July 2024
Hello from Lynnwood City Hall!
We are just a few weeks away from the grand opening of the Lynnwood Link Extension! It's hard to quantify my excitement to see the trains pull in and out of the Lynnwood City Center station, something that felt like a dream for so long.
The Link Light Rail Extension will connect Snohomish County through Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline to the rest of the region, providing a fast, clean, and reliable transit system. Lynnwood has been preparing for this milestone since the creation of our Legacy Lynnwood plan in 1993.
This achievement would not have been possible without our community's incredible support, and for that, I thank you. I can't wait to celebrate with everyone on August 30th!
Take care,
Mayor Christine Frizzell
|
 Development and Business Services
Head Start and Early Learning Playground: On Monday, July 22, the Council adopted an ordinance approving recreational activities in Commercial Zones, paving the way for playground facilities and pickleball courts.
Just a few days later, we had a delightful visit from the Head Start students, who share a building with DBS. Around 11 am, 15 adorable children aged 3 to 4, accompanied by their teachers, arrived at the DBS office to demonstrate their support for the proposed playground.
The enthusiastic children chanted in favor of the playground. Rebecca Samy, our Senior Planner, provided an excellent summary of the playground’s application status to the children and teachers. Upon hearing that the Council’s action would enable the playground to move forward, the children cheered loudly. For DBS staff it was a rewarding moment, and appreciation that our service is for the benefit of the Lynnwood community.
Save The Date: Lynnwood Link Light Rail Grand Opening: On August 30, the extension of Sound Transit’s Link light rail will officially open in Lynnwood. Please join us at the Community Celebration for the opening of the station on Friday, August 30 from 4 to 8 pm. The celebration will include live music, night market of arts and crafts, family fun zone, community resource fair, food trucks, and much more! For more information visit: https://www.gosnotrac.org/celebrate-lynnwood-city-ctr-grand-opening
 |
|
DBS Welcomes Cory Tung to the Team!: As part of our commitment to continuously enhancing customer service through process improvements, DBS recently hired Cory Tung as Business Support Analyst. Cory brings a wealth of experience in stakeholder engagement and data analytics to the team. Please join us in welcoming Cory to Lynnwood!
|
Executive
New Council Member Appointed: On Monday, July 15, newly appointed Council Member Derica Escamilla took the oath of office to become Lynnwood’s newest Council Member. Council Member Escamilla was appointed by the City Council to fill a vacancy left by Council Member Shirley Sutton’s resignation in early May. There was a great pool of Lynnwood community members that applied to fill the vacancy, however Council Member Escamilla rose to the top.
When asked about her approach to this new role, Councilmember Escamilla said she is committed to prioritizing the Lynnwood community members above all.
"I promise to do right by my community and never falter based on politics; I will use my heart, research, open-mindedness, and experiences as my compass. I am honored, blessed, and humbled to serve my City. I look forward to starting my new role as Councilwoman Escamilla. Thank you, City of Lynnwood; I am ready to work. Let's do this!"
Council Member Escamilla will serve in Position 1 until the certification of the next election in November of 2025.
|
|
Class is back in session at Lynnwood University!: Lynnwood University is a fun and interactive 5-week course to educate Lynnwood community members about their local government.
Classes will meet every Thursday from September 12th through October 10th from 6:30-9 p.m. at Lynnwood City Hall.
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, August 28th!
To learn more and to register, visit https://www.lynnwoodwa.gov/lynnwooduniversity.
|
|
 |
 |
|
Latino Expo: The Latino Educational Training Institute - LETI hosted another successful Latino Expo on Saturday, July 27! Our partnerships with local agencies that do great work with and for the community go a long way to building a strong community. Thanks LETI! |
Finance
The State Auditor’s Office held the 2023 Audit Entrance Conference on July 25 for the Financial, Federal and Accountability audits that began in June.
2025-2026 Budget preparations are underway.
