[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",5972907,"mediaKeyId","5869903-7f9ed9ad85837ec718ec7f9b6849501b","parentId",5869903,"title","Kirkland honors boards, commissions and volunteers at Community Appreciation Night","audioSeconds",4679,"startMs",1916030,"endMs",6595065,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5869903-7f9ed9ad85837ec718ec7f9b6849501b&start=1916&end=6595","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5869903-7f9ed9ad85837ec718ec7f9b6849501b/thumbnail_1916030.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5972907/Kirkland/King-County/Washington/Kirkland-honors-boards-commissions-and-volunteers-at-Community-Appreciation-Night","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5972907-51b729785cc2a4ec1c2b60014d635770/orig.mp4?Expires=1771128332&Signature=YB9PaKkHgEDeMo2WjooTtqmu8cYFyMfDr2etQlytGKB97nVjIfdGF8yyvtUE3~EqIFDZzfn5nScz0gpTRkR5FPkvnE8vDlpA6Wd9iC9WlQdn6rKu3ukzlU6sCSMnIwgpdPRY5-a3f5aRJrJldqsAbacQEuxJzw8TwK26lFUmgFCoJXgQc2JTAoPlzakzDbWXCTbFwVeRZn-WrNp~vwMhrkczxo6yuZrnXh20QxlyFdQ2S5fMgHnCyUb1LZXbrKmBd9uNRI5qa~NSFahWX9Enbo-euaw2-Wah2aeNI3whvcjwmeeyKVqw-XUqdnihy66HgxZBRaxdQlXe1aojZ74JqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kirkland City, WA","date","2025-09-29T00:00:00Z","article","City of Kirkland leaders used Community Appreciation Night at the Kirkland Performance Center to recognize the work of boards, commissions and volunteers and to present annual awards to long-serving citizens.

Deputy City Manager Jim Lopez opened the community-appreciation portion of the program and thanked council members and city staff for their support. \"Everything and everyone is connected,\" Lopez said while promoting the Kirkland Initiative, the city’s eight-week civic-education program that he described as a path into local leadership.

Council members and commission chairs then introduced work from 2024 and priorities for 2025 across multiple advisory bodies: parks, human services, transportation, planning, library, youth council, design review, civil service, cultural arts, tourism development, senior council and the disability board. Examples of items described onstage included parks staff and volunteer work on the Kirkland Teen Union Building and a possible Peter Kirk Pool enclosure to expand year-round swim lessons; the Human Services Commission’s role in the 2024 grants cycle that produced recommendations funding 76 programs; Transportation Commission leadership on the Transportation Strategic Plan and a citywide Safety Action Plan; and the Planning Commission’s public hearings on the comprehensive-plan update.

Several commission chairs described 2025 priorities and outreach efforts. Amy Ambrosini, parks board chair, discussed the plan to explore an enclosed Peter Kirk Pool to address long wait lists for swim lessons. Gabriela Lopez, Human Services Commission chair, summarized the 2024 grant review process and said the commission recommended funding for 76 programs. Brian McGee, Transportation Commission chair, described recent work on a Safety Action Plan and speed-limit policy. Rodney Rutherford, Planning Commission chair, said the commission is shifting to address state requirements and council priorities following the comprehensive-plan hearings.

The evening also included recognition of outgoing members across commissions and boards and presentations of volunteer awards. The city presented three above-and-beyond awards: Brad Beckman, honored for leading stewardship at Rose Hill Meadows Park and for organizing dozens of volunteer events and plantings; Valerie Higa, recognized for longtime service with the Peter Kirk Community Center Lunch Program; and Michael Lee, recognized for pro bono photography documenting city events.

