Lake Forest Park City Hall with Rainbow
Photo credit: K. Zech

City of Lake Forest Park

17425 Ballinger Way NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
www.cityoflfp.com
206-368-5440


July 2020

Mayor Jeff Johnson
Mayor Jeff Johnson

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

Work station with Plexiglas panel at desk
Workstation with Plexiglas panel
Red sign: please practice social distancing
Reminder to practice social distancing
Elevator capacity sign: 2 person maximum
Elevator capacity signage
City Hall lobby signage - practice social distancing
City Hall lobby signage
Protective panels at the Council Chambers/Court dais
Courtroom modifications
Courtroom modifications
Courtroom modifications - audience view
Free Mask Giveaway to LFP Residents

Make an Appointment to Pick Up Free Face Masks at City Hall

As part of the State effort to ensure everyone has access to face coverings, the City of Lake Forest Park has received more masks for distribution and is now offering pick-up-by-appointment distribution for Lake Forest Park residents at City Hall.
 
Details:
Call City Hall at 206-368-5440 to schedule a pick up and the quantity you are requesting. Appointments to pick up masks can be made Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
 
Where:
Lake Forest Park City Hall
17425 Ballinger Way NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

Reopening of Passport Services infographic

Passport Services Update

Seattle Passport Agency (Appointments for Emergencies Only)
To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect their workforce and customers, the U.S. Department of State significantly reduced passport operations in March. Temporarily suspended are expedited passport processing and restricted service to cases involving life-or-death emergencies.
 
As of Monday, July 27, a total of 11 passport agencies and centers are in phase one, and 6 agencies are in phase two of their reopening plan. The Seattle Passport Agency is not yet in phase one, and is continuing to handle passport applications for life-or-death emergencies only. The U.S. Department of State recommends customers wait to submit new or renewal applications, as delays will continue.
 
Lake Forest Park Passport Services (Currently Closed)
In accordance with the Washington State Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, Lake Forest Park City Hall, including Passport Services, has been closed to the public since March. Passport Services is committed to protecting its workforce and customers. Operations will resume when King County enters Phase 3 of the reopening plan, and once it is safe for Lake Forest Park to do so. The City of Lake Forest Park will provide updates on Passport Services on the website, to email subscribers, and through Facebook.
 
For additional information on the U.S. Department of State passport operations and phased reopening plan, please click here.

LFP street with no sidewalk

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 178th, 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


Oral Citizen Comments Now Taken at City Council Regular and Other Advisory Body Meetings

As we move forward with virtual public meetings for the near future, the remote meeting process continues to be fine-tuned.
 
We are glad to announce that, as of July 23, oral Citizen Comments will be taken at regular meetings of the City Council, Council Budget and Finance Committee, Planning Commission, Tree Board, and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Written comments are no longer accepted.
 
At public hearings held by the City Council and Planning Commission, both oral comments and written comments are accepted.
 
Please see the Virtual Meetings during COVID-19 webpage for full details about how to participate in remote City Council meetings and for links to the comment process for the other advisory bodies.

Voting at a ballot drop box
Voting at a ballot drop box

Primary Election is August 4

Ballots for the Primary Election were mailed and ballot drop boxes (including the one next to Lake Forest Park City Hall) are now open. Election Day is Tuesday, August 4, so be sure to have your ballots postmarked by that date or dropped in the ballot drop box by 8:00 p.m. For more information, visit the King County Elections website; or, reach them by phone at 206-296-VOTE (8683).

budget, noun

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.

Eagle Scout Park play area
Eagle Scout Park

Call for Volunteers: Tree Board & Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

Tree Board
The City is seeking applications for several positions on the Lake Forest Park Tree Board. The Tree Board provides outreach and education to the community on tree-related issues, organizes and facilitates public events involving trees, and provides advice to the City Council on policy and regulatory issues involving trees.
 
Tree Board meetings are generally held on the first Wednesday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., at Lake Forest Park City Hall. More information about the Tree Board is on the City website. Please note that meetings are being held remotely at this time.
 
Board members should live within the Lake Forest Park city limits, but it is not required. Interests or backgrounds in urban forestry, horticulture, and habitat restoration are encouraged, but not required. Terms are three years.
 
If you are interested in applying or have questions, email Assistant Planner Lauren Hoerr.
 
