The show must go on! Locals save popular summer concert series at Marina Park

By on February 19, 2010 in Archived, Headlines, Opinion
MarinaParkSummerConcerts
By Karen Story

It wouldn’t be summer without concerts at Marina Park. But when the Utility Tax failed in November, the City of Kirkland cancelled the concerts they’ve been organizing for 32 years. But there’s good news: a group of citizens and businesses have stepped in to save the concerts! The Kirkland Downtown Association will be the fiscal sponsor. The primary business sponsors are Conover Insurance and Evergreen Healthcare. Kirkland Kiwanis has also generously contributed. Trader Joe’s will provide free treats at some or all of the children’s shows, and ParentMap will provide some free advertising.


There will be 16 concerts this year: eight children’s shows on Tuesday mornings from 10-11am, July 6 – August 24; and eight all ages shows on Thursday evenings from 7-9pm, July 8 – August 26. Watch for the schedule in the Parks and Rec catalog in your mailbox soon!

The series needs to raise additional funds. Businesses interested in being sponsors, citizens interested in donating, or anyone interested in being involved with planning, helping to distribute posters and flyers, or working at the shows, please contact moc.dnalsiynitnull@nerak.

A concert website will be coming soon!

Photo by ~C4Chaos

About Karen Story

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  • http://larrysnyderauctions.com/ Larry Snyder

    Congrats to those of you that didn’t wait for the City to come to the rescue.
    Perhaps we all can use more peeps and less gov.!

    Good Work!
    Larry

  • http://larrysnyderauctions.com Larry Snyder

    Congrats to those of you that didn’t wait for the City to come to the rescue.
    Perhaps we all can use more peeps and less gov.!

    Good Work!
    Larry

  • Bob Style

    It’s too bad reporter Karen Story did not do the research necessary to get the facts straight. The city could have saved $3.8 million in their budget if they wanted to. The money was there for concerts and parks but the council decided to spend the money on something else. That something else was annexation.

    Budget shortfalls and service cuts are falsely being perpetuated by city staff saying it was because of the failure of the Utility Tax. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The signs in the parks that are being closed, restrooms being locked, and garbage cans removed also said it was because of the failure of the Utility Tax. That was a misleading statement. The signs are being removed. The new signs will probably not say the council chose to spend the money on something else but at lease the old signs will gone because the statement was false.

    Our budget shortfalls are there because of annexation. Without it, there would be no need for service cuts. However, our budget is being so badly managed; the city finds itself in need of money.

    In a letter from the Mayor to our legislators in Olympia dated Jan, 25 this year, she asked for money from the state saying the city needed at least $6 million to cover unfunded annexation cost. The letter goes on to say and even the $6 million is only a drop in the bucket. Millions more are needed to cover the cost of additional staff and the facilities needed to support them.

    No money will be coming in from the annexation area to help pay for annexation. The $6 million plus will have to come out of our pockets if we are not reimbursed by the State.
    The State has already responded to the Mayor’s letter saying don’t hold your breath. They have management troubles of their own. Citizens can expect more shortfalls as budgets are cut even more. Our budgets are being mismanaged.

    There is a bright side. Several years ago Orange County, CA declared bankruptcy because it had invested in the wrong markets. Did the County fall apart? Government did but the county did not. Merchants and citizens came together without government’s help to create an even more prosperous county than they knew before the bust.

    Now we’re finding out that Kirkland can do the same. It’s a welcome sight to see the concerts continue, to see businesses and citizens volunteering to help with parks and to see the private side of our city take pride to protect what we have in spite of what our elected officials did to get us into this mess in the first place, and we can do it with less government.

    It will take more than an economic recovery to get on the plus side of services. It will take better management.

  • Bob Style

    It’s too bad reporter Karen Story did not do the research necessary to get the facts straight. The city could have saved $3.8 million in their budget if they wanted to. The money was there for concerts and parks but the council decided to spend the money on something else. That something else was annexation.

    Budget shortfalls and service cuts are falsely being perpetuated by city staff saying it was because of the failure of the Utility Tax. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The signs in the parks that are being closed, restrooms being locked, and garbage cans removed also said it was because of the failure of the Utility Tax. That was a misleading statement. The signs are being removed. The new signs will probably not say the council chose to spend the money on something else but at lease the old signs will gone because the statement was false.

    Our budget shortfalls are there because of annexation. Without it, there would be no need for service cuts. However, our budget is being so badly managed; the city finds itself in need of money.

    In a letter from the Mayor to our legislators in Olympia dated Jan, 25 this year, she asked for money from the state saying the city needed at least $6 million to cover unfunded annexation cost. The letter goes on to say and even the $6 million is only a drop in the bucket. Millions more are needed to cover the cost of additional staff and the facilities needed to support them.

