For the City of Redmond‘s Community Academy program this year, participants in the six sessions will gain an intimate perspective of city happenings and go on facility tours covering a spectrum of topics including public safety, the infrastructure necessary to deliver drinking water and the process through which improvements to streets and sidewalks are considered and constructed.

Official 2012 Community Academy “graduate” and Redmond resident Byron Shutz said the program provides an accurate, invaluable understanding of how city services interconnect and support goals of the council and city administration.

“The series is an easy, accessible introduction to not only what services the city provides, but more importantly, why and how the services are delivered,” he said. “What you learn is that Redmond residents and businesses have a central role in fulfilling a vision for our city.”

For program coordinator Kimberly Dietz, a senior planner for the city, that road of access and information runs two ways, providing a helpful forum for staff to put a finger on the pulse of community needs and interests.

“I appreciate the opportunity to work with community members interested in municipal governance,” she said. “It’s also rewarding to be able to foster foundational knowledge for future civic and local leaders.”

The City of Redmond’s 2013 Community Academy will be Thursday evenings from Nov. 7-21 from 6-9 p.m. at Redmond City Hall. For more information, visit www.redmond.gov/communityacademy.