NEWS ALERT: High Tide Warnings For Friday

The Washington State Department of Inland Waters has issued a High Tide Warning for all Seattle area interior waters including Angle Lake. The warning will remain in effect through Saturday, April 2nd.  Those who live in a location that is prone to tidal flooding should be prepared for flooding over the coming days. Minor shoreline flooding will occur during Friday morning’s high tide and may elevate to moderate flooding during the next high tide in that evening. The city of SeaTac is hosting a sandbag filling station on the northwest corner of the City Hall Parking Lot.  Effected residents may claim up to 100 sandbags each in an effort to assist in reducing damages to property due to flooding.  Refer to the city flyer for further details.

It is not unusual for the lake to experience higher than normal tides in the spring but when compounded with the excessive amount of rain recently, the upcoming tides are expected to be astronomically high and are anticipated to exceed the highest recorded watermark set on April, 12th, 1947 when tides were measured at 14 feet 8.5 inches above the average water line.  

Residents are being asked to relocate all boats, beach furniture and other property at least 20 feet away from the beach to prevent any items from being inadvertently carried away.  An additional reminder, all beach property should be labeled with the owners post number for easy identification in the event that items become misplaced. Do not park your vehicle in a location that is prone to tidal flooding. Do not drive through flood waters. Since the water may be deeper than you think it is, the public should, therefore, keep away from the beaches during this time.

(Postscript:  This is an April Fools Joke)

2011 Angle Lake Fishing Derby

Gather your gear, grab your pole, get in your boat, and bring your fishing license to the 2011 ANGLE LAKE FISHING DERBY.  Yes indeed, it’s that time of year again when our Shore Club volunteers will be heading out to sell tickets to the annual Fishing Derby for your chance to hook the top prized of $100 for landing the largest fish!  Of course the fish must be unfrozen, have clear eyes and not be cleaned to be eligible!

However, if you are not the lucky winner of the top cash prize no worries, your ticket or tickets will be used as entry into the prize raffle drawing.  After recognition has been given to the fishing competition winners for the biggest fish in each age group, we’ll hold a raffle for all ticket holders for a chance to win an item from a sea of prizes!  Top Raffle Prize?  A 32” Flat Screen TV!   The more tickets you buy, the better your chance at winning!

But what if you don’t fish and you’ve traditionally never been a favored sole with Lady Luck?  Well believe it or not, those same ticket(s) you purchased also act as your admission to the Barbeque Lunch, too!  From Noon until 1:30 PM we’ll be serving up Hot Dogs and Hamburgers along with traditional picnic sides for you to fill up on.

   

So let’s recap:  Purchase of a ticket entitles you to light refreshments of coffee, juice and muffins in the morning; entry into the fishing competition; a chance to win a fabulous raffle prizes; a hosted lunch AND a chance to mingle and visit with neighbors and guests!

Steven's Beach - Post 60

Fishing Contest 7:00 AM - 12 Noon. 

Lunch, Awards and Raffle Drawings 12:00 – 2:00 PM

We’ll also be selling and renewing Shore Club Membership at the event.  Please refer to the FLYER for additional information.

Plenty Fireworks Over The Subject Of Fireworks

As anticipated, the public and council comment sections of the Regular Council Meeting held on Tuesday, March 22nd were filled with much discussion centered on the public funding of the 4th of July Fireworks over Angle Lake. 

The meeting opened as usual providing an opportunity for the public to offer comments on the state of city affairs. An estimate of ten individuals spoke in favor of the city contributing public funds to cover a portion of the fireworks show, one individual spoke against using public funds to help finance the show citing that fireworks do not equal patriotism and in light of city personnel losing jobs due to budget cuts, this is simply considered an inappropriate use of tax payer dollars. At the point the meeting progressed to the approval of the $5,000 to $35,000 Purchase Requests, Council Member Rick Forschler requested again this year to move the line item for the Angle Lake 4th of July Fireworks show to unfinished business for further discussion.  

Community came together to offer their comments and opinions over the subject of Fireworks

During Unfinished Business, Council Member Forschler again cited that city government has certain obligations such as providing roads and public safety, however, financing fireworks is not an appropriate use of public funds.  CM Forschler suggested that a fireworks fundraising collection be organized or commercial sponsorship be sought out instead of using city funds and suggested that he would try to help in this effort. He recommitted his challenge to the other council members that he would pay a seventh of the requested $10,000 if the rest of the council members would pay in an equal portion, and if they failed to match the offer, he went one further by saying he was still willing to contribute a small portion as a private citizen, not as a representative of the city. 

