 Photo credit: K. Zech
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City of Lake Forest Park17425 Ballinger Way NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
www.cityoflfp.com
206-368-5440
April 2021
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 Mayor Jeff Johnson
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Mayor’s Corner – Welcome to Our New EmployeesWhile City Hall remains closed to the public at this time and city meetings are being held via Zoom, the Administration continues to evaluate, anticipate, and prepare for the eventual return to serving our residents in person. I am personally looking forward to seeing members of our community at City Council meetings when we are able to meet in person.
Since the first of the year, City Hall staffing has undergone some changes. We have hired some new employees and are excited to have their expertise and experience helping our LFP residents and community.
New to City Hall are: - Desirae Bearden, Permit Technician in the Building Department. Desirae comes to us from the City of Skykomish, where she held the position of City Clerk/Treasurer/Permit Technician for 4 1/2 years, and the Deputy City Clerk position for 3 years before that. She has an associate degree in Technical Arts from Everett Community College, and we are happy to have her on board!
- Andy Silvia, Project Manager in the Engineering Division. He comes to us from Seattle Public Utilities, where he was a project manager for one year. Prior to that, he was Chief of Project Development at the City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island for six years. He has a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and is a registered Professional Civil Engineer.
- Cameron Tuck, Assistant Planner in the Planning Department. Cameron previously worked as Assistant Planner for the Aqua Caliente Bank of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs, California. He has a bachelors’ degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Riverside.
When we are back in the office, please stop by and say hello to our new employees!
--Mayor Johnson
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City of LFP Earns WellCity AwardThe Association of Washington Cities (AWC) recently released a list of the cities, towns, and other local governments that have earned the distinguished WellCity designation. The City of Lake Forest Park is among this year’s 105 recipients. This recognition is given to entities that meet the AWC Employee Benefit Trust’s stringent WellCity standards and demonstrate a commitment to employee health.
WellCity recipients are all part of the AWC Employee Benefit Trust (Trust), Washington State’s largest local government employee health benefit pool for cities, towns, and other local governments. The Trust provides health benefits to more than 260 public entities and more than 36,000 employees and family members across the state.
When an employer meets the WellCity standards, a 2% discount on medical premiums is earned.
“The efforts of WellCities are positively impacting all Trust members by helping to moderate the rate of premium increase. WellCity members as a group have a 50% lower medical and pharmacy trend than others,” said Peter B. King, AWC Chief Executive Officer.
A complete list of the cities and public entities that earned this year’s award can be found at wacities.org/wellcity.
Lee Aalund, Human Resources Director, is the wellness coordinator for the City and this is the eleventh year that the City has achieved this recognition.
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Council Corner - A New Strategic Plan for the CityDuring the past few weeks, the City Council has turned its attention from the Town Center to the creation of a new Strategic Plan for the next five years. The previous strategic plan was written in 2015 and has guided the City through several important achievements. Council reviewed these accomplishments in the first of three recent meetings focused on the strategic plan. In addition to revising the code for redevelopment of the Town Center, during the past five years, the City has funded and replaced aging fish barriers with new culverts; approved Safe Highways and Safe Streets plans; completed a Parks, Recreation Open Space and Trails plan; improved our communications and social media outreach; and acquired nine acres of new park properties. Many additional projects have been completed and other projects are being planned, including a roundabout on Ballinger Way at 40th Place, and a grade-separated crossing to connect our Town Center with the Burke-Gilman Trail and provide safe pedestrian access to buses on both sides of Bothell Way.
Council is now looking to the future, keeping in mind the many comments and letters we have received from the public over the past few years. In our initial meetings we identified several broad goals including safe mobility for pedestrians and bicycles; improvement of current parks and development of new parks to provide a wider range of active recreation; continued work on protecting our natural environment, strengthening our community vitality, and maintaining an engaged and accountable government; and a new focus on combatting climate change and building resiliency. As Council further refines these goals and strategies we will be reaching out to the community for input. We will also be working diligently to identify the funding needs and sources to achieve our goals for the future.