Human Resources
Come work with us at the City of Lynnwood! Here are 🔥hot jobs🔥 to check out:
🔥The City of Lynnwood has a brand-new Justice Center opening soon! Come work with us as an entry-level Custody Officer and receive a hiring bonus! No experience needed. Excellent training is provided.
Check out our City employment benefits here!
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts
Parks and Recreation Month: Each year in July we celebrate parks and recreation month. July represents our busiest season of the year. Here are few highlights of this past July.
Hosting Softball Tournament: Meadowdale Athletic Complex hosted the 2024 USA Softball Class B Western National Championship Tournament. This five-day event brought teams, and their biggest fans, from California, Hawaii, Oregon, Montana, Nevada and Washington. Teams flooded into Snohomish County, boosting tourism as visitors stayed in local hotels, shopped, dined out and enjoyed the sites of Lynnwood and Snohomish County. Congratulations to the winners!
Summer Events in Full Swing: We hosted our Meet Me at the Park Series at North Lynnwood Park, Daleway Park and South Lynnwood Park. Meet Me at the Park is an opportunity to invite local nonprofits to join the City to engage with our community through an evening of activities, resources and fun in a beautiful park setting. This year we partnered with Sno-Isle Library and hosted a book walk during each event where families can walk through the park while reading signs that feature the children’s book Can You Dance Like a Peacock.
Shakespeare in the Park has been a longstanding well attended event held in the Lynndale Park Amphitheater. This event kicked off on July 18th and continues into August. Theater Troupes Wooden O Productions and GreenStage showcase their amazing productions. For the first time ever, the City is providing ASL interpretations improving access to this ongoing event for the ASL community.
We also partnered to help present the following community events: AfroLatino Festival, Our World – West African Drumming, and LETI Expo.
 |
|
Veteran Art Wrap: The Veteran signal box wrap at the corner of 196th and 40th is complete. A ribbon cutting will be held this fall. The design pays tribute to Lynnwood veterans and active military members. Many are our neighbors, who continue to contribute to our community. We thank them. |
Police
Helping a Community Member in Need: The weekend of July 13, officers learned of an elderly male who was found on a bus heading towards the Lynnwood Transit Center. The man appeared confused and Sound Transit workers found paperwork on him showing he was from an adult family home in Port Angeles. The male told workers he was trying to get to a dentist appointment in Bellevue.
Before the bus arrived at the transit center, an officer called the adult family home and confirmed the man had early signs of dementia and had actually been missing from the adult family home for 12 hours. The family home started driving towards the Port to pick up the male, however officers learned no one would be with the man on the boat to monitor him and make sure he got to his caretakers safely. Our Sergeant did not feel comfortable knowing the male would be on his own on the boat and asked an officer to accompany him. The officer drove the man to the ferry, road the ferry to Kingston with the male, even paying for both their ferry fare with his personal credit card, ensuring the man arrived safely home.
This is just one example of why our officers love what they do. We love helping our community and making meaningful connections with people. We are so glad the male was able to be reunited with his family safely.
Public Works
Sewer Comprehensive Plan Approval: After 14 months of review, the Washington State Department of Ecology finally approved the City’s General Sewer Plan (also known as the Sewer Comprehensive Plan) and the Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Plan, which will guide the development of the future Treatment Plant. Perhaps one reason the state’s approval took so long is that the plan lays out massive updates to our Treatment Plant that make it possible to meet new Puget Sound standards as well as the growth anticipated over the upcoming decades.
Light Rail Traffic: Big changes have been occurring over the past several years culminating with opening Light Rail next month. We can't know exactly what will happen to traffic demand patterns but we do know our remote system will give us the ability to understand new citywide demand patterns and then make adjustments. It will be a process over time before the demand patterns and adjustments to traffic signal green allocations reach steady state. Our goal is to achieve steady state within 90 days of opening. We’ll need patience from everyone walking, biking, rolling, driving, commuting, etc. Everyone using shared travel spaces must be fully engaged in safety. That is the only way we can avoid collisions during and after the adjustment period. More Safety Tips are coming!
For questions regarding Mayor's Memo, please email communications@lynnwoodwa.gov.
|
