City closes two piers due to large gatherings

Starting July 29, Kirkland will be closing piers at Houghton Beach Park and David Brink Park

Following several large gatherings not following Phase Two social distancing rules, the city of Kirkland announced it is also closing select docks, parking lot and the piers at Houghton Beach Park and David Brink Park. Group sizes are limited to five people and face masks are required in public spaces in King County.

Wednesday morning city staff locked parking lots and placed fencing around the piers.At 5811 Lake Washington Blvd, the Houghton Beach Park parking lot is locked and access to the dock is blocked. At 555 Lake St. S, David Brink Park access to the dock is blocked.

“We tried to avoid these closures through education efforts, mask distribution, signage, physical barriers and numerous warnings that closures would happen if these areas remained crowded,” Parks and Community Services Director Lynn Zwaagstra stated in a press release. “We feel that these targeted closures are an unfortunate, but necessary measure to protect public safety during this pandemic.”

Just Monday, the city limited hours at certain docks and opened a ball field for socially distanced evening games and activities.

Zwaagstra stated that if these steps are not effective, the city will have to close all waterfront parks completely. She stated they want to avoid that, as it penalizes those who want to use the parks in compliance with health directives.

More information on how our Kirkland Parks and Community Services Department is responding to COVID-19 is available at here.