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

SEPTEMBER 2024

DEPARTMENT UPDATES

2025-2026 Budget Season
Board and Commission Volunteers Needed
Lakefront Park Design Phase 2 Underway
Locking Mailbox Program

pen and calculator on top of paper budget

2025-2026 Budget Season is Officially Here!

The City has started its biennial budget cycle, during which the Mayor and staff prepare the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget for 2025-2026 to guide the City’s priorities and initiatives over the next two years.

Throughout this month, the City Council will review the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget in a series of public meetings, which will feature detailed department presentations from each city department. To stay informed, be sure to check the adopted budget calendar for the specific dates and times of these meetings.

Your input matters! The Mayor, City Council, and staff welcome and encourage resident participation in the budget process. This month culminates in a City Council Special Meeting on September 30, 2024, 6:00 p.m. where residents are invited to provide public comment on the Preliminary Budget following the month of presentations detailing the construction of the 2025-2026 Biennial Budget.

Volunteers Needed for LFP Boards, Commissions, and Committees

Would you like to help the LFP community by volunteering? If so, there are currently several vacancies on the City’s advisory bodies!

If you would like to apply for any of these openings, please complete the online application.

Tree Board

The Tree Board provides advice to the City Council on policy and regulatory issues involving trees, provides outreach and education to the community on tree-related issues, and organizes and facilitates public events involving trees.

The Tree Board meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are hybrid—on Zoom and in-person at City Hall. Board members must live within or own property within the city limits of Lake Forest Park.

Terms are for three years and there two partial term vacancies and two alternate vacancies.

Please email Assistant Planner Elizabeth Talavera with questions.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission provides recommendations to the Mayor and City Council for changes and updates to the Comprehensive Plan, zoning code, and land use policies. As citizen representatives, commissioners recommend programs and policies according to the needs and values of the community. The Planning Commission is required by law, and is governed by state statute and city ordinance.

The Planning Commission meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are hybrid – on Zoom and in-person at City Hall. Commissioners must live within or own property within the city limits of Lake Forest Park.

Terms are for three years and there are two alternate positions are currently vacant. Alternate Commissioners automatically fill any partial term vacancies that may arise.

Please email Community Development Director Mark Hofman with questions.

Library Advisory Committee

The Lake Forest Park Library Advisory Committee serves as a liaison between the Lake Forest Park Library, City Council, Mayor, the LFP community, and the King County Library System.

Meetings are held quarterly in March, June, and September on the fourth Wednesday of the month and in December on the first Wednesday. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. and are held at the Lake Forest Park Library.

Terms are for three years and there is one partial term vacancy that expires on February 28, 2027.

Please email Deputy City Clerk Jessica Halterman with questions.

Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s primary responsibilities are to advise to City Council and Mayor on:

Park Master Plan Development
Recreation Program Evaluation and Development
Park Comprehensive Planning

The City of Lake Forest Park Mayor and Council have established improving public waterfront access as a high priority. The City acquired 2 parcels, totaling 1.91-acres, on the shores of Lake Washington. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is now helping shape the vision of this project that was identified as a high priority in the City’s Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails (PROST) plan. As of now, the City lacks public water access, and this project aims to provide the community with active water recreation opportunities in a beautiful area. Be sure to view the project website for more information on the project, sign up to receive email updates, and go on a virtual tour of the park!

The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are hybrid – on Zoom and in-person at City Hall.

Terms are for three years and there are two alternate positions currently vacant.

Please email Environmental & Sustainability Specialist Cory Roche with questions.

Lakefront Park Design Phase 2 Underway

Flyer for phase 2 of lakefront park design process

Locking mailbox with door open and mail showing

Locking Mailbox Program

If you haven’t already taken advantage of the Locking Mailbox Program, the cost is $122.16 ($99.20 plus $11.66 shipping and $11.30 sales tax) which is significantly lower than the retail cost of $160 (plus tax and shipping fee, if applicable).

For questions regarding the program or assistance with filling out the application, contact City Hall at 206-368-5440.

EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER

Picnic in the Park, September 7, 2024, 2:00 p.m.
Yard Sale Day, September 14, 2024
LFP Housing Forum, September 18, 2024, 7:00 p.m.
Life of the Forest, September 28, 2024, 10:00 a.m.

LFP’s Inaugural Yard Sale Day!

Calling all LFP'ers who need an excuse to clean out the garage (or house!). Want to buy used instead of new? Love a good bargain or just want to get out and explore the neighborhood? Join your neighbors for LAKE FOREST PARK YARD SALE DAY!

Volunteers of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board are organizing Lake Forest Park’s first-ever city-wide yard sale.

WHEN: Saturday, September 14, 2024 - 9:00AM to 3:00PM

WHERE: All over Lake Forest Park!

Want to list your address on a map so others can come find you? Drop your information here.

Maps with yard sale locations will be available the week leading up to Yard Sale Day.

LFP Housing Forum – September 18, 2024

LFP Housing Forum flyer - Wednesday September 18 at 7pm at Lake Forest Park City Hall

Life of the Forest - Storytelling

Saturday, September 28th
10:00 – 12:00
Shoreline Historical Museum

Appreciate the Miyawaki Urban Forest as we transition to Fall. Roger Fernandes, artist, storyteller, educator and member of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will share the traditional stories of the local Coast Salish Tribes that connect those cultures to the living world around them. In addition, there will be hands-on activities, refreshments and tours of the Forest and Museum.

Free, outdoor event.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Puget Sound Starts Here Month
Salmon SEEson
Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) Pet Adoptions
Threadcycle

September is Puget Sound Starts Here Month

Across Puget Sound, cities and counties are coming together this September to celebrate Puget Sound Starts Here Month. Puget Sound is our economic powerhouse. It provides endless recreational opportunities and is home to incredible, iconic, and irreplaceable animals. It’s also in trouble. That’s why we must raise awareness about the importance of Puget Sound and its connected waterways.

We say Puget Sound Starts Here because every single day, pollutants from our neighborhoods flow through storm drains to nearby creeks, streams and lakes, which flow into Puget Sound. We rely on clean water for our wellbeing and so do salmon, orcas, and other wildlife that live in our shared habitat.

What we do here in Lake Forest Park has an impact on our local waterways and, eventually, on Puget Sound. Join us this month by taking action. Try something new or keep your good habits going. Tell a friend, tell all your friends. Here are some small actions we can do to make a big difference:

Check your tire air pressure once a month and top off as needed.
Reduce tire wear particles by getting your alignment checked and rotating your tires.
Avoid washing your car on pavement, use a commercial car wash or wash on grass.
Don’t drip and drive, fix vehicle leaks promptly.
Think twice before using pesticides on your lawn.
Scoop every poop because dog poop is not fertilizer and should always go in the trash.

Find out more at Puget Sound Starts Here. Working together we can protect Puget Sound!

Salmon SEEson is Back!

This program helps everyone in the community witness amazing salmon migrate upstream at locations around King County. Check out these salmon viewing locations that give you the chance of potentially seeing salmon in Lake Forest Park:

Lyon Creek Waterfront Preserve
Blue Heron Park
Pfingst Animal Acres Park

Signs are posted in the park at all three locations. Check out the Salmon SEEson website for other viewing locations in King County: https://buff.ly/3Alj6HV

More information on viewing locations in Lake Forest Park.

Regional Animal Services of King County Pet Adoptions

Clear the shelters, adopt any dog or cat for $30

Don’t Throw it Out – Textile Recycling!

Take your unwanted linens and clothing to your local Threadcycle location. Find the drop-off locations here.

Damaged clothes and linens aren’t garbage anymore. Up to 95 percent of the clothes, shoes, and linens thrown in the garbage could have been reused or recycled. Many local organizations want all your clothes, shoes, and linens for reuse or recycling – even damaged items – in any condition except wet, mildewed or contaminated with hazardous materials.

MEETING INFORMATION

Stay Current on City News

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