Discussion versus decision: the program was primarily recognition and outreach. The remarks relayed commission work plans and priorities for 2025 and promoted volunteer recruitment and the Kirkland Initiative; no formal council votes or motions were recorded during the event.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kirkland State of the City & Community Appreciation Night Video 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City council and staff recognized outgoing members of multiple boards and commissions, highlighted commission work in 2024, and presented volunteer awards for stewardship, senior meal support and event photography.","taxTitle","Kirkland, King County, Washington","taxId",2569,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5972913,"Kirkland mayor outlines infrastructure, housing and homelessness priorities in State of the City address",1879,12955,1892943,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5869903-7f9ed9ad85837ec718ec7f9b6849501b&start=12&end=1892","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5869903-7f9ed9ad85837ec718ec7f9b6849501b/thumbnail_12955.jpg","/articles/5972913/Kirkland/King-County/Washington/Kirkland-mayor-outlines-infrastructure-housing-and-homelessness-priorities-in-State-of-the-City-address","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5972913-82a794e3edcb5b111ea5d936fea826fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771128332&Signature=AARAZ~YlHyg7e348gpwr1LCIoVV-mn0~SbjvLkGoMhrXNHonQpne71viAuT5wo~HxBRchO2uYIvZvh3oL0ScdcKU4wyCR9Jh5R6OeReaYKMDqRE-uZsgNPZEu9c4YhGAojzmI7zAyOt897ILTJb1UgX6i43liv--wDwW58NlSN9jCCOGfaFq7BIta9HNlreTIw~e2wBqLtbCx9fl4jbetgvlpanV3et1ESb2u2OPVQe45sFzAE~1XnkVM~UnkvqO8MRkKPqgyAfPsHACN8vUcdf9-b43F2LhdPUukv74O16ZudP-gCFNKaztHeSt90MgjZ-rsLx0~B~Nqnw0svQfHQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kirkland Mayor Kelly Curtis onstage at the Kirkland Performance Center delivered a State of the City address laying out the city’s accomplishments over the past decade and priorities for the coming year, including infrastructure investments, housing development, and a homelessness response action plan. \"The present we have today and the future we hope to create is built on the visionary legacy of the past,\" Curtis said.

Curtis used the address to summarize major capital and service investments completed or underway: expansion of the fire department (20 new firefighter/EMTs and multiple station projects), road and pedestrian improvements, water and stormwater system upgrades, expanded bike lanes and ADA access, and park renovations including Juanita Beach Park and the Totem Lake connector bridge. The mayor credited voter-approved ballot measures passed in February 2018 and February 2020 for funding public safety and fire investments and said the city maintains a AAA credit rating and clean audits.

The speech put affordability and homelessness at the center of the city’s challenges. Curtis said monthly rents have put housing out of reach for many local workers and that the council increased human services grants to a record level but still funded only 58% of requests. She described the city’s investments in emergency shelter, rent assistance and affordable housing development and pledged, \"the city will continue to do our part.\" The mayor said the council will implement a homelessness response action plan intended to make homelessness in Kirkland \"rare, brief, and nonrecurring,\" and noted the city has converted a pilot homeless outreach coordinator to a permanent position.

Curtis highlighted regional behavioral-health response work: Kirkland and four neighboring cities fund the Regional Crisis Response Agency (RACER), now in its second full year, and Kirkland opened a connected crisis clinic that the mayor said has served more than 2,000 people and averages about 350 patients per month. She described RACER as trained mental-health professionals supporting people in behavioral-health crises.

On housing and economic development, Curtis said hundreds of middle-housing units and more than 3,400 units in the permit pipeline (including “over 900 affordable” units) are moving through development processes that she said will house seniors, students and workers. She noted Totem Lake and other private developments as drivers of jobs and retail, and referenced local business announcements including Project Kuiper satellite work, EA Sports moving to Carillon Point, and new corporate activity in Totem Lake.

Looking ahead, Curtis pointed to the council’s 12-item 2026 city work program and highlighted five community-focused initiatives: redevelopment of the Rose Hill station area to create walkable, transit-oriented housing and jobs; partnering to develop an iceplex and community center on the former Houghton Park & Ride site; exploring strategies to enclose Peter Kirk Pool to expand year-round swim lessons; implementing the homelessness response action plan; and updating the city’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) five-year roadmap. On swim lessons, she said long wait lists motivated the city to study year-round aquatic options.

Curtis emphasized volunteer and civic engagement as part of the city’s identity and noted the Kirkland Initiative program to educate future civic leaders. She closed by urging residents, businesses and institutions to continue working together to address affordability and public-service needs.

Discussion versus decision: Curtis’s address summarized past council-funded investments and announced council priorities and commitments (for example, implementing a homelessness response action plan and studying pool enclosure options). The speech itself did not record any council motions or formal votes during the event.","Mayor Kelly Curtis reviewed recent investments in public safety, parks and transportation, highlighted ongoing affordability and homelessness challenges, and pledged city action on an updated work program and homelessness response plan.","actionData","errors"]

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Kirkland honors boards, commissions and volunteers at Community Appreciation Night

Kirkland mayor outlines infrastructure, housing and homelessness priorities in State of the City address