SeaTac Police Blotter - Online!

A visitor to the Angle Lake Shore Club blog recently wrote: “…I would like to see a weekly police report of all incidents in SeaTac, where police action was needed. That way all would know what and where to be more alert to the bad guys.” Thank you for the comment as this has highlighted the fact that many of our viewers may not be aware that this option is available on the blog site today.  

The City of Seatac Police Department subscribes to an additional third party service that collects and reports criminal incidents that may be viewed at anytime via the web on a display map of the local area.  More details regarding this program may be read on our October 16, 2010 post. 

The following instructions are provided to help in locating the link to this tool on our site and to assist you to view recent criminal activity in the local area on the CrimeReports site:

• From the Angle Lake Shore Club Website Homepage
• Locate on the right side of the page the a section titled "Additional Links" 
• Click on the fourth link in the link list titled 'Neighborhood Crime Reports'

• Your browser window will then display the CrimeReports homepage
• Enter an address in the Address Search Bar 
• Displayed will be a visual depiction of the various crimes occurring in the past 2 weeks in the vicinity of the address you had entered.
• Included in the display will be any registered Sex Offenders in the area.

• To change the reporting duration that is displayed
• Click the down arrow next to the 'Date Range' tab next to MAP TOOLs
• Choose the desired date range to display (i.e. 3; 7; 14; 30)  
• Then click Apply & Close

This service is made available via contract between the City of SeaTac/King County Police Departments and the CrimeReports commercial site. It is intended to be another tool to help the citizens of Seatac to remain informed and better prepared to help address crime in their neighborhoods.

Did You Get the Call?

Tuesday Night the City Of SeaTac Police Department sent out Code Red Notification alerting residents of criminal activity occurring in the vicinity of South 191st Place and 37th Avenue South.  The recorded message informed the receiver that a canine assisted search was in progress and requested that all residents in the area to stay inside their homes and check to ensure all their doors and windows remained locked until further notice. Approximately 40 minutes later a second call was sent indicating that the state of alert had subsided and requested anyone witnessing suspicious activity to immediately call 911 to report it.

Although the call did not go into specific details of the police activity local television news reported that it was a home invasion where the homeowner shot one intruder, whereas another individual was still on the loose.  As for me, I was glad to have received the alert! Will you be ready to receive the next call?

What is CodeRED?

The City of SeaTac emergency services subscribes to the CodeRED Emergency Notification System to assist in distributing wide spread communication in the event of emergency.  This tool is an ultra high-speed telephone communication service capable of dialing up to 50,000 phone numbers per hour and delivering recorded messages to a live person or an answering machine, making three attempts to connect to any number. However, this system is only as good as the telephone number database that supports it. If your contact information is not in the database you will not receive a call when an urgent message is sent.

All individuals and businesses are encouraged to visit the City Website to create a secured CodeRED Account and add the necessary contact information in order to receive these critical emergency communications. Required information includes a street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes) for location purposes and a primary phone number. Alternate numbers such as cellular phones and other non-traditional phones as well as email and text addresses may also be entered.

Planning Kick Off for 2012

Your volunteer board members of the Angle Lake Shore Club will be gathering this Tuesday, February 21st to kick off the 2012 season with an event planning session. The team will be meeting to establish the dates for our regular traditional favorite annual activities and shall include the “Lakeshore Clean Sweep” we launched last year. Event dates will be posted here on the blog once established.

As we begin to plan for the year, we’d like to ask you – our members – for feedback. If you’ve attended one or more events we’d like to hear about your experience; if you have recommendations for improvements we’d like to hear about that, too; if you have any suggestions for additional events and/or activities to consider please follow these instructions on how to leave a comment using the comments option below this post or comments are always welcome via the blog team email inbox at anglelakesc@gmail.com.

We are excited with anticipation and look forward to another year of fun events and great times with our neighbors.

Storm Debris Clean Up Options

The weather prediction for Saturday and Sunday this week is for clear skies and mild temperatures – conditions guaranteed to bring on Spring Fever!  However before you consider heading out for a leisurely beach stroll or a relaxing round of golf, please note this weekend is the last opportunity to take advantage of the free King County special wood debris-recycling event aimed to help area residents dispose of green debris generated from the recent ice storms.

Dates: February 4-5, 2012

Location: Kent’s Russell Road Park

24400 Russell Rd., Kent 

Hours: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Details: This events are open to King County residents only. No contractor or commercial loads at the Kent location. The collection sites and events are exclusively for wood debris from the recent storms. Stumps, logs and limbs no longer than six feet in length are allowed. Please place material on a tarp or sheet of plywood for ease of removal.

