Three summers ago, the City of Kirkland notified residents that they would be applying slurry seal on our street, instead of a layer of new asphalt. Our street had not been overlayed in over 25 years.

The surface of our street had cracks, dozens of cuts from previous construction and it was due for new asphalt. Instead, the city sent out staff to seal hundreds of cracks. Then they asked us to move all vehicles off the street for 24 hours for the application. Beyond loose gravel, the slurry seal did not set immediately. We had oil residue on our car tires and our shoes, which tracked on to our driveway.

A year later, on any hot day, the tar would soften and we had the same negative impact, tar on our cars and shoes.

Ironically, less than two years after the initial application, we have large cracks and fissures up and down the street. So much for sealing the asphalt. Rather than do it right and have an overlay that will last 25-30 years on a residential street, the City of Kirkland is opting to be cheap and slurry seal every five years.

It’s part of the declining services that we are receiving in Kirkland while we simultaneously pay increases in our taxes. Redmond and Bellevue do not use slurry seal on roadways. Why does Kirkland? Because they do not care of that they lower the service levels, they do not care if citizens are happy with the results.

The Kirkland City Council and City Manager are slowly approving eroding standards that have been in place for years, hoping that no one notices.

Why are sidewalks being repaired with asphalt patches instead of concrete? No other communities are doing this? This slurry seal may save money initially, but as property owners we get to live with the loose gravel, tar on our tires and poor quality. This program should be stopped immediately.

Instead of spending $250,000 for a consultant to master plan the light rail on the Cross Kirkland Connection trail or spend tens of thousands on feasibility studies for an ill-conceived aquatic center that will never be built, why not spend our tax dollars on actual services that we can use and appreciate as opposed to enriching consultants. Kirkland residents deserve better government and better service.

Patrick Harris, Kirkland