The City, with leadership from Mayor Johnson, Administrator Hill, Finance Director Vaughn, and Council Member and Finance Chair John Resha, has done a truly remarkable job of maintaining city services within current budgets and with no tax increase for many years. However, improving and developing our parks, and building more sidewalks and safe crossings will require new revenues. City Council looks forward to engaging the community in discussions about the best and fairest strategies for raising new revenues so that Lake Forest Park and all its residents have a sustainable and bright future.
--Deputy Mayor Phillippa Kassover
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New Convenient, Sustainable Paint Recycling Program!Washington state has launched PaintCare, a new program to recycle paint, stain, and varnish. Residents and businesses can now find over 30 locations in King County to safely recycle their paint. This new program is a major step in protecting our local environment and diverting waste from the landfill. In its first year, this program is expected to recycle more than 1.3 million gallons of paint.
Find a location near you and view a list of accepted products on the PaintCare website. |
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In Recognition of City Services – Municipal Services, Police, and Public WorksMay is a time to recognize several vital city services, including the Clerk’s Office, Police Department and Public Works.
Professional Municipal Clerks Week (May 2-8): Initiated in 1969 by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) and endorsed by all of its members throughout the United States, Canada and 15 other countries, the week is a time of celebration and reflection on the importance of the Clerk’s office.
The main function of City Clerks and Deputy Clerks is to serve as the foundation for the City Council. Other duties include, but are not limited to, preparing agendas, taking minutes, maintaining ordinance and resolution files, keeping historical records, processing permits and serving as the clearinghouse for information about the local government.
The Municipal Clerk is one of the oldest positions of local government. Their duties have expanded over the years and, today, modern technology assists them with their increasing responsibilities. To stay abreast of new computer applications, records management and other relevant information, many City Clerks and Deputy Clerks return to the classroom to increase their knowledge of these issues, learn new material and sharpen old skills.
National Police Week (May 9-15): In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.
During National Police Week, and throughout the year, Lake Forest Park recognizes and appreciates the critical contributions and sacrifices made by members of law enforcement at all levels and honors their courage and dedication. Peace Officer Memorial Day is an opportunity to honor fallen law enforcement officers and those who became disabled in the performance of their duties, and to recognize and offer respect to the survivors of fallen officers.
The National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum has scheduled virtual events to be held in May, with the hope of holding in-person events this October.
National Public Works Week (May 16-22): The American Public Works Association (APWA) is proud to announce "Stronger Together" as the theme for the 2021 National Public Works Week. Every year National Public Works Week gets bigger and better. The number of participating municipalities continues to grow, which means the number of citizens who are exposed to the value of public works grows. One of APWA’s main goals is to educate the general public about the value and necessities of public works projects throughout North America, and public works professionals are the best ambassadors to meet that goal.
Since 1960, APWA has sponsored National Public Works Week. Across North America, more than 30,000 members in the U.S. and Canada use this week to energize and educate the public on the importance of public works to their daily lives: planning, building, managing, and operating at the heart of their local communities to improve everyday quality of life.
Public Works helps maintain a community’s strength by working together to provide an infrastructure of services in transportation, water, wastewater, and stormwater treatment, public buildings and spaces, parks, and grounds, emergency management and first response, solid waste, and right-of-way management. Public Works provides togetherness needed for collaboration with all the stakeholders in capital projects, infrastructure solutions, and quality of life services.
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City Offers Low-Income Senior / Disabled Sewer DiscountThe Lake Forest Park Sewer Utility offers low-income senior or disabled sewer customers a 50 percent discount on their sewer service. You must be an LFP sewer customer and meet the criteria to qualify for the discount. For more information and an application, click on this link.
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Planning Commission will Review City’s Regulations on Accessory Dwelling UnitsThe City Council has asked the Planning Commission to review the City’s regulations pertaining to accessory dwelling units. An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a small, self-contained residential unit or apartment located on the same lot as an existing single-family home.
