July 25, 2024
Listen as special guest, Gena Jain, explains how you can bring your own cup and win prizes during your morning coffee run!
The next meeting of the Kirkland City Council is on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. More information about the meeting will be included in next week’s edition of ‘This Week in Kirkland.’
*Please note, the Council meeting is moved to Wednesday because of National Night Out celebrated during the regularly scheduled Tuesday.
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.
Follow Along with the K2044 Process and Provide Public Comment
Interested in how the City plans for the next 20 years? Check out upcoming dates for the Comprehensive Plan update:
- July 25 - Planning Commission will deliberate on the NE 85th St Station Area Plan and Totem Lake Business District Subarea Plan, and the following neighborhood plans: Lakeview, Bridle Trails, Moss Bay, Everest, Rose Hill, Norkirk, and Finn Hill.
- August 7 - Council will receive a briefing on the transit corridors being studied for the possibility of more housing capacity in the Comprehensive Plan Update.
- August 22 - Planning Commission will deliberate on the Land Use Element and Market St. Corridor Plan
For more information, and how to get involved, visit the K2044 webpage.
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.
Full Closure of NE 85th St at I405
Eastbound and westbound Northeast 85th Street will be fully closed from 11 p.m. Friday, July 26 to 4 a.m. Monday, July 29. Crews will be working to build new I-405 bridge columns on Northeast 85th Street as part of the I-405/Northeast 85th Street Interchange and Inline Station Project. Lane reductions will begin as early as 9 p.m. on Friday night. Signed detour routes will be in place. Expect increased congestion and plan for additional travel time during the closure. Use alternate routes and travel during off-peak hours if possible.
The detour maps for the full closures of Northeast 85th Street can be found at the project webpage.
Drivers are encouraged to reduce speeds while traveling through the work zone for the safety of our crews. For construction updates, travelers can download the WSDOT app or find more information on the WSDOT real-time travel map and project webpage.
Stormwater System Upgrade Closes Juanita Drive for a Week
Stormwater system upgrades will close Juanita Drive beginning as early as July 29. All traffic will be detoured around Northeast 128th and 132nd streets. The closure and detour will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and is anticipated to conclude August 2.
The City’s contractor, SCI Infrastructure, will provide access to the closed section of Juanita Drive for those who live along it and for emergency response, mail delivery and waste collection. However, the contractor will detour all other traffic along Northeast 132nd or 128th streets to 84th Avenue Northeast. Traffic control will be managed by a uniformed police officer hired by SCI Infrastructure.
This and other improvements to Juanita Drive will increase safety and access along the roadway for residents and commuters, optimize traffic flow, add rapid flashing beacons at a new crosswalk, establish a sidewalk and buffered bicycle lane, and add a new left turn lane at the Northeast 120th Street intersection.
The contractor’s crews will also be working along other areas of Juanita Drive during this time. Lane-closures and lane-shifts are likely in those areas.
To learn more, visit www.kirklandwa.gov/juanitadrivecorridor or contact Project Engineer Tiffany Tillison, (425) 587-3293, ttillison@kirklandwa.gov; or Community Engagement Coordinator Christian Knight, cknight@kirklandwa.gov, (425) 587-3831.
Kirkland Police Arrest Suspect in Child Homicide Case
Houghton Beach Remains Closed to Water Activities
Lend your voice while serving on one of the City’s Boards and Commissions. Do you have enthusiasm for design and the look of our buildings and developments? How about transportation and how we move around the City? Maybe you have a passion for travel and bringing tourists to our wonderful community? If your answer is yes, we are seeking passionate individuals who want to make an impact with the City of Kirkland.
Positions available on:
- Design Review Board
- Transportation Commission
- Tourism Development Committee
Applications are due by 4 p.m., August 12, 2024.
For more information, and to apply, visit the Boards and Commissions webpage.
Want your pet to be the Pet of the Month!? Join us by sharing a photo of your furry friend proudly displaying a pet license tag! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #KirklandPetTags
We’ll start! This is Mayor Curtis’ dog Pippi, and Councilmember Pascal’s pet Tucker - both pets are licensed so that others know they’ve had their vaccines.
Help us spread the word about the importance of licensing your pet. The winner will be contacted using their pet license contact information. And, if you need to renew or sign up for a pet license, you will receive $15 in Kirkland Ca$h!
Now let's see those cute pet photos!
