What's Happening in Kirkland, WA…

Kirkland is moving forwards with its plans to build a new fire station in the Juanita area of the city.

The goal is to enable first responders to get to an incident more quickly, particularly on Finn Hill. Kurt Triplett, Kirkland's City Manager, said a new station in the area will improve response times throughout the entire northern part of the city.

The proposed site of the station is currently a Rite Aid, but is currently being condemned via the eminent domain process. Once this is completed, the building will be available for purchase. Triplett said the transaction is proceeding smoothly, and the city is working easily with the owner.

TCA, an architectural firm, is already on board to design the new facility, and it is hoped that construction could begin early in 2018 and be finished by the end of that year, or early in 2019. The new station was envisioned in the 2012 Kirkland Fire Department Strategic Plan, and the city council set aside money for the construction in the 2015-2016 budget, earmarking $11m for the station and $2.5m for the property.

The city plans to hold public meetings to address residents' concerns and listen to their feedback.

Project like this can benefit if officials work with a newsletter printing company to create an informative letter for residents, which can discuss such issues in depth.