City Using New Law to Restore Restroom Facilities at Several Parks

Visitors will once again have restroom facilities at several parks and restrooms at two of Kirkland’s main parks will finally get new roofs and paint, thanks a temporary state law that takes effect July 22, according to the city.
 
The new law was passed by the state Legislature recently and gives more flexibility in the use of real estate excise taxes to cities of certain sizes that plan under the state’s Growth Management Act. The bill allows existing real estate excise taxes to be used for maintenance of existing facilities, as opposed to mainly infrastructure needs, through 2016.

On Tuesday, the Kirkland City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s current budget to include revenue becoming available when the law takes effect.

It will be used to reopen restrooms and restore portable toilets at several parks that lost those facilities in January, 2010, because of budget cuts. Restrooms will be reopened at , and , a neigborhood park in Houghton.

Portable toilets will again be placed at , , , , , and . In addition, the restrooms at and parks will get much-needed new roofs and paint, 27 pieces of pubic art will be cleaned and preserved, and a handful of seasonal maintenance employees will be hired.

“This will be awesome for our customers, the citizens of Kirkland,” said Jason Filan, operations manager for the city’s Parks and Community Services Department. “It’s going to be great for moms and kids who come to the parks to have those facilities again.”

He noted that the closure and removal of restroom facilities, along with the elimination of garbage services -- since largely restored -- were one of the biggest sources of complaints by citizens when the budget cuts took effect.

One of the bill’s prime sponsors was state Rep. Larry Springer, the Kirkland Democrat who operates store downtown with his wife, Deputy Mayor Penny Sweet.

“This is not a new tax, nor is it a long-term solution to the budget challenges faced by local governments,” he said in a city of Kirkland press release. “We worked closely with the (Washington) Realtors’ Association to reach a compromise that allows the state's fastest growing jurisdictions to use a majority of the money to address infrastructure needs, while also providing flexibility for smaller jurisdictions. As the bill’s prime sponsor, I'm proud that the city of Kirkland is among the first jurisdictions to use this important tool.”

Details on the bill, HB 1953, can be found on the Legislature website www.leg.wa.gov.