Neighborhood forum scheduled for Jan. 23

By Catherine Krummey • January 13, 2017 1:30 am
Peter Kageyama (standing at right) discusses a T-shirt design with Kenmore residents at a “For the Love of Kenmore” event in 2015. Kageyama will host a workshop at “For the Love of Kirkland” on Jan. 23. Reporter file photo
Peter Kageyama (standing at right) discusses a T-shirt design with Kenmore residents at a “For the Love of Kenmore” event in 2015. Kageyama will host a workshop at “For the Love of Kirkland” on Jan. 23. Reporter file photo

The Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods and the City of Kirkland are partnering up for the city’s first neighborhood forum, called “For the Love of Kirkland.”

The Jan. 23 forum will include a workshop led by engagement expert Peter Kageyama, author of “For the Love of Cities” and “Love Where You Live.” Kageyama tours around the country to engage people in getting involved with their city. He also has done workshops in Kenmore, Bellevue, Lynnwood, Tacoma and Renton, where Kirkland City Manager Kurt Triplett observed his work.

“I found Peter to be a really engaging and inspiring speaker,” Triplett said. “I was really impressed with him, and as a result, I thought we needed to find a way to get him here. … (He shares) a different way of thinking about a city’s relationship with the community.”

The workshop will be more than Kageyama speaking; it also includes several exercises to get participants thinking about how they can be more involved. Kageyama said he’s looking forward to returning to the Puget Sound region to help Kirkland citizens generate ideas for how they can demonstrate their love for the city, taking it from words to action.

“You are a very dynamic, growing mega region,” he said. “I talk about love and positivity, and you all are doing very well in that area.”

One goal of the forum is to motivate more involvement in the city’s neighborhood associations, according to Triplett and City of Kirkland Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Kari Page.

“People should find out when their neighborhood association meets and get involved,” Page said, adding the event will also recognize what the neighborhood associations can do and have done for the city.

The forum will be held from 5:30 to 8:45 p.m. Jan. 23 at Google in Building D, 451 Seventh Ave. S, and dinner is included. Overflow parking will be available at Lakeview Elementary School, 10400 NE 68th Street.

The event is free but registration is required. Registration can be done online at loveofkirkland.eventbrite.com.

Editor’s Note: As of Jan. 12 (after the Reporter went to press), the event is full, but there is a waitlist, which already has quite a few names on it, according to city officials. You can add your name to the waitlist through the registration link.