Summer is here and so is the Eastside BYOC campaign! The campaign is a fun and engaging initiative designed to help us reduce single-use cup waste. By participating, our community is working together to adopt reuse habits that make a positive difference for the environment. We have had lots of partner coffee shops and people participating by bringing their own cup and posting cup selfies on social media.
Each week one of the reuse champions that posted a cup selfie will be selected to receive tickets to fun summer events, and in September we will have a grand prize drawing for an e-bike from Propella. Find out more and continue to help reduce waste by visiting www.eastsidebyoc.com!
Kirkland Conserves will have a booth giving away reuse reminder gifts and reusable cups at the Juanita Friday Market on July 26. See you there!
In addition to monitoring regional conditions and mitigating risk, our Emergency Management loves to be out in the community working with all of you to help keep our community safe.
You can connect with our friendly Office of Emergency Management (OEM) staff at:
- Farmers Markets
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- Join OEM at the Kirkland Wednesday Market or Friday Juanita Market. Stop by to talk with staff, learn how to get involved, and win prizes!
- Next Pop-up: Kirkland Wednesday Market on August 7.
- Rec-n-Roll
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- OEM has partnered with our Parks and Community Services department to implement a “Build-a-Bag” activity. What is Build-a-bag? Well, it's a weekly opportunity for children to build their own emergency preparedness kits. Check out the schedule for the rest of the summer by going to this link.
We live in an outdoor lover’s paradise with gorgeous scenery and fascinating wildlife. Seeing wildlife in their natural habitat can be exciting, but it’s important to remember that they are wild and can be dangerous.
Help keep yourself and others safe by following these outdoor safety tips from our friends at the National Parks Service:
1. Give animals room. The best way to stay safe when watching wildlife is to give animals room to move. Many parks require you to stay a minimum distance of 25 yards from most wildlife and 100 yards from predators like bears and wolves. In general, if animals react to your presence, you're too close. If you’re close enough for a selfie, you’re definitely too close.
2. Do not disturb. Even when you’re farther away, leaving wildlife alone can help your viewing experience—plus it’s the law. It’s illegal to feed, touch, tease, frighten, or intentionally disturb wildlife.
3. Keep your eyes on the road. Vehicle strikes are one of the most deadly types of encounters for wildlife in parks. Be sure to always follow the speed limits and watch for wildlife that may dart into the road. When you want to stop to watch wildlife, pull your vehicle completely off of the road into a designated pull-out.
4. Store your food and stash your trash. Feeding wildlife in parks can make them come looking for more. Trash or even crumbs left on picnic tables can attract them. Keep a clean picnic area or campsite, store your food and dispose of garbage in proper containers.
5. See something, say something. Tell a ranger if you come into physical contact with wildlife. Also, tell a ranger if you see wildlife that are sick, dead, or acting strangely, including wildlife that approach you.
6. Be responsible. When you go into a local or national park, it’s your responsibility to keep yourself, your family, and the wildlife safe.
Visit the National Park Service for tips and more.
If you’re one of the millions travelling this summer, be prepared when it comes to your health and safety while you’re away from home. The Kirkland Police Department shares these travel safety tips:
- Prepare for emergencies. Leave copies of important travel documents – like your itinerary, contact info, credit cards, passport - with someone at home, in case you lose them during your trip. Make sure someone at home knows how to reach you and have your emergency contacts with you at all times.
- Plan for unexpected health and travel issues. Find out if your health insurance covers medical care, especially if you’re going abroad—many plans don’t. Consider buying travel insurance that covers health care and emergency evacuation if you’re traveling overseas.
- Pack smart. Prepare a travel health kit with things you might need, like: prescriptions, over-the-counter medicine, a first aid kit, insect repellent, sunscreen, aloe, hand sanitizer and your health insurance card.
- Choose safe transportation. Always wear a seat belt, and children should ride in car seats. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among healthy travelers. Be alert when crossing the street in a different city.
- Protect yourself from the sun. Apply sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher when traveling. Protecting yourself from the sun isn’t just for tropical beaches—you can get a sunburn even if it’s cloudy.
- Be careful during water activities. Drowning is a major cause of death when traveling. Follow water safety recommendations, which includes swimming, boating and diving.
- Wash your hands. Regular handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. Wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
- Don't share detailed travel information on social media until you get back home.
For more safety tips, visit the Washington State Attorney General webpage.
