Author: Håkan Söderbom

Annexation

Posted by | Jun 16, 2011 | , |

Status – Spring 2011 Washington State’s Growth Management Act mandates Kirkland to annex Finn Hill (including Holmes Point), northern Juanita and Kingsgate before 2012. This could very well occur sometime in the next few years. It would increase Kirkland’s population by 44,860 (77%), from 34,300 to 79,160. The Finn Hill population is 12,600. Kirkland commissioned a study of the cost of annexation (see “Kirkland’s Cost Study” in the Contents panel to the left for the Executive Summary of this report). It was based on the assumptions that taxes and fees paid to King County now would be transferred to Kirkland, and that all services throughout the proposed annexation area would be brought to the level provided by Kirkland City to its residents now. Proposed Annexation area. Click for larger view. This study showed that the net increase in Kirkland’s operating cost would be $3.4 million per year (equal to an 8.4% of its operating budget), and that there would be additional one-time capital costs of $100 million, including $27.4 million for roads and transportation and $68.8 million for parks. Understandably, these projected costs caused a lot of concern when the City Council reviewed them at its retreat this past March, and raised issues about not annexing some parts or all of the proposed annexation area. However, many of the actual costs of annexation would be less than those projected...

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A Secret History of O.O. Denny Park

Posted by | Jun 16, 2011 | , |

By Donald Mackey The sky was blue over the lake, with a nice ripple, that Sunday afternoon last winter. Donald Mackey and his wife Dianne were enjoying the rare sunny day, walking along the slope of the hill, past the railroad ties. Near the bridge over the mouth of O.O. Denny Creek, he lingered by the water’s edge, taking in the woodsy scent of the stream where he had so often fished for trout as a kid. When his parents and grandparents went visiting on Finn Hill, they would drop him off there to fish. The old bunkhouse that once stood up the hill from the shore had disappeared years before. But it seemed like not so long ago that every yard of beach was staked out with daylong picnic encampments, gatherings of his family, and other families and friends, many from Big Finn Hill, and others from Little Finn Hill,  further south toward Juanita. None of the old beach tables were occupied now, but in his memory he recalled from his childhood the stretches of grass packed with people. The park was coming back to life in his mind. He shares this reminiscence with all of us. *  *  *  *  * It was always O.O. Denny Park. But the north end, “we” called Camp Denny, alongside an old fence that was there for years. That was originally...

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Finn Hill Neighborhood Organizing – Next Steps

Posted by | May 27, 2011 | , , , |

NEXT STEPS Interested citizens have met twice to discuss formation of a formal neighborhood association to work with the City of Kirkland following annexation in sharing viewpoints on a broad range of issues. Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance has been active in seeking participants for the past eight months with email communications soliciting interest, an April newsletter mailed to 4700 Finn Hill households inviting readers to its general meeting at which the topic of a neighborhood group was discussed, and a presentation at a Kirkland Neighborhood Alliance public meeting where a sign-up sheet was posted. DCNA has been closely following the annexation issue for the past four years and has invited City of Kirkland staff to several meetings in that time to share information and visit DCNA supporters. The first meeting of people interested in creating a formal neighborhood group took place on Monday, May 9th at St. John Vianney Church. Twelve people attended and shared information about themselves and the topics of interest that most concerned them. Topics included the environment, transportation and road safety, development, and the fire station relocation. Some background detail was offered by Jon Pascal and Jeff Hoerth regarding the role of neighborhood groups in Kirkland, with the primary function being as a communication conduit back and forth from between City staff and neighborhood residents on issues related to the neighborhood. The group agreed on...

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Diversity in the Juanita Woodlands

Posted by | Apr 20, 2011 | |

The Juanita Woodlands are one of the few remaining islands of forests amidst the rampant commercial and residential development overtaking the Kirkland-Juanita area. They are home to several species of birds, including Bald Eagle; Osprey; Great Horned Owl; Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks; Belted Kingfisher; Stellar’s Jay; Evening Grosbeak; Pileated, Hairy, and Downy woodpeckers; and the Rufous Hummingbird. Mountain beaver, raccoon, skunk, and coyote are also present. Many other bird species, such as Peregrine Falcon, Northern Goshawk, storm-petrels, loons, and grebes, may depend on the forest’s resources for cover, roosting, nesting, fledging, migrating, and over-wintering, while frogs, toads, salamanders, trout, salmon, shrews, and bats may depend on it for foraging and breeding. Local biologist Louis Berner, in his assessment of a 10-acre section of the property, describes a “diverse, mixed-aged forest” with abundant over-mature trees and snags, the snags being excellent potential bat roosting habitat. Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar, hemlock, PacificYew, Pacific White Fir, and a variety of deciduous trees including bigleaf maple, alder, cottonwood, madrona, and dogwood grace the landscape, creating a richly varied canopy with an ever-changing spectrum of light. “If left to natural processes,” Berner concluded, “the forest is likely to continue providing food and cover for many bird, insect, and mammal species.” Surrounding the Juanita Woodlands are relatively well-forested neighborhoods, which serve to extend and buffer the woodlands themselves, enhancing the value of the property as wildlife...

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Newsletters

Posted by | Feb 8, 2011 | |

April 2007 [PDF] June 2006 [PDF] July 2005 [PDF] February 2005 [PDF] September 2004 [PDF] May 2004 [PDF] Stay informed! Subscribe to our e-newsletter to keep up with news and events in your...

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