  

Deputy Mayor Gene Fisher indicated that he was in favor of supporting the fireworks “one last time” respecting the earlier interests supporting a public fireworks venue when the fireworks ban was first implemented.  However, DM Fisher expressed frustration over not understanding why this comes up at the last minute each year and does not appear to come through the budget process (editors note: the Fireworks request has been included in each of the last four year Parks and Recreation Budget, however policy requires that it be reviewed and approved prior to being spent).  

Council Member Pam Fernald claimed that she cannot understand the reasoning behind the city financing fireworks when the city itself had decided fireworks within city limits to be illegal.  However, City Attorney Mary Mirante Bartolo cited that to the best of her recollection the Ordinance had been amended authorizing public displays by certified technicians under permit – additional research would be needed to confirm this.  It was then motioned that the vote over the firework expenditure be postponed to the next council meeting scheduled for April 12th.  

With this delay, I would expect a larger group from both sides of the issue to turn out in force to voice their opinion on the matter.  Whether city funds will be provided this year is still yet to be seen, however the fireworks show will still go on as hosted by the Angle Lake Shore Club.  It just may be a significantly smaller show unless we find an interested commercial sponsor(s).  Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated.

Show Of Support For Supporting The Show!

This coming Tuesday, March 22nd, the Regular Council Meeting agenda will include a request for a city contribution of $10,000 to help fund the Angle Lake July 4th Fireworks Show. The city council will be requested to approve this appropriation of city funds for the show. If you’ve had the opportunity to view  past shows, I am sure you will agree that this is one of the best displays in the South King County area! And if you’ve enjoyed the show nearly as much as the voices contained in the attached video – then we urge you to offer your comments of support at the 6:00 PM beginning of the City Council Meeting encouraging the Council Members to approve the appropriation of City funds to cover a portion of the July 4th fireworks show over Angle Lake.

A Look Back On The 2010 Approval Process

The April 13, 2010 Regular Council Meeting Minutes state that the Angle Lake July 4th Fireworks Show was included in the list of $5000 - $35,000 Purchase Request items. Council Member Rick Forschler requested the fireworks funding item be removed and placed under Unfinished Business to be discussed in the later portion of that evening’s council session.

When the discussion came up later, Interim City Manager Todd Cutts reminded the council that the contract for funding was for one year (2009) and that tonight’s item is to approve funds budgeted for 2010. CM Forschler stated that funding a fireworks show is not an appropriate use of public funds.  He stated he would be willing to pay 1/7 of the cost personally if the other CMs would pay the rest.

CM Ralph Shape clarified that when the City originally banned fireworks, the Council felt it was appropriate to provide a fireworks display. He also reminded the council that the Angle Lake residents pay a good portion of this show in addition to City funds. Mayor Terry Anderson stated that the number of fireworks throughout the City has decreased by providing this show.  And CM Tony Anderson stated that this is a great example of a private/public partnership.

A motion for move was made by Shape, seconded by A. Anderson to approve $10,000 for the Angle Lake July 4th Fireworks Show.  Motion carried with Forschler and Gregerson voting no.

High Water Mark Not So Ordinary

You might have noticed recently through all the rain we’ve endured that it seems the water level of the lake is a little bit higher than has been in recent years. In checking back in with our ALSC President, Lonnie Goulett, he informs me that the lake is actually eight and a half inches above the Ordinary High Water Mark (If you’re not familiar with OHWM, refer to our earlier blog post for more detail on that).  Eight and a half inches does sound impressive, no? If I were to step into an 8.5” deep puddle that would pretty much extend clear to the top of an ordinary dress sock…  surely enough water to get your shoes wet if not soak the bottom of  your trousers too! But how much water is that exactly for a lake the size of Angle Lake?  

Well, first off let’s forget ‘exactly’ and agree to settle on ‘close enough’. Using the excellent search engine at Google, I discovered Associate Professor Dr. Mark Leipnik's Web page Hydrology Lab #1 Units which describes an acre foot measurement of water is equal to 325,851 gallons…  If Angle Lake is measured at 100 surface acres and we are currently measuring 8.5” above OHWM, a quick exercise in mathematics reveals that we are currently twenty-three million, eighty-one thousand, one hundred twelve and one half gallons of water over the Ordinary High Water Mark! That’s a lot of water!  

How we arrived at this estimate: 1 acre foot divided by 12 = 27,154.25 gallons per inch X 8.5 Inches = 230,811.125 X 100 Acres = 23,081,112.5 gallons of water!  Please note, to our knowledge, no actual brain cells were harmed in generating this calculation.