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.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On...

Recent events have showcased the increasing role that Social Media tools are playing in delivering nearly instantaneous widespread distribution of news and information to the masses.  From igniting and organizing citizen revolt in Egypt to supplying astounding images and vital communication links from the recent tragedy that has struck the island nation of Japan.  Information is being delivered at lightning speed – however not all information is valid yet is still effectively spread around the globe with the same unprecedented rapid rate of speed.

“Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean its true” has never been more applicable than when considering the recent viral email being distributed in the wake of the New Zealand and Japanese earthquakes expounding the virtue of adopting the controversial “Triangle of Life” method to survive an earthquake.  The theory holds that when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside tends to crush these objects, but the remaining height of the object acts as a kind of roof beam over the space or void next to it, which will tend to end up with a sloping roof extending out from it. It is this space that self proclaimed rescue expert Doug Copp terms the triangle of life. The larger and stronger the object, the less it will compact; the less it compacts, the larger the void next to it will be. Such triangles are proclaimed to be the most common shape to be found in a collapsed building and offer the best protection for individuals. 

Sounds reasonable, however, the email warns the reader that most everyone who simply resign to  'ducking and covering' when a building collapses are crushed to death and that people who get under objects, like desks or cars, are also crushed. This encourages earthquake victims to dispose of conventional wisdom and training of duck, cover and hold, to instead seek out areas which offer a triangle of life space.  The  major fault of this wisdom is that a) this fails to consider that the “Drop, Cover and Hold on” method is a US based recommendation per US building codes where buildings virtually never ‘pancake’ b) the majority of individuals who suffer from injury during an earthquake are caused from objects and/or debris falling on them. During major quakes, often times heavy objects may shift around or topple over – thus removing the probability of providing any triangular spacing for protection and instead can end up seriously injuring the individual instead of protecting them! Sheltering under a table is still the best option to help prevent injury from falling debris.

Although it is an unfortunate and devastating event for communities to endure the effects from major seismic activity, it also should serve as a reminder and opportunity for others living in earthquake prone regions such as our own to become better prepared for when earthquakes strike.  Please don’t let this opportunity pass by without taking necessary action now and please be sure to reference only reputable agency websites as your valid source of information.  

Ready To Start Saving Daylight?

As a reminder, Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday -  just in time to make us all discombobulated for St. Patrick's Day!  In the US, Daylight Saving Time starts on the second Sunday in March of each year and ends the first Sunday in November of each year. 

You may have asked yourself, “Why do we put ourselves through this every year, and why does daylight need saving, anyway?” And if so, I am here to help provide some answers! Daylight Saving Time (the proper name for this spring-and-fall clock change thing) is all about longer summer days. And living on or near a lake, who doesn't appreciate longer summer days?!. The "saving" comes in because, with an early sunrise, people generally sleep through part of their lovely summer day, in effect wasting daylight (in fact, "The Waste of Daylight" was the name of a 1907 booklet handed out by William Willet, an early proponent of Daylight Saving Time).

The Daylight Saving Time 2011 time change is fairly simple: Most anything computerized, from a cell phone to a laptop, jumps ahead all on its own. Most other watches and clocks need to be reset manually, so we can inevitably forget to change one and confuse ourselves the next day.  But even with this slight inconvenience, we have it pretty easy -- in 1916, the first implementation of Daylight Saving Time in England consisted adding 20 minutes every Sunday in April. Less of a shock to the system, I suppose, but then it's no surprise that the month-long ordeal was ultimately changed to a single time change in March instead.

Since the 1970s, energy conservation has been the primary reason for the summer time change -- later daylight means we turn on the lights later, saving energy. The 2011 time change will be observed in different parts of the world, though not at the same times. The European Union, for example, springs forward on March 27, so you'll have to subtract an hour from the time difference for two weeks, unless you live in Arizona, Hawaii or one of the US territories, in which case there is no 2011 time change. Simple, right? 

And if it seems like Daylight Saving Time starts early every year, you're right -- sort of. Beginning in 1986, Daylight Saving Time started on the first Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October. But in 2007, Congress revised the dates to the current March-November calendar in order to extend the energy savings gleaned from earlier rising.

So come this Sunday morning as you struggle to wake up from the effect of losing that extra hour of precious sleep – keep in mind that we always seem to adjust, overcome and forget about the time change ... at least until November.

Good Turnout for Transit Open House

Sound Transit held the first open house for the S. 200th Street light rail extension on March 2nd at City Hall.  Approximately 150 members of the public attended. Participants were offered information on the proposed route, station elements and public art plan, as well as being invited to submit comments and questions. It is very encouraging to see lake area residents investing their time to get involved and learn more about the proposed changes in their neighborhood. The Sound Transit Board is expected to deliver a project ‘go or no go’ decision in May. If the vote favors moving the project forward an additional public outreach event can be expected in early fall of this year.

Design is underway for the extension of Link light rail between the SeaTac/Airport Station and S. 200th Street.  This project will extend light rail approximately 1.6 miles from S. 176th Street to S. 200th Street, where a station and park-and-ride will be located. For more information, consult the project webpage or contact Rachel Wilch, Community Outreach Coordinator for Sound Transit at rachel.wilch@soundtransit.org or Soraya Lowry, Program Manager for the City of SeaTac at slowry@ci.seatac.wa.us.