Committee of the Whole – Parks and Environmental Sustainability – February 24, 2026
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Committee of the Whole – Parks and Environmental Sustainability – February 24, 2026
The Committee of the Whole met on February 24, 2026, at 4:30 PM to discuss seven agenda items, including three action items, two items for future study sessions, and two informational updates. The meeting was presided over by Council President Menka Soni, with council members Jessica Forsythe, Vanessa Kritzer, Angie Nuevacamina, Sayna Parsi, Vivek Prakriya, and Melissa Stuart in attendance. All action items were moved to the March 3, 2026 consent agenda, and two items were referred to a study session on March 24, 2026.
Consent Calendar
- None. No consent calendar items were voted on during this meeting; however, three action items were approved for placement on the March 3 consent agenda.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the meeting.
Discussion Items
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Acceptance of the Department of Commerce Climate Planning Grant Award ($359,558): Sustainability Manager Jenny Lieback presented the grant, which supports implementation of House Bill 1181 (climate resilience and emission reduction integration into comprehensive plans). This is the second tranche of funding; the previous grant closed in 2025. Councilmember Kritzer asked about branding requirements from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA); Lieback explained that logos are used in annual reports and press releases. The item was moved to the March 3 consent agenda without objection.
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Approve Consultant Agreement with KPFF Consulting Engineers for SE Redmond Park ($1.1 million): Parks Planning Manager Lindsay Falkenberg presented the agreement for design services for a new 3.2-acre neighborhood park. Councilmember Forsythe asked about the lack of bathrooms and parking; Falkenberg noted the master plan does not include those, but portable restrooms will be provided seasonally. Councilmember Stuart highlighted the value of neighborhood parks and closing a service gap. Councilmember Prakriya asked about deviations from the master plan and interdepartmental agreement; Director Hamilton confirmed no significant deviations and that public works and parks are aligned. Councilmember Kritzer asked about potential changes and council touchpoints; Hamilton replied that updates occur at 30% and 60% design and major changes would be shared. Councilmember Forsythe raised the contingency budget; Director Burt explained it is formula-based on risk. The item was moved to the March 3 consent agenda.
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Authorize Mayor to Sign King County Parks Property Tax Levy Agreement (2026–2031, ~$5.5 million): Senior Parks Planner Cameron Zapata presented the agreement, which continues a program since 2008. Councilmember Prakriya inquired about the funding formula for different cities; Zapata described a basis of 60% population and 40% assessed value. Council President Stuart added context from Sound Cities Association negotiations. The item was moved to the March 3 consent agenda.
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Recreation Program Plan Overview (Study Session – March 24): Recreation Manager Erika Chua presented the first-ever recreation program plan, built on robust community engagement including surveys, stakeholder interviews, and staff input. The plan covers 240+ program offerings and aims to refine quality over quantity, improve access, address service gaps, and invest in staff. Councilmember Forsythe asked for feedback expectations; Director Hamilton clarified this was an informational preview, with a detailed study session on March 24. Council President Stuart requested neighborhood-level engagement data and commission feedback. Councilmember Parsi asked about looking beyond existing community familiarity to other cities/countries. Councilmember Kritzer emphasized culturally diverse programming. The item was moved to the March 24 study session.
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Parks Signage and Wayfinding Standards and Strategy Plan Update (Study Session – March 24): Lindsay Falkenberg presented the plan, developed with Tool Design Group and a Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commission subcommittee. It aims to assess existing signage, create inclusive design standards, and develop a phased implementation plan. Councilmember Forsythe requested details on bicycle commuter navigation, colorblind accessibility, iconographics, and regional connectivity. Council President Stuart thanked Commissioner Hargreaves and asked about the subcommittee's work. Councilmember Prakriya asked about regional cooperation with neighboring cities. Councilmember Forsythe asked about cultural heritage interpretive signage (e.g., indigenous languages). Councilmember Parsi asked about arts integration. Councilmember Kritzer asked about a communication plan for new icons; Hamilton noted that is part of future implementation. The item was moved to the March 24 study session.
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Redmond Lights Event Recap 2025 (Informational): Marketing and Event Supervisor Lindsay Toosing reported on the month-long celebration (Dec 6 – Jan 5) at Downtown Park and Estera Park. Highlights: 13 artist installations, live performances, a family promenade, luminary trail, and kid’s light fashion show. Attendance: 10,000 at kickoff; 89% of survey respondents were likely to attend again; 100% of business/nonprofit partners would participate again. Total cost ~$167,000, fully funded by grants, sponsorships, and vendor fees. Councilmember Stuart asked about attendance growth and metrics; Toosing noted new technology to track attendance. Councilmember Kritzer praised the art and asked about visitor lodging methodology (5.6% surveyed used lodging). Director Hamilton discussed the possibility of relighting the red oak tree after King County’s trunk line project on the Sammamish River Trail is completed. Councilmember Forsythe thanked staff and highlighted community investments like Snowby One Kenobi and mobile bollards. The item was received as informational.
