 | HELP BRING TURF INFIELDS TO KIRKLAND PARKS
KALL is making big strides toward improving local baseball and softball fields with turf infields. While KALL is privately funding a project at the Houghton Transfer Station (Taylor Fields), the City of Kirkland is now considering funding two pilot turf infield overlays at: Crestwoods Park 4 (for KALL) 132nd Square Park (for KNLL)
🚨 Two Critical Public Meetings 🚨 Attendance at both meetings is crucial to show strong community support! If the Parks Board supports the initiative, it will move to the City Council for a final funding vote.
1st Parks Board Meeting When: September 24, 2025 @ 7:00 PM Where: Kirkland City Hall, 123 5th Ave, Kirkland, WA 98033
2nd City Council Meeting When: October 7, 2025 @ 7:30 PM Where: Kirkland City Hall, 123 5th Ave, Kirkland, WA 98033 |
💬 What You Can Say
Chris Thomas and the KALL board have prepared talking points and FAQs to help you speak confidently.
Key messages include:
âž•Turf infields reduce rainouts and scheduling chaos for families.
➕Nearby cities have already adopted turf solutions—Kirkland should too.
âž•Turf overlays are cost-effective compared to full multipurpose fields.
âž•Health concerns have been addressed with safer organic materials.
📣 Spread the Word
Encourage teammates, coaches, and fellow parents to attend. The more voices the city hears, the more likely these projects will move forward. Want help crafting your own remarks or rallying your team? Chris Thomas has graciously agreed to share his comments. We'd be happy to help you write a speech, email, or social media post to get the word out. Just say the word!
FAQs:
Q: Is this survey part of KALL’s turf infields initiative or is this effort being separately driven by the city?
A: Yes! The city’s turf study is a direct result of all of the vocal advocacy being done by the KALL board and many parents. In addition to KALL’s Taylor Field initiative at Houghton with King County, getting the city to focus on turf infields has also been a major priority.
Q: Why isn’t a softball field being considered?
A: City leaders appear to be aligned with KALL in pursuing completed infields for both softball and baseball. However, a pilot project is the first step. The city believes that a pilot project at Everest might take additional time to complete due to the need to balance so many stakeholder needs. KALL ultimately agreed with the city to start the pilot project at Crestwoods.
Q: Should we offer comments when completing the survey?
A: Yes! The comments are especially important, as it’s critical to let the city know how disruptive schedule disruptions have been on families. It’s also important to highlight that other nearby cities have already been responsive to those concerns by developing turf infields for several years. It’s important that your voice is heard so the city has more perspective than the limited questions presented in the survey.
Q: Are there health concerns associated with turf surfaces?
A: This has been studied for many years, and turf infields is already the preferred solution in places like the City of Seattle, where the parks department similarly reviewed and considered health concerns many years earlier. Additionally, the preferred solution will likely include an organic (cork) finishing application in lieu of the rubber particle application that used to be the norm for earlier turf projects.
Q: Why aren’t multipurpose fields being considered? Shouldn’t we be focused on field solutions that benefit multiple sports?
A: The city has already made one major investment in a multipurpose field at 132nd Square Park. The cost of that project is roughly 50 times the cost of a simple infield overlay project. KALL is advocating for turf infields because they can have far more impact with far less money, and because softball and baseball are sports that are disproportionately impacted during a light rain or on sunny days that follow rainy days.
Q: Why is a field at 132nd Square Park being considered when 132nd Square park already has turf?
A: Kirkland National Little League experiences just as many rainouts as KALL. The city wants to be equitable in funding exclusive softball/baseball fields in both the north and the south and KALL is supportive of these efforts. While KALL often utilizes Crestwoods Park and KNLL uses 132nd Square Park both leagues will benefit from improvements to each park.