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board
The City seeks applicants for its Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which is responsible for advising the City Council and Mayor on parks and recreation issues, including park master planning, recreation program evaluation, and park comprehensive planning. All board member terms are three years and members are limited to two consecutive full-term appointments.
 
If you are interested in serving on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board please complete an application and attach a resume and cover letter describing your experience and interest in parks and recreation. Completed applications, with resume and cover letter, may be emailed to Cory Roche, Community Volunteer Coordinator, or mailed to her attention at Lake Forest Park City Hall at 17425 Ballinger Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155.
 
More information on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee is available here.

Scales of Justice

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.

LFP Police Department badge

LFPPD is Recruiting for Support Services Officer

Lake Forest Park Police Department is looking for a Police Support Services Officer. Essential duties and responsibilities include the following: coordinate and perform prisoner transport; court security; property room and evidence processing; coordinate vehicle maintenance; animal control liaison; department security cameras/door monitoring; parking & environmental enforcement. This is a Specially Commissioned Peace Officer position and the candidates must have completed either the Washington State Basic Law Enforcement Academy, Corrections Academy, or the Reserve Academy. For more information or to apply, click here.

Vactor truck
Vactor truck cleaning storm drains

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!

This drains here - water draining into storm drain
Invasive English ivy in tree
Invasive English Ivy

There's Still Time to Join the Tree Board's Ivy Out Contest This Summer!

Up for a challenge? Looking for a new gardening project? How much English Ivy can Lake Forest Park residents remove this summer?
 
English Ivy is an invasive plant that threatens the health of our urban forest ecosystems. You can help our ecosystems thrive and win a monthly plant prize by helping remove invasive English Ivy from your property. The Ivy Out contest, brought to you by the Lake Forest Park Tree Board, will last throughout the summer months (June through September). To participate, submit pictures of your ivy removal to Assistant Planner Lauren Hoerr before the end of each month and the Tree Board will pick winners at their monthly meetings. The Tree Board looks forward to receiving your submissions!
 
Wondering how to remove ivy safely? The King County Noxious Weed Board has tips on how to identify ivy (page 2) and recommend manual removal practices (page 3). You can also click here to learn about long-term maintenance ideas and why ivy removal is important for our urban ecosystems.
 
Please note that removal of invasive plants is considered to be exempt from permitting requirements, unless the invasive plants are located within a steep slope hazard area or its buffer. If you are unsure whether the proposed removal area is located within a steep slope hazard area or have other questions, please contact the Assistant Planner for more information.

No crime

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. 

LFP Recreation Opportunities with City of Shoreline - Updates for Fall 2020

Keep your eye out for the Shoreline Park and Recreation NEW fall registration system in late August. A postcard with information regarding registration dates and links will be mailed, instead of the entire fall guide. A plan for registration will be based on a combination of out-of-school time childcare, Zoom classes, and small group classes. Keep checking in via their webpage by clicking here.
 
Just a reminder, the City offers scholarship reimbursements for eligible youth and specialized recreation participants who reside in the City and are registered for and attend cultural, recreation, or aquatic programs and camps. For more information, go to our webpage or call City Hall, 206-368-5440.

Hazardous waste for the Wastemobile

Mark Your Calendar - King County Wastemobile is in Bothell / Woodinville from August 21-23

Do you have household hazardous waste that is in need of disposal? The King County Wastemobile is making a stop in Bothell/Woodinville Friday-Sunday, August 21-23, to provide household hazardous waste disposal services for King County residents.
 
You may drop off items such as antifreeze, batteries, gasoline, fluorescent lights, and pesticides. To view the full list of what you can and cannot bring and learn some safety tips, visit the King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program wepage, or call the Household Hazards Line with King County at 206-296-4692.
 
If you miss the Wastemobile, take hazardous waste to the North Seattle Hazardous Waste drop-off site for safe disposal. Click here for hours and location.

Keep Current on City News

Did you know there are several ways to stay informed about City meetings, events, and news? Click here for subscription options.

  • City Council Agendas (regular meetings and work sessions)
  • City eNewsletter
  • Early Recreation Registration
  • LFP Times (quarterly print newsletter)
  • Planning Announcements
  • Town Center Vision
  • Emergency Alerts
  • Bid/RFP Postings
  • News Flash
  • Events Calendar
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17425 Ballinger Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

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