Restrictions: No brush, leaves, grass clippings, sod, soil, construction or other debris.

People bringing wood debris are reminded to secure their loads.

Remember - It is illegal to burn yard debris on your property

For Every Dark Cloud...

In a recent article in the Seattle Times titled ‘Next-Door Nemeses’, author Diana Wurn went on to explain how no-good neighbors can devalue your property as much as ten percent when you’re trying to sell. And for those who are simply expecting a peaceful environment to call home, living next to a bad neighbor can be a harrowing experience.

However, I feel a positive side to every negative situation is possible, if only you make the extra effort. For me, I’ve discovered this to be true of the neighbors within my immediate area.

The recent snow and ice storms had created a treacherous situation in my neighborhood. The area was without electricity for nearly three days. Getting out and around was difficult while remaining indoors without power to heat our homes was not too comforting either.  The evening of the first day without electricity, the neighbor next-door approached me asking if I would care to borrow her generator. Seems she was headed over to a relative for the night and was concerned that my family and I would be left to deal with the cold. She cautioned us that one of her daughters who had also lost power would be by the following day to pick it up but she encouraged us to use it for the night. Early  the next day a fairly new neighbor on the other side of the street from us who we’ve only met once also went out of his way to walk down our icy drive to our house and ask if we needed anything from the grocery store as his vehicle was well equipped to get it around.

Later that same day another neighbor on the south end of the lake called to inform us that their power had been restored and ask if ours had, too. When we confirmed it hadn't he immediately extended an offer to us for the use of a second generator and he and his brother even delivered it to our home within hours! Additionally we received calls from other neighbors on the west side of the lake offering us use of their spare rooms to stay with them and from the north end we received a call of concern asking us to confirm if anyone had a chance to check in on the safety of the elderly in the area. The behavior I had witnessed of these neighbors and their display of genuine concern during this time of need helped to warm my heart and instill an increased sense of the caring community that I live in.  

Another recent incident concerns a home nearby where the owner has recently become deceased and currently no legal ownership claim is established on the property at this time. This situation has created an opportunity for a few individuals to occupy the property as ‘squatters’ and concern over illegal drug activity has increased. On the surface, this certainly can be identified as a bad situation – but dig a little deeper and what is revealed is an opportunity surfacing for my community to build an even stronger cohesion among us.

The issue was brought to light when a young couple who had just recently purchase a home next-door to the subject property sent an email to the ALSC blog address asking that nearby residents be alerted to nefarious activity occurring at the adjacent vacant property. The letter contained information outlining the concerns, recommending actions residents could take to best help local law enforcement confront the issues, and included details regarding new partnerships forming between the residents and city agencies to identify and address potential code infractions in effort to combat concerns over potential dangerous chemicals being stored on the property.

As the Times had reported, bad neighbors can certainly have a negative impact on your property values and/or quality of life at home. Living in a community like Angle Lake where an active social organization like the Shore Club exists and affords opportunity for neighbors to become better acquainted with other neighbors is something no longer commonplace in today's society. A community where we are no longer strangers living side by side but in many cases where we have actually become good friends.  A community where friends work together to resolve differences whereas strangers would have otherwise failed, where working together as partners problems are more easily resolved than working them alone.  For me, I find the good neighbors in this community to be  priceless.

Planning for Snow Travel

With snow beginning to fall in our area, blanketing yards and thoroughfares and making surface travel a bit more difficult - it’s probably a good time to inform our blog viewers about the City of SeaTac Snow Plowing Schedule and Road Closures. 

Road Maintenance Officials with the City of SeaTac have compiled a list of priority roads that will be plowed during times of heavy snow and/or icing to assist drivers in safe navigation throughout the city. The following links provide access to the Priority List or a Visual Map detailing which roads will be cleared and de-iced.

As a reminder, the following roads within SeaTac will most likely be closed when unsafe conditions (snow and ice) are present:

• So. 180th Street east of Military Road So. (aka: Levitz Hill)

• So. 200th Street west of 28th Ave So

• 37th Place So east of Military Road So.

Vehicle operators will need to choose alternate routes during times of road closures.  Additional road closure information can be access through the King County Road Alert website.

Seasonal Serenity and Solitude

Winter time around the lake. Normally a quiet, peaceful time for most folks to relax, recuperate and reinvigorate.  But au contraire for several neighbors who are actively participating on or leading various community committees.   The following presents a brief overview of the community interests being served, a point of contact for each and current information and status about the initiatives.

