It was refreshing to hear the good ideas that came out of the recent neighborhood meeting in Juanita, ideas that are needed to improve the relationship between neighborhoods and the city. Too many good ideas have died on the vine not to mention the money wasted trying to appease special interest.
The problem: When does the city allow neighborhood interest to supersede city interest? There’s got to be a way to satisfy both. Two future Councilmembers, Ms. Sweet and Ms. Walen, were present. They could start something new. They could build on the theme that the host, Ms. Henefeld, mentioned – that being a holistic approach to government.
What follows next are lengthy examples of the problem. Two come to mind – 116th Avenue and 124th Avenue, both of which were poorly managed, cost the taxpayers millions of unnecessary dollars, and was not in the city’s best interest.
First there was 124th Avenue. The city applied for and received more than a million dollar state transportation grant to improve 124th Avenue. It was a project that the council had already approved, included in the city’s CIP, and therefore qualified for a state grant. The improvements were needed to help prevent traffic jams going to Totem Lake. It was a great deal because the grant was being paid for with 20 percent of local money and 80 percent of state money.
At the time, Mary-Alyce Burleigh was chair of the North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association. She objected to improving 124th Avenue because it would bring on more traffic. So, she got the ear of former Councilmember Doris Cooper and convinced her that the neighborhood interest superseded the city’s interest. The city then reneged on the project, returned the money to the state, and Totem Lake was left without the ability to bring in more business and revenues for the city. Because the city reneged on the project, they lost the trust of the state and were forced to apply for future grants using at least 50 percent local money and 50 percent state. The honeymoon was over between Kirkland and the state and we ended up holding the bag.
Much the same happened with 116th Avenue. It started when the fire chief wanted better coverage of Forbes Creek properties and the homes in the South Juanita, Norkirk, and Highlands neighborhoods. Response times exceeded the city standards and had to be improved. The Forbes Creek fire station could provide coverage if 116th Avenue was extended to Forbes Creek. About $700,000 was budgeted and included in the CIP. At that time, the Norkirk and Highlands neighborhoods did not want thru traffic on 116th. Councilmember Burleigh teamed up with former Councilmember Nona Ganz to kill the project.
To solve the response time problem, Burleigh suggested and pursued a bridge over I-405, a bridge that would have not only solved the response time problem but would have allowed to move between neighborhoods and hence the city. The fire truck and pedestrian-only bridge was built at a cost of $3 million with a greater share of local money because of the city’s previous renege of the money for 124th. Once again the neighborhood interest came before city interest. It cost us millions more than what could have been done for $700,000, and the city still has traffic problems.
In order to protect individual rights, neighborhood concerns, and function as a city, I believe future Councilmembers Ms. Sweet and Ms. Walen along with the other council members can start something new, a holistic approach to solving problems. They have good ideas.
Robert Style is a long-time Kirkland resident.