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Environmental Sustainability Action Plan (ESAP) Implementation Update – February 2026 (Informational): Jenny Lieback, Maya Clem (Volunteer & Green Redmond Partnership Coordinator), and Lindsay Falkenberg presented quarterly updates. Tree canopy: nearly 150 new trees in parks and over 1,000 by public works; preparing RFPs for LIDAR/aerial monitoring. Green Redmond Partnership: trained 44 new forest stewards (70% increase), including multi-generational participants. Energy Smart East: partnered with Habitat for Humanity and Puget Sound Energy to decarbonize 20 affordable units at Patterson Park Townhome Complex (free heat pumps and water heaters). Councilmember Parsi asked about ESAP goals that may be behind; staff will follow up. Councilmember Forsythe asked about the e-bike incentive program; Lieback noted a joint program with Issaquah and Bellevue, launching early summer 2026, prioritizing low-income residents. Councilmember Stuart highlighted the community-building aspect of Green Redmond events. Councilmember Prakriya thanked staff for the city hall light fixture upgrades. The item was received as informational.
Key Outcomes
- Action Items Approved for Consent Agenda (March 3, 2026):
- Acceptance of the Department of Commerce Climate Planning Grant ($359,558) – moved unanimously.
- Consultant agreement with KPFF Consulting Engineers for SE Redmond Park ($1.1 million) – moved unanimously.
- Authorization for Mayor to sign King County Parks Property Tax Levy Agreement (estimated $5.5 million over six years) – moved unanimously.
- Study Session Items Referred to March 24, 2026:
- Recreation Program Plan overview – moved without objection.
- Parks Signage and Wayfinding Standards and Strategy Plan update – moved without objection.
- Informational Items Received: Redmond Lights 2025 recap and ESAP Implementation Update – no action taken.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. I'm calling to order the February 24, 2026 Committee of the Whole for Parks and Environment Sustainability. In attendance, we have Council members. We have Council President Stewart, Council Vice President Niwakamina, Councilmember Kritzer, Council Member Forsyth, Councilmember Prakria, Councilmember Parsi F. Myself, Presiding Officer Minka Sony. There are seven items on the agenda that has been shared with all the council members in their agenda packet. The first agenda item is acceptance of the Department of Commerce Climate Planning Grant EVOT to support climate planning and resilient projects in the amount of dollar 359,558. And we have Jenny Leiback, Executive Department Manager, to give us an update. Yeah, good afternoon, Council. So again, I am Jenny Liebeck. I'm the sustainability manager in the executive department. And so this item is a grant to support implementation of House Bill 1181. So this is a requirement that expects a jurisdiction to integrate climate resilience and emission reductions into their comprehensive plans. And so to support that, that law, the state has allocated $700,000 in formula funds to jurisdictions that are required to comply with this requirement. And so this is actually our second tranche of funding. So we have accessed this funding before with our last grant closed out in 2025. And so the grant scope that's put before you today would fully allocate all of the city's 700K and go towards supporting implementation of our environmental sustainability action plan and our climate resilience, our climate sustainability and resilience element. And so today I would just like to request that the item be placed on the March 3rd business meeting on the consent agenda. And happy to answer any questions. Thank you so much, Jenny. Appreciate the update and fully support moving this uh to consent. As we always do when we uh accept dollars that are from the Climate Commitment Act, one of the things in the contract is a requirement to kind of share the branding of the impact of the Climate Commitment Act in our city. Um I was wondering if you could tell us how we anticipate using the logos or any of the other brand assets for the items that will be invested in as a result of these dollars. Yeah, and so in the past, the primary ways we've done that is through our annual reporting. So we do annual reporting for our sustainability plan and ensure we're showing grant funding, including CCA dollars. Um, and then the other is through press releases with programs. So our energy smart e side program, for instance. Um, the last time we did a feasibility study or kind of a um an analysis to see how we should expand that program that was funded through the CCA dollars, and so when we release that information, we we leverage that in press releases as well. Those are just two examples and you know, ways that we would do that with um with this work as well. Wonderful. Thank you. Any other questions. Seeing none, is there any objection for moving this item for consent on March 3rd? Okay, thank you. Thank you so much, Jenny. Next, move to our second agenda item. Our next item is to approve consultant agreement with KPFF consulting engineers for the Southeast Ridmond Park Project. And it's going to be uh presented by Director Hamilton. And um may I also have your introduction for it, Gods, please. Uh good afternoon, City Council. Um, it's good to see you all today. Um, I'm joined today by Lindsay Falkenberg, my parks planning manager, who will be presenting this item, and we're very excited to be moving forward on Southeast Redmond Park. So I'll hand it off to Lindsay. Uh good evening, Council President Stewart, Council Vice President Noeba Kimina, Council members, and a very warm welcome to our new council members. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lindsey Falkenberg, I'm the Parks Planning Manager. I'm excited to bring forward a consultant agreement with KPFF Consulting Engineers for the Southeast Redmond Park Project. This agreement is in the amount of 1.1 million and covers design services for the project. As this work progresses, you can expect future supplemental agreements related to construction management, engineering support, inspection, and other implementation services. By way of background, the city completed a community-driven master plan for Southeast Redmond Park in 2023, and we released a request for proposal for design services in September of 2025.
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