In theory, an ADU may be created as a separate unit within an existing home (such as in an attic or basement), an addition to the home (such as a separate apartment unit with separate entrance), or in a separate structure on the lot (such as a converted garage). See the examples shown below. Lake Forest Park currently allows detached ADUs only on lots over 15,000 square feet in area and they must be in the backyard.
The Council has expressed concern that housing in the region is becoming increasingly expensive and sees accessory dwelling units as a potential way of adding to the variety of housing choices in single-family neighborhoods without changing the character of those neighborhoods. ADUs can be a great solution for allowing residents to age in place or live with or near family and caregivers, providing a flexible way to address family needs for additional housing.
The City Council and Planning Commission are interested in having citizens engage in this discussion and share their views. There is a special interest in hearing from residents who have looked into or actually applied for a permit to construct an ADU on their property and also hearing about their experiences related to the current permitting process and the restrictions associated with ADUs.
Contact Steve Bennett, Planning Director, (steve@cityoflfp.com) if you want to get involved in the conversation.
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What’s the Problem with Car Washing?There’s no problem with washing your car, but it does matter how and where you choose to wash it. The average homeowner uses more than 100 gallons of water to wash a car. Dirty car wash water contains soap, grease, brake dust, oil, and dirt. Car washing in driveways sends all that dirty wash water into the nearest storm drain. From there, it’s a short trip to the nearest creek and Lake Washington.
What Can We Do?
Wash your car at a commercial car wash: Commercial car washes recycle water and connect to the sewer system to clean dirty water.
At home: Keep water out of the street and storm drains. Wash on a lawn or gravel area. Can’t wash on the lawn? Use rolled up towels or sandbags to divert your wash water to your lawn or landscaping areas/beds. |
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 Washington State Library
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Remember Newspapers? Check out the Collections at the Washington State LibraryWashington State Library's newspaper collection includes current issues on paper and historic newspapers on microfilm with some issues searchable online. The Library subscribes to about 125 daily and weekly newspapers throughout Washington, plus a few out-of-state papers. The microfilm collection consists of over 50,000 reels of newspapers dating from the 1850s to the present. The collections include:
Washington Digital Newspapers – Contains a range of territorial era newspapers beginning in 1852 and regional community digitization projects through the early 2000s. This is a full-text-searchable collection of newspapers with new historical WA newspaper titles added each year.
Chronicling America – With a grant from the National Endowment for Humanities, the Washington State Library is participating in the National Digital Newspaper Program; an effort to digitize early (pre 1925) issues from newspapers around the United States. Currently, Washington has contributed over 75 newspapers from the large microfilm collection and continues to add more. These issues are full-text searchable and downloadable free online at the Library of Congress - chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
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City is Recruiting for Open Positions |
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Early Registration for Summer Recreation Programs with the City of Shoreline Begins Thursday, May 6, 2021Live in Lake Forest Park? Interested in recreation? Take advantage of recreation programs offered through the City of Shoreline. Lake Forest Park residents are eligible for a 24-hour early registration period prior to the start of each season’s programs, plus an 8% discount on all program fees (not rentals) throughout the entire year! Summer 2021 early registration for Lake Forest Park Residents starts at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 6.
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.
You may also find more information on how to register, scholarship opportunities, or the partnership with City of Shoreline here.
Click here to view the Shoreline recreation programs for summer 2021.
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Wastemobile in Bothell May 14-16Do you have household hazardous waste like antifreeze, batteries, gasoline, fluorescent lights, pesticides, or propane tanks that need disposal? The King County Waste Mobile will be in Kirkland from May 7-9 and Bothell from May 14-16, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to provide hazardous waste disposal services for King County residents!
The Wastemobile accepts a wide variety of materials, to view the full list of what you can and cannot bring and learn some safety tips, visit the King County Hazardous Waste Management webpage or call the Household Hazards Line with King County at 206-296-4692.
Kirkland location: 12221 - 120th Avenue NE, Kirkland, WA 98034
Bothell location: 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011
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City News, Meetings, and EventsWant to keep up with what’s going on at the City? 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 Development
- Emergency Alerts
- Bid/RFP Postings
- News Flash
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