200th Street Light Rail Station:  

Clyde ‘Fuzz’ Hill

An Ad-Hoc Committee consisting of residents, business and property managers was formed this past Summer.  The team has been meeting regularly since October to review proposed requirements and design features for the new station scheduled to open in 2016. The group had toured existing stations, met with the creative art teams and spent many hours addressing concerns and offering suggestions to Sound Transit Staff for inclusion into the design/build requested proposals. A comprehensive packet of recommendations from the committee is expected to be delivered to the City Council by March.  Please send any comments, questions or concerns you may have regarding this project to the blog to be forwarded to the committee for additional consideration.

Celebrate America: 

Steve Beck

If you attended the Shore Club Christmas Party you may recall the announcement made regarding a grass roots effort formed to create a city wide event to recognize our wounded military service men and women and to celebrate being American.  The team has secured individual stakeholders to manage 10 separate events to be held at various locations throughout North SeaTac and Valley Ridge Parks, near Angle Lake and including the PacWest Ball Fields and Community Center grounds with the plan to converge on Angle Lake Park in the afternoon to honor our military personnel through ceremony and family fun activities via an old fashioned picnic.  The group is working diligently to secure necessary funding to help seed this first year of what is planned to be an annual function.  If you’d like the chance to perform good deeds for your community while paying respect to our returning military service personnel, we urge you to consider volunteering your talents and join this committee.

Vision 2015: 

Jim Todd

While relatively unknown to most but I suspect not for much longer is the somewhat obscure collective body that has been brainstorming future uses for the variety of City owned and currently un- or underdeveloped properties.  The two significant components that are starting to surface in response to the failed town center concept include a proposal for a mixed use International Complex at 154th, something akin to the Pike Place Market concept and an Artist Community near 200th Street with a Sculpture Garden installed on the Hughes Property at South Angle Lake.  Both centers leverage the light rail stations and take advantage of the enhanced bus transportation available in these areas.  Send your contact information to the blog to receive additional detail about the proposed used for these and other city owned properties.

These are just three of several active community focus groups that are underway or being formed.  Please email the blog if you'd like to be involved, informed or have ideas to share.

Go Jump in the Lake this New Year's Day!

A polar bear plunge is an event held during the winter where participants enter a body of water despite the low temperature. Sometimes they are held to raise money for a charitable organization, sometimes they are held for no more reason than to celebrate the New Year by doing something out of the ordinary. Jumping into frigid water in the middle of winter qualifies in my book as something ‘out of the ordinary!”

Plunges are now held throughout the United States. Boston is recognized as being among the earliest known US event (1904) whereas annual events in Seattle had begun as early as 1993.  And while the “Plungapalooza”  event in Maryland is considered the largest polar bear plunge in the United States with an estimated 12,000 people participating our event at Angle Lake on New Year’s Day is still relatively new (est. 2009) and quite small in comparison (10 swimmers) but we still hold hope that someday we’ll grow to tens upon tens entering the water! (By our calculation that would make anything more than twenty participants a pretty darn big deal!)

Angle Lake Manor Club Beach

3417 So 194th

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

Gather at 11:30 am – Plunge at 12:00 pm Sharp

Regardless whether you have the ‘courage’ to enter the water or whether you join to cheer on the participants (or gawk and ridicule them) past events have proven to be a great time and a great way to ring in the New Year.  

We are also excited to announce Mike’s Community Cup, a local family owned coffee house as a new commercial partner this year who will be supplying delicious steaming hot coffee and warm cocoa for all who attend.  Mike’s Community Cup located at the triangular juncture of Military Road and 42nd Avenue is well known in SeaTac as a community centered business that not only contributes to the vibrancy of the City by providing outstanding food, beverages and excellent service, but also finds creative ways to provide financial support to many non-profit youth services within our community.  Please help us express appreciation for their support of the Polar Bear Plunge and the many other fine works they perform in our city by visiting them often.

Hints and Safety Tips:

• Dress Up in costume over your swimsuit to add whimsy
• Come Early. Parking is limited. Carpool or come by boat.
• Anyone with heart problems should consult your health care provider before participating. If you don't participate, you’re still welcome to join us and watch.
• Do Not Drink. Alcohol does not warm you up. It accelerates hypothermia.
• Do Not Stay In The Water Longer Than 15 Minutes. Body heat is lost 25 times faster in the water than in air.
• Keep Your Outer Clothing On until swim time and remove any wet clothing before getting back into dry clothes.
• Have Fun!