Taking public transportation is one way to reduce your personal CO2 emissions. Watch Tanushri, Youth Transit Ambassador, play this year's Transit Bingo as she takes King County Metro Route 245 to visit a park on a beautiful day. She uses her youth ORCA card, which allows youth to ride transit for free.
Kirkland Youth Transit Ambassadors are helping the City reach its Sustainability Master Plan goal of "increasing weekly transit ridership by 10%."
Juanita Drive
Juanita Drive will be closed from Northeast 128th Street to Northeast 132nd Street between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday, July 29th through Friday, August 2nd. The detour route takes drivers and bicyclists to 84th Avenue Northeast to bypass the closed section of roadway. A uniformed police officer will control the intersection at Northeast 128th Street and 84th Avenue Northeast.
Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/juanitadrivecorridor
Northeast 85th Street/I-405 Interchange
Northeast 85th Street will be fully closed from 114th Avenue Northeast/Kirkland Way to 120th Avenue Northeast beginning Friday, July 26th at 11 p.m. until 4a.m. Monday, July 29th. Also on Northeast 85th Street, there are nightly lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., but a single lane of travel will remain open in each direction. This nightly lane closure will continue into mid-August.
Visit the WSDOT project webpage at bit.ly/85th-Interchange-BRT
124th Avenue Northeast
Drivers traveling southbound on 124th Avenue Northeast are prohibited from turning left onto NE 120th Street. Kirkland’s contractor is widening 124th Avenue Northeast to five lanes and enhancing pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
Search “124th Avenue” on www.kirklandwa.gov
Northeast 116th Place (Goat Hill)
Goat Hill residents should expect road closures this week from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Northeast 116th Place. PSE’s contractor is working on Northeast 117th Place from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. and will have sections of the roadway closed during that work.
Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/goathill
Eighth Avenue West and Fifth Street West
Work is currently in two locations on 8th Avenue West: near the intersection with Market Street and between 3rd Street and 4th Street. Pedestrians on Market Street should use the east side to avoid pedestrian closures or follow the detour. Flaggers are located at the intersections to allow for emergency vehicles.
Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/eighthavenuewestupgrade
Kirkland Avenue and Lake Street
Lake Street’s intersection with Kirkland Avenue is now open, and minor impacts to traffic flow are expected for delivery of materials throughout the remainder of construction.
Visit www.kirklandwa.gov/lakestreetpedscramble
Fifth Avenue South and Eighth Street South
Kirkland's Fifth Avenue South and Eighth Street West water main contractor is alternating traffic until early-August 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, over the next two weeks, will have intermittent disruptions to access to Northeast 144th Lane as crews work to install soldier pilings for a new wall on the west side of 100th Avenue Northeast. 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
Recycle Right event
Date: Saturday, August 3
Time: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s south parking lot (11605 132nd Ave NE, Kirkland, WA 98034
This is an opportunity to recycle unwanted textiles, electronics, reusable furniture, and paper for confidential shredding. To recycle reusable furniture an online form must be submitted by July 29th.
This is a free event, there is no cost to recycle any of the accepted items. For full event details and a list of accepted items, please visit WM Recycle Right Event
For questions please contact WM’s Outreach Coordinator at Recyclenw@wm.com.
Junior League Softball World Series
Date: July 28 to August 3
Location: Everest Park, 500 8th Street S
This is the perfect place for families and fans from around the world to join together for a week of fun, excitement, and competition. On the field, 10 teams of 12- to 14-year-olds from around the world will compete for a chance to be crowned Junior League Softball World Series champion while fans can enjoy the unique atmosphere of Everest Park, the home of this iconic event since 1999.
Game times will be posted online. Stay in the loop at the Junior League Softball World Series webpage.
Kirkland Health and Wellness Fair
Date: Saturday, September 28
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Juanita High School, 10601 NE 132nd St
Save the date!
Join the 4th annual Health and Wellness Fair for FREE Health Screenings, Flu shots, and vaccination. Also, local community services information, resources, support, food, music, raffles, giveaways, and so much more!
For information about this event, volunteering, and exhibitor opportunities, please contact: support@promotoresnetwork.org
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Stay tuned! Former youth program Kirkland Police Explorers, relaunched now as Kirkland Cadets, are having their annual Benefit Car Show in September. More info to follow on the Kirkland Cadet webpage.