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Council confirms Nova Heaton as Lake Forest Park public works director
Summary
The council unanimously confirmed Nova Heaton as public works director, waiving the three-touch rule; Heaton emphasized traffic-calming, complete-streets experience and community outreach, and an anticipated start date of Feb. 23.
The Lake Forest Park City Council on Feb. 12 confirmed Nova Heaton as public works director, waiving the three-touch rule to expedite the hire and setting an anticipated start date of Feb. 23.
Mayor and staff described a multi-panel selection process and said panels recommended Heaton, who answered council questions about sidewalks, traffic calming and public outreach. He described a background in complete-streets policies and local road-safety planning and said he will prioritize multimodal improvement planning, community outreach and seeking funding for projects.
On traffic calming, Heaton said there is no single favorite treatment: "My favorite traffic calming is the right thing for the right location," and noted rapid rectangular flashing beacons (RRFBs) as a cost-effective measure he has used, with estimated unit costs of about $15,000 when installed by a streets crew.
Councilmembers praised his community outreach approach (public-works open houses and multi-channel engagement) and his prior work in similar-size jurisdictions. Following a motion to waive the council's three-touch review and a second, the council voted in favor of Resolution 26-20-64 to confirm the appointment.
Heaton said early priorities will include reviewing project evaluation and transparency practices, mapping multimodal routes and coordinating with outside agencies on permits and funding, particularly as Sound Transit moves toward permit submittals for nearby projects.