Invite your friends to join us via our Facebook Events Page.

Season's Greeting from the ALSC!

Two Thousand Eleven was certainly a record year for the Shore Club. A record in the number of total events produced, record increased number of attendees for several of the events, and I’m sure that a  new record was set regarding the weather, too! Every one of the seven outdoor events in 2011 were free from rain and bathed in sunshine!

A Look Back Recap

• The Third Annual Polar Bear Plunge got a boost when the Shore Club became an official sponsor of the event.  What had started out as a simple idea by two Manor Club neighbors is poised to become another favorite annual event open to all within the community. View a video recap of the Polar Bear Plunge here.
• The Angle Lake Fishing Derby, a multi-decades old spring tradition provides a platform for expert anglers to showcase their catch and their prowess. This year included a record overall number of triploid trophy trout pulled from the lake and brought in for recording. Another video featuring the fishing derby can be viewed here.
• The Fourth of July Celebration on Angle Lake, saw a new champion take the runners trophy, repeat champions returning to first place in the dock decorating competition and a redesigned fireworks show that wowed the crowd with many ‘mini finales’ including an unexpected bonus show! 
• New this year, the Angle Lake Clean Sweep was an opportunity for members to gather at the western shoreline to give some much needed cleansing around the City owned Hughes property. The turnout was good for a first year event.
• The Floating Tapas, in addition to the volunteer hosted stations we invited two local restaurants for an opportunity to showcase their cuisine and introduce themselves to the neighborhood.  A new record was set regarding the number of bodies that can fit onto a single pontoon boat and still remaining afloat! 
• The Horse N Round Classic enjoyed a record number of teams participating for a record purse  for the winning teams. 
• The Annual Members Only Christmas Party was attended by over a hundred participants who feasted on a delicious catered meal while taking advantage of the opportunity to catch up with their neighbors.
• And finally, the Christmas Cruise. This third year saw a double fold increase in the number of decorated boats participating in the parade and the inclusion of Santa was an enormous hit with young and old alike.

2011 ALSC Board Members

The Board Members of the Angle Lake Shore Club hope you had the opportunity to enjoy one or more of these annual events. As you can see from the list above we are striving for continuous improvement and would appreciate any feedback. Please drop us an email at anglelakes@gmail.com letting us know what you liked, what could be improved, and/or share your favorite memory, etc.  

As 2011 comes to a close, each of your club board members would like to wish you and your loved ones a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

And when it comes to describing the Christmas Cruise on Angle Lake, the photo below is priceless in explaining the amount of fun that was experienced for young and old at this year’s event.

The ‘Young at Heart’ enjoying their visit with Santa

Surprisingly the weather was relatively mild for a mid-December evening which may have been a key factor to why we witnessed so many neighbors hosting bonfires on their beaches. However, we’d like to think it was mainly because of the elaborately decorated boats, six of them in all, throwing a bright glow across the waters of the lake, drawing folks away from their TVs and easy chairs like drawing moths to a brightly burning flame.  Or admittedly, perhaps it was because everyone was anxious to get a visit with the Father of Christmas himself, Santa Claus. 

Whatever reason accounted for encouraging folks to leave the warmth of the indoors and to gathering with their neighbors, family and friends in the dark of night, they had done so and had did it with great fervor, making this a most wonderful closing event of the year for the Angle Lake Shore Club and the community. All told many, many stops were made around the lake with over 40 gift bags distributed by Santa to the visiting youth.

  

Of course we’d like to thank the captains who had invested many hours and personal expense to decorate their boats.  With special recognition to: Gordon/Joyce Densmore; Bruce/Sandy Goulet; Brice/Pattie Lenz;  Lonnie/Annie Goulet; Jim/Robyn Todd; and our principle organizers Bruce/Kathy Bryant. All you’re efforts were clearly appreciated based on the many compliments and kind comments that viewers expressed.  And to Santa, you really had your game face on this night! We hope you’ll continue to find time in the years to come to bless us with your presence. You are an asset to this community. 

And finally, thank you to everyone who made the effort come out; build the fires; encourage the crowds to gather on your shore, greet us and invite us onto your docks and beaches to help spread holiday cheer.  You are the reason why we do this and it is you who help to make this so much fun!  Thank you for being an active partner and taking an active role within your community.

Photos with Santa are available viewing and can be accessed through the right side ‘Additional Links’ menu, under the ‘Shore Club Photo Album’ link.  If you have photos to share, please email them to the blog address at anglelakesc@gmail.com or contact Clyde Hill within the Shore Club phone directory.