The Juanita Neighborhood Association (JNA) has taken a stance against the two proposed locations of the Kirkland Aquatic and Recreation Center (ARC).
In an Aug. 28 letter written to Juanita residents, the JNA expressed their opposition to the city’s proposal to place the ARC at the North Kirkland Community Center (NKCC) site along with a second potential location on the north side of Juanita Beach Park (JBP).
Among the reasons for their opposition included a lack of space necessary to accommodate all the ARC’s facilities and heavy traffic at JBP. They also wrote they wish to preserve as much open space as possible in that area.
Ken Albinger, president of the JNA, said the “2007 Juanita Park Master Plan” intended for the northern section of JBP to be used for fields or a skateboard park, but the ARC would add more density to the neighborhood. While he thinks the ARC would actually help with parking in the area, that’s not how the land was meant to be used.
“When Juanita Village was built to four stories and five or six stories, the tradeoff was to allow the beach to remain as open space,” he said. “It’s not the right depth for this neighborhood. This neighborhood is already taking the most density of any of the north neighborhoods.”
Albinger said several other parks, including Crestwood and Heritage Park, would be better suited for the ARC site.
The Kirkland Parks Board will make a recommendation at their next meeting on Sept. 10 and send it to the city council to consider at their Sept. 16 meeting. The board will also consider input from residents collected during a series of open houses on the subject, which took place during the spring and summer.
Michael Cogle, the deputy director for the Kirkland Parks and Recreation Department, said other residents aside from the JNA have expressed similar opinions, though others have supported placing the ARC at the JBP and at the NKCC sites.
“It’s certainly something the park board will take seriously into consideration,” he said.
The city first proposed building a new aquatic center after a 2007 study concluded that there was a “demonstrated need for the development of indoor recreation facilities to more adequately serve the recreation demands of the Kirkland community.”
As proposed, the facility would include spaces for a number of sports, fitness, recreation, and aquatic activities, including pools for recreation, lap swimming, and therapy. The estimated cost for the facility (in 2007) was $42 million and for the moment remains unfunded.
Since the fall of 2013, the city’s Parks and Community Services Department, with support from The Sports Management Group, have been studying the proposal to have an ARC center that would meet the needs of the Kirkland community. The study was initiated following the announcement last summer by Lake Washington School District that the pool at Juanita High School would be closing.
