of street in which they installed the water main.

Juanita Drive will be reduced to one lane periodically this week between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Northeast 124th Street to Northeast 128th Street. 

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/juanitadrivecorridor

 

Fifth Avenue South and Eighth Street South

Kirkland's Fifth Avenue South and Eighth Street West water main contractor is alternating traffic until early July on Eighth Street South and a short section of Railroad Avenue.

Strickland and Sons crews are working from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Search “5th Avenue water” on www.kirklandwa.gov

 

100th Avenue Northeast

OMA Construction is limiting Northeast 139th Street access from 100th Avenue Northeast until June 28, while crews repave the roadway.

The Kirkland contractor is alternating traffic at various locations between Northeast 137th and 145th streets. The legal speed limit through the construction zone is 25 miles per hour.

Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/100thavedesign

 

Eastside Honoring Juneteenth: Freedom Day Celebration 

Date: Saturday, June 15 

Time: 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.  

Location:  Juanita Beach Park 

The afternoon of community celebrations includes: 

• Delbert Richardson and his Unspoken Truths American History Traveling Museum  
• A Celebration of Black Graduates organized by Na’eemah Webb with the Lake WA School District  
• Entertainment by various Black artists, musicians, and dancers  
• Black businesses, vendors, educational resources, and nonprofits  

For more information, visit EastSide For All. 

Celebrate Kirkland 4th of July  

Date: Thursday, July 04  

Time: 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  

Location:  Marina Park, 25 Lakeshore Plaza Drive

Join the City of Kirkland as we come together to celebrate Kirkland’s annual 4th of July parade. Please sit or stand along our downtown business district and enjoy a family-friendly event featuring processions from local shops, dance groups, music, government representatives, and much more. Everyone is welcome. Let’s keep the tradition going! 

We need YOU! Be part of making the day special and sign up to volunteer!  

For more information, visit the Celebrate Kirkland webpage.  

For more events from the City, visit our Community Events page. For up to date happenings around Kirkland, visit ExploreKirkland.com/Events.  

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