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POTALA | Controversial development moves forward despite SEC lawsuit [2]
Hoff | Sixty year Kirkland resident profiled by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015 local columnist [12]
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Hamilton named interim police chief Growth and failed BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Kirkland Police Capt. Bill Hamilton, a 25-year veteran with the department, has assumed the position of interim police chief following the retirement of former police chief Eric Olsen. Hamilton will serve as interim chief for six months,
the time City Manager Kurt Triplett estimates it will take the city to fill the position. Hamilton will be working alongside other officers on the Police Strategic Plan, which will serve as a guide for the city and the department, much as the Fire
Strategic Plan does for the Fire Department. “Captain Hamilton has a long history of dedication to the department and the community,” Triplett said in a statement. “As the senior captain, he will provide continuity and
stability as the search to find a permanent chief begins.” First starting out as a police officer in New Jersey, Hamilton joined the Kirkland Police Department (KPD) in 1990 after visiting relatives. Unhappy with his department at the time, where he said there was a [ more KPD page 11 ]
Oktoberfest fun
The Gordanairs, a Canada-based German band, performs inside the beer hall during the Kirkland Oktoberfest Sept. 25-27. Other bands at the three-day festival in Marina Park were The S-Bahn, Doppelbock, Happy Hans, Smilin’ Scandinavians and the Bavarian Biergarten Band. This year’s festival drew more than 10,000 people, nearly double the total from last year’s event. TJ MARTINELL, Kirkland Reporter
Parkplace redevelopment to be called Kirkland Urban BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
With the redevelopment of Kirkland Parkplace comes a new name that the owners believe better reflects the experience residents and shoppers will have there. Talon Private Capital, which is currently working with the city of Kirkland’s Design Review Board (DRB) on the conceptual design, has renamed the planned mixed-use property “Kirkland Urban,” with the retail section of the development called
“The Marketplace at Kirkland Urban.” They have yet to decide on a name for the residential section. Principal Owner Jim Neal said that they settled on the name after submitting a new master plan to the city last October once they realized it needed to have a separate brand to represent. “It’s a completely new development for the city of Kirkland,” he said. “It’s going to be the most urban development in the city, and we want to make sure everyone recognizes that.” During their next meet-
This artist’s rendering shows what Kirkland Urban will look like from above with Lake Washington in the distance. CONTRIBUTED ART ing with the DRB this month, Talon will hash out more of the specifics for the site, where work
is already being done in anticipation of Phase 1. The phase will include [ more URBAN page 3 ]
bond measures fuel school board races
BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
M
assive student population growth and last year’s failed bond measures are playing a large role in the Lake Washington School District Board of Directors race that features two challengers from a district task force. Challenger Eric Laliberte is running against longtime incumbent Jackie Pendergrass representing District 1, while Rob Tepper is challenging District 2 incumbent Christopher Carlson. Incumbent Siri Bliesner, representing District 5, is running unopposed. Pendergrass, serving her fifth term on the board, said that her focus has been ensuring that there are a wide range of programs available for students, as well as choice schools with smaller classroom sizes. “In my 20 years on the board we’ve [started] a lot of…programs in individual schools, we have choices schools that are smaller and meet some students’ needs,” she said. “I’ve championed for those. While I think we’ve done a good job, there are probably others we aren’t reaching, and I’m looking to see how can we reach them.” Last year’s failed bond measure would have raised $750 million. It garnered a majority voter approval, but failed to get the required 60 percent to pass. At the same time, the school district has been the fastestgrowing district in King County during the past several years. Following the bond measure’s failure, the district has repurposed funds to make better use of existing facilities and redrawn district boundaries in order to accommodate
the student population, the latter of which initially drew criticism from certain communities. Pendergrass said the supermajority, needed to pass the bond, means the district has to have better outreach. “I think we learned from our bond failures. The tough thing is reaching 60 percent of voters when you have a lot of people in the community who don’t have kids in schools,” she said. “Voters have to understand the need and the costs and what would be the best thing to do… it’s working to really educate our voters. It would have been easier if it didn’t cost [so much], and when we surveyed afterwards that was one of the main reasons people put no. They didn’t want to pay more. And at a time, that was kind of the tendency [of voters], not just with us.” As for student growth, Pendergrass said that she believes the solution can be found in working with the community, as well as the district. “I still enjoy being a board member,” she said. “It’s interesting. I work with good people. It’s a good school district.” Laliberte said one of the reasons he has decided to enter the race is because he and his wife plan to start a family and wants the current problems dealt with before they get there. “By the time my kids are in the district, I’d like to have [the district] on the turn of getting fixed,” he said. A member of the Long Term Facilities Task Force, he said that his involvement on the committee has made it clear that new leadership at a district level is needed. “I feel like there is the [ more SCHOOLS page 6 ]