Mayor's Corner - Update on City Hall Reopening Plan

As we navigate these unprecedented times and think about next steps, I would like to take this chance to update the LFP community on changes being made to City Hall in preparation for reopening to the public. While City Hall has been closed, the Administration has been working to make updates that will help protect the public and employees.
 
Under the State phased reopening plan, customer-facing government services are not allowed until Phase 3. King County is currently in Phase 2.
 
While we have been under Phase 2 of the plan, employees in all departments are coming in to City Hall on a rotating basis to keep the City running. Police and Public Works, as essential services, are running on regular schedules. The City Hall main phone line continues to be answered between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and all employees are available via email.
 
In preparation for approval to move to phase 3, the City has prepared a written Safety Plan, outlining how the workplace will prevent the spread of COVID-19.
 
Updates to City facilities include:

• Installation of sneeze guards at multiple locations;
• Floor and wall signage to help identify a six-foot space between customers and staff;
• Hand sanitizer available in multiple locations;
• Ordering gloves and face masks for distribution to the departments;
• Implementing protocols for those employees who need to meet one-on-one with members of the public (for instance, building permit applicants and Planning Department customers);
• Reworking combined workspaces, conference rooms, and the Council Chambers/Courtroom to allow adequate distance between work stations and meeting attendees.

It is also important to note that, even after City Hall reopens to the public, the City will continue to hold its public meetings remotely, due to social-distancing limitations in the Council Chambers and other meeting rooms in City Hall.
 
When King County moves to Phase 3, we will be ready!
 
--Mayor Johnson

Council Corner - Keep LFP Streets Safe

Many of us are spending more time walking in our neighborhoods during this nice weather, often with dogs, children, strollers - or all of these. We recently heard from a resident that a driver, upset because our resident and his wife were walking at the edge of the road, yelled out to them that the streets are for cars, not for people.
 
Well, that is just not true here in our city!
 
Here in Lake Forest Park, only some of our neighborhoods have sidewalks and you may have wondered why this is. When the original developer, Ole Hanson, wrote his promotional brochures in 1910 to sell lots to anyone who wanted to build a home (but no apartments, saloons or shacks!), the road to Seattle was already being paved and he envisioned his residential park as a place for people who had cars and wished for a more rural lifestyle. He laid out the plats with roads following natural contours, rather than a grid pattern, and left no room for sidewalks.
 
Other developments, notably Sheridan Beach and Sheridan Heights, were not platted or built until 1927 and 1930 by the Puget Mill Company, and included sidewalks in their plans. Lake Forest Park finally incorporated as a city in 1961, and grew further by annexing parts of unincorporated King County in the 1990s, many of which had never included sidewalks on their streets. With our limited tax base the City has been able to create some sidewalks in neighborhoods, but much remains to be done.
 
In the Safe Streets study, commissioned by the City in late 2016, our goal was to make LFP streets safer for everyone. The study was informed by robust citizen involvement and adopted by the City Council in 2017. It has guided our efforts to prioritize projects and raise funds for sidewalks. We heard just this month that two of our proposed projects have been recommended for federal funding by the Puget Sound Regional Council. The City Council identified safe walking routes around our elementary schools as our highest priority. Two of these projects have been recommended for $350,000 in funding - 37th Avenue from 165th to 178^th, in front of Brookside Elementary School, and the sidewalks surrounding Lake Forest Park Elementary School. We will keep you informed of the final funding decisions and, hopefully, the construction plans.
 
In the meantime, while it looks like our children will not be returning to school later in August, we are all still out and about, staying healthy, and staying close to home as the Governor has recommended. So please, if you are driving, be careful and considerate of our neighbors so we can all stay safe.
 
In Lake Forest Park, our streets are for everyone--not just cars!
 
--Deputy Mayor Phillippa Kassover

2021-2022 Biennial Budget Calendar

The Lake Forest Park City Council has adopted the calendar for the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget.
 
The calendar includes a list of public budget meetings to be held this summer and fall in preparation to adopt the City of Lake Forest Park 2021-2022 Biennial Budget in November.
 
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the budget meetings will be held virtually until restrictions within Washington State and the City of Lake Forest Park responsibly allow in-person meetings to resume with appropriate social distancing. Oral public comments will be taken at the meetings. Please see the Virtual Meetings during COVID-19 webpage for details about providing citizen comments at remotely held public meetings.
 
To review the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget Calendar, click here.

LFP Municipal Court Jury Trials Resume in September

Lake Forest Park will resume jury trials in September, after pausing them in April in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Extensive new safety precautions have been implemented to protect juror safety and public health as trials resume. Jury summonses have been mailed, with the first potential trial planned the week of September 1. Presiding Judge Linda Portnoy says:

The suspension of jury trials was needed to protect the health of court users and court staff, and it gave us the opportunity to redesign our jury processes with the input of public health officials. Now it is critical that we re-start jury trials, which are key to the fair administration of justice.

 
New jury processes are in place to protect juror safety. There will be a front door greeter who will do a brief health screening, including taking temperatures with a touchless thermometer. The screener will offer each person a new KN95 mask or a face shield. Hand sanitation is required and available throughout the building.
 
Jury questioning will be done in two groups. People who have internet and video access on home computers can participate from home on the Zoom platform. Jurors without video access will come to the court in a group of no more than 12 people. The six individuals chosen for jury duty will come to the courthouse to hear the trial.
 
All participants in the trial will wear masks or shields. There are Plexiglas barriers for the judge and clerk. The jury deliberation room is a spacious double-wide conference room and all seating is more than 6 feet apart. Photos of the courtroom showing the spacing of chairs for jury questioning and spacing for the final jury panel are posted on the Court webpage.
 
City Hall remains closed to the public; however, members of the public can watch court proceedings on the City YouTube channel. Enter the virtual courtroom through the link on the Court webpage. For more information, see the Court FAQs and other details on the website.

You Can Help Aid Salmon Recovery in Local Creeks

Lake Forest Park is privileged to have two salmon-bearing streams flowing across its terrain and connecting with Lake Washington. Along with this piece of good fortune, is a responsibility and duty to protect and preserve the natural waterways and aquatic life that occupy them. For many years, the City has endeavored to reestablish a healthy salmon population in both of its creeks.
 
Part of the problem exists at the surface. Where water (rain) meets pavement, it has the potential to wash dirt and chemical grime into a nearby storm drain, which then outflows to the creeks. The general rule is only rain goes down the drain; however, this often this does not occur without help. Our Public Works crew works diligently with the use of a street sweeper and other equipment to keep these surfaces (108 lane miles) and pipelines clean of the oils, brake dust and carbon residuals left behind from passing vehicles. Other water quality work that might go unnoticed is storm drain inspections and maintenance, pollutant discharge elimination, and installation of best management practices to keep our local waterways clean.
 
As a resident of Lake Forest Park, you can help by doing your part!

• Promptly fix oil/fluid leaks on vehicles and equipment
• Wash your car at a carwash facility or on your lawn (where water will filter into the ground and not run off to the roads)
• Pick up pet waste and throw it in the trash
• Keep hazardous material containers in a safe, dry location where spills and runoff can be avoided

 These simple, yet not always obvious or visible, tasks help keep our waters clear and clean for the local salmon and other aquatic life to enjoy!

Block Watch Program Update

The Lake Forest Park Police Department is getting its Block Watch program back up and running. If you are a Lake Forest Park resident and interested in being a Block Watch Captain, we would love to hear from you! Please email Lieutenant Rhonda Lehman or give her a call at 206-364-8216 Ext. 560 for more information.