I’m a little disappointed with the selection that the Park Board will go with in regards to the location of the proposed aquatics center.

It would seem to me that the Juanita Beach Park location would be much more suitable for two main reasons. First, the Juanita Beach Park location is centrally located to the majority of Kirkland residents. Secondly, and probably the most important, the Juanita Beach Park location is closest to the most number of retail establishments. With Juanita Village right across the street, there will most likely be an uptick in revenue in these businesses.

The North Kirkland Community Center is located in a residential neighborhood on 124th Avenue Northeast with very few close retail establishments. The street can get very congested during the day and the traffic will worsen when you add the additional traffic to the aquatics center.

As an alternative, I also suggest that the aquatic center be located at the old Albertson’s location right across the street from Juanita Elementary school. There is already adequate parking, it is close to Juanita High School and retail establishments. Having that location empty for this long has been an eyesore.

Jym McMurdo, Kirkland