The Kirkland City Council held a special meeting with annexation area residents Oct. 19 at Finn Hill Junior High to discuss issues important to the new citizens of Kirkland.Residents submitted 48 written questions to the council during the meeting, all of which were answered in a recent email to a Finn Hill Neighborhood Committee organizer. The questions ranged from taxes, parks, and planning, to policing and many other varied topics.Here are just a few of the questions and answers covered in the response.
One of the hottest topics for Finn Hill residents is the construction of a new fire station. Residents asked for an update of where the process is currently.The city responded that it is in the selection process for hiring an architecture/engineering firm to conduct a siting analysis for potential locations, including two sites that the now-defunct Fire District No. 41 previously considered.The proposal deadline was Sept. 14 and the selection committee will be interviewing the top two candidates within the next couple of weeks. The next step will be to define criteria for evaluating sites and review public outreach efforts.
Another resident asked if the issue of banning panhandling in Kirkland has been raised. The city has not approached the issue but noted that some surrounding cities have passed ordinances to prohibit the practice.
City officials said the recent annexation has led to the Parks and Community Services Department updating the city’s Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan (‘PROS’ Plan).The PROS Plan identifies goals, objectives, and levels of service for the city’s park system and identifies priorities for future development, renovation, and acquisition projects.
A very candid answer came from the city when asked if it will enforce code violations within the neighborhoods.”The answer to this question is generally, no,” said city officials. “The city receives hundreds of complaints and responds on a complaint-based system. However, staff will proactively investigate and follow-up on life/safety and/or environmental degradation situations.”
In another question about junk cars and other code enforcement issues, the city responded: “Code enforcement has been very busy in the new neighborhoods with these and other issues. Since June 1, of the 42 complaints filed having junk vehicle, weeds and property maintenance as primary issues, at least 16 have been from the new neighborhoods.” Citizens may file complaints on the city’s Web site. Complaints may be mailed to or dropped off at City Hall as well. All will be investigated as soon as possible, officials said.
City representatives said the potential new lacrosse field at Big Finn Hill Park needs to go through the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) processes before progressing.
“King County started this review and will be forwarding the SEPA checklist and responses to citizen’s questions and comments to the city,” said city officials. “The city will be issuing a SEPA determination that will include an appeal period. The city will also be making a decision on the grading permit application that the county has reviewed pursuant to county rules. City inspectors will oversee construction of the field.”
On the topic of law enforcement, the city said that data does not support the use of red-light cameras in the city.
The city also moved to squash rumors that it will contract out police officers to Kenmore and Woodinville.
On the subject of neighborhood watch programs, the city urges residents to contact the Neighborhood Resource Officer through the Kirkland Police Department.
One resident requested that Kirkland take a look at reducing the speed limit on Northeast Juanita Drive. Officials said speed is set by what people are comfortable with on that particular road and what is reasonably enforced.
“Many, many studies have shown that changing the speed limit has little to do with how fast people travel,” city officials said. “This is tested by measuring speeds before the change and then after the change. Invariably, there’s no difference in speeds. What changes speed is the ‘feel’ of the road. When it’s wide and straight, with open expanses on each side, it feels like you can go faster. People naturally drive slower on streets that have more development close to the street, medians, crosswalks, bicycles, buses, etc.”
One resident requested bike lanes on a portion of street and the city responded that it needs a constant four feet of shoulder to implement the lane.There were also many questions about installing new crosswalks in specific locations. Many of these requests had to do with kids walking to school. City officials said they work closely with the Lake Washington School District to provide safe walk routes and have applied for many state and federal grants for these projects. The city then prioritizes requests.
The next Finn Hill neighborhood meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Nov. 30 at Finn Hill Junior High School. The biggest topic will be to approve the proposal for the Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance (DCNA) to become the recognized neighborhood association for the Finn Hill area.Approval would include changing the organization’s name and expanding the purpose of the organization to embrace not only environmental stewardship issues but also other matters of interest to the community at large (for example, zoning, transportation and public safety).