    No money will be coming in from the annexation area to help pay for annexation. The $6 million plus will have to come out of our pockets if we are not reimbursed by the State.
    The State has already responded to the Mayor’s letter saying don’t hold your breath. They have management troubles of their own. Citizens can expect more shortfalls as budgets are cut even more. Our budgets are being mismanaged.

    There is a bright side. Several years ago Orange County, CA declared bankruptcy because it had invested in the wrong markets. Did the County fall apart? Government did but the county did not. Merchants and citizens came together without government’s help to create an even more prosperous county than they knew before the bust.

    Now we’re finding out that Kirkland can do the same. It’s a welcome sight to see the concerts continue, to see businesses and citizens volunteering to help with parks and to see the private side of our city take pride to protect what we have in spite of what our elected officials did to get us into this mess in the first place, and we can do it with less government.

    It will take more than an economic recovery to get on the plus side of services. It will take better management.

  • Gordon

    Great perception of a sad, sad, situation. You are in my opinion spot-on my friend.

    My wife and I have lived in the near downtown area for almost five years.

    What a difference!!. . . Park Place now Park Ghost-town. Empty stores everywhere and dust balls attaching themselves to the graphic displays of days gone by showing us how it could have been.

    Lake Street now Washed Out with construction halted and empty stores.

    Transit Centre area now looking like a bomb site and the area around the concession stand looks like a small quarry. The library parking lot has eventually re-opened, but now you have a major effort getting in or out of it.

    Cannot even get a pizza or a kebab without a nightmare in and out affair.

    Antique Centre. Now complete with pay post. Ready for the city to fleece any visitors who will still come here with all the crap going on. Tell us the original story guys about why it was fenced off in the first place. . . And do it on here so we can all see it in black and white. Not expecting anything for a while . . . to allow you time to make something up.

    Also, let’s take a little trip to the Mall at Totem Lake!!! What a mess that has become.

    Not time to get out of Dodge as much as Time to go to Dodge. The place near the gas station looks like a ghost town.

    The area around the lake was a nightmare for vendors at the market and we were without a doubt the target of parking enforcement during the market season.

    Anyone locally attempting to attend the market were hounded out by parking and police attendance and the understandable parking or lack of parking issues that are ensued by a market in an area that is a favorite haunt for tourists to our previously beautiful downtown.

    Anyway, Don’t take my comments seriously guys. I only live here.

    • Bill Henkens

      Gordon,
      Your assessment is spot on. Kirkland is not a business friendly city as you have pointed out. Until they (council) get in the game and make some very needed changes to the city’s approach to the entire business core. You will see nothing but the same, closed businesses and a broke city.

    • http://www.kirklandviews.com/about/ Rob Butcher

      Gordon,
      I agree with what Ghost of Peter Kirk says. The lot is private property and the owner is trying to make an income on a vacant parking lot. My understanding of the deal is that the City will share in profits generated from the lot. You can read our original December 2009 story on this subject here: http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/12910
      That said, I think it ridiculous when some people refuse to acknowledge the obvious: People do not tend to frequent places where there is difficulty in finding a parking space, confusion as to what is paid parking and what is not, and then parking tickets issued by police when they overstay their allotted time. If Kirkland were in a vacuum and the only place to go, then Kirkland could set the rules. That is not the case with Redmond and Bellevue on our doorstep. You might recall that those two shopping and dining locations are privately held for the most part and they do not charge for parking. We should be doing everything possible to make a visit to Kirkland as pleasant as possible. Sometimes I think we lose sight of that simple fact. Thank you for your comments.

      • Scott Brady

        Great point Rob! Cutting off parking and trying to force cars off the road for the sake of “Green” may appease a small minority of people, but it certainly won’t bring customers to businesses in downtown Kirkland. There really isn’t enough housing density around downtown Kirkland for it to be supported by nearby residents walking in to buy things either.

        The last couple of times I’ve been to Bellevue all of their free parking has been taken up by happy customers in both the Galleria and Lincoln Tower parking lots. The restaurants are always packed and have waiting lists. And the stores around that area of downtown seem to be thriving.

        Hopefully the new city council will use its experience from other areas (ownership of a car dealer, and former Redmond Mayor) to show how much a good parking structure can add to business prosperity.

        Cheers!

  • Gordon

    Great perception of a sad, sad, situation. You are in my opinion spot-on my friend.

    My wife and I have lived in the near downtown area for almost five years.

    What a difference!!. . . Park Place now Park Ghost-town. Empty stores everywhere and dust balls attaching themselves to the graphic displays of days gone by showing us how it could have been.

    Lake Street now Washed Out with construction halted and empty stores.

    Transit Centre area now looking like a bomb site and the area around the concession stand looks like a small quarry. The library parking lot has eventually re-opened, but now you have a major effort getting in or out of it.

    Cannot even get a pizza or a kebab without a nightmare in and out affair.

    Antique Centre. Now complete with pay post. Ready for the city to fleece any visitors who will still come here with all the crap going on. Tell us the original story guys about why it was fenced off in the first place. . . And do it on here so we can all see it in black and white. Not expecting anything for a while . . . to allow you time to make something up.

    Also, let’s take a little trip to the Mall at Totem Lake!!! What a mess that has become.

    Not time to get out of Dodge as much as Time to go to Dodge. The place near the gas station looks like a ghost town.

    The area around the lake was a nightmare for vendors at the market and we were without a doubt the target of parking enforcement during the market season.

    Anyone locally attempting to attend the market were hounded out by parking and police attendance and the understandable parking or lack of parking issues that are ensued by a market in an area that is a favorite haunt for tourists to our previously beautiful downtown.

    Anyway, Don’t take my comments seriously guys. I only live here.

    • Bill Henkens

      Gordon,
      Your assessment is spot on. Kirkland is not a business friendly city as you have pointed out. Until they (council) get in the game and make some very needed changes to the city’s approach to the entire business core. You will see nothing but the same, closed businesses and a broke city.

    • http://www.kirklandviews.com/about/ Rob Butcher

      Gordon,
      I agree with what Ghost of Peter Kirk says. The lot is private property and the owner is trying to make an income on a vacant parking lot. My understanding of the deal is that the City will share in profits generated from the lot. You can read our original December 2009 story on this subject here: http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/12910
      That said, I think it ridiculous when some people refuse to acknowledge the obvious: People do not tend to frequent places where there is difficulty in finding a parking space, confusion as to what is paid parking and what is not, and then parking tickets issued by police when they overstay their allotted time. If Kirkland were in a vacuum and the only place to go, then Kirkland could set the rules. That is not the case with Redmond and Bellevue on our doorstep. You might recall that those two shopping and dining locations are privately held for the most part and they do not charge for parking. We should be doing everything possible to make a visit to Kirkland as pleasant as possible. Sometimes I think we lose sight of that simple fact. Thank you for your comments.

      • Scott Brady

        Great point Rob! Cutting off parking and trying to force cars off the road for the sake of “Green” may appease a small minority of people, but it certainly won’t bring customers to businesses in downtown Kirkland. There really isn’t enough housing density around downtown Kirkland for it to be supported by nearby residents walking in to buy things either.

        The last couple of times I’ve been to Bellevue all of their free parking has been taken up by happy customers in both the Galleria and Lincoln Tower parking lots. The restaurants are always packed and have waiting lists. And the stores around that area of downtown seem to be thriving.

        Hopefully the new city council will use its experience from other areas (ownership of a car dealer, and former Redmond Mayor) to show how much a good parking structure can add to business prosperity.

        Cheers!

  • The Ghost of Peter Kirk

    “Antique Centre. Now complete with pay post. Ready for the city to fleece any visitors who will still come here with all the crap going on. Tell us the original story guys about why it was fenced off in the first place. . . And do it on here so we can all see it in black and white. Not expecting anything for a while . . . to allow you time to make something up”

    The Antique Mall is private Property. The business moved out, and the owner fenced the property. You can write a letter to the City Council and get their own black-and-white reply as well.

    The owner asked the City of Kirkland about making it available to the public at a price. They negotiated a deal in which the city supplied the striping and pay parking equipment and manages the lot, and the owner gets the parking revenue.

    Anyone can watch the recordings of City Council Meetings online, read the Council meeting packets, and read Parking Advisory Board meeting minutes to get more details.

  • The Ghost of Peter Kirk

    “Antique Centre. Now complete with pay post. Ready for the city to fleece any visitors who will still come here with all the crap going on. Tell us the original story guys about why it was fenced off in the first place. . . And do it on here so we can all see it in black and white. Not expecting anything for a while . . . to allow you time to make something up”

    The Antique Mall is private Property. The business moved out, and the owner fenced the property. You can write a letter to the City Council and get their own black-and-white reply as well.

    The owner asked the City of Kirkland about making it available to the public at a price. They negotiated a deal in which the city supplied the striping and pay parking equipment and manages the lot, and the owner gets the parking revenue.

    Anyone can watch the recordings of City Council Meetings online, read the Council meeting packets, and read Parking Advisory Board meeting minutes to get more details.