Special Town Hall Event

A proposed ordinance that would set a minimum wage of $15 per hour and other employment conditions for some airport transportation and hospitality workers will be on SeaTac’s Nov. 5 general election ballot.

Because a petition containing sufficient signatures was filed with King County Elections, SeaTac council members were required to either adopt the ordinance outright or send it on to the ballot. SeaTac council members decided not to accept the ordinance without a public vote and therefore determined to place the ordinance on the November ballot for the citizens to decide through majority vote.

City Attorney Mary Mirante Bartolo and Councilmember Dave Bush emphasized that city officials did not generate the proposed ordinance. The ordinance was proposed and signatures gathered by a group called SeaTac Committee for Good Jobs.

A special “town hall” meeting will be held to hear public comments about the proposed ordinance:

Tuesday, July 16th

5:30 PM

SeaTac City Hall

On July 23, the council will appoint three members each for two committees to write pro and con statements to appear in the voter’s pamphlet.

Please Note: The Angle Lake Shore Club does not endorse political views and this post is intended only to generate public awareness about the initiative and inform the community of the upcoming town hall event.

Official Statement From The ALSC Board

It is unfortunate that the other highly successful and very well attended events have been completely  overshadowed by the late start and shortcomings of our main event, the fireworks display. Among the successful 4th of July events include the Angle Lake Manor HOA Kiddies Parade; the Bud Jones Memorial 5K Walk / Run Around the Lake; the Swimming and Boating Races and the Home and Dock decorating competition.  

However, since the Fireworks Show did not live up to our high standards and expectations, the following communication has been distributed from the ALSC Board and contains information regarding last years show and is intended to provide our readers with an explanation of what had transpired. And while it does not yet include information regarding our future plans, please know that the ALSC Board will be meeting later this month to discuss the event in detail, review fully the issues and allow an opportunity to brainstorm ways to avoid future occurrences in an effort to bring the quality of our fireworks show back to former high standards that we've become accustomed to, of which Eagle Fireworks will no longer be a part of any future plans. Those future plans and solutions will be communicated through the normal ALSC communication channels once they are final.  

OFFICIAL ALSC FIREWORKS STATEMENT TO THE MEMBERSHIP

On behalf of the Angle Lake Shore Club board we want to apologize to our members for the late start to this year’s fireworks show and for the show in general, but at the same time are grateful that no one was injured.

As you are all now aware, or at least should be, Eagle Fireworks has been the fireworks contractor the club has used for the past 6 years since I became your president and for many years prior to that.  In fact I am not aware of us every having used another contractor. Last year we had a problem with the duration of the show and after much discussion and deliberation we as a board elected to give them a second chance to redeem themselves. We made this decision for the following two reasons:

1. Eagle Fireworks track record was not that bad and with personal assurances from the Owner, Steve Thornton, we felt comfortable in allowing him to deliver us “THE SHOW OF ALL SHOWS”  as he put it, to make up for the previous year.  He personally took full responsibility for the problems with last year’s show. 
2. After going out to 6 bidders Eagle Fireworks and two other bidders came back with the most competitive bid.  The bids ranged from a low of $18,000 up to $28,800, however only Eagle fireworks had included the temporary barge on which the show is staged.  All others excluded the temporary raft.  NOTE:  Only one other contractor gave us an add to include a raft which would have required the club to committing to a 10 year contract and a raft cost of about $30,000 amortized over the 10 year period.

From a financial aspect, last year we ultimately paid the contractor $9,000 against an $18,000 contract of which the City contributed $5,000 and we paid the $4,000 balance along with all other costs including lake flares required to put on the show.

In an effort to emphasis the problems we encountered last year we modified the Eagle Firework’s contract by adding an exhibit that addressed specific performance dates, timelines and achievements each with specific liquidated damages (LD) that would be assessed in the event the contractor failed to meet any of these requirements.  I think what transpired can best be described by examining these performance dates and how the contractor responded to them.

1. Permit application by 6/21/13 did not occur until 6/30/13 (need to verify this with fire marshal). LD of $250 /calendar day until complete not to exceed $3,000.
2. Steel barge delivery by 6/29/13 did not occur until 7/4/13. LD of $500 /calendar day until complete not to exceed $2,000
3. Raft component delivery by 6/29/13 did not occur until 7/4/13. LD of $500 /calendar day until complete not to exceed $2,000
4. Barge assembly complete and ready to tow and Fire Marshal approval no later than 4:00 pm on 7/04/13 did not occur until 9:45 pm. LD of $1,000
5. Start of show by 10:00 pm did not occur until 11:00 pm. LD of $1,000
6. Providing 6 mini finales during show did not occur. LD of $1,000
7. Final cleanup by 7/12/13 still pending. LD of $500 /calendar day until complete not to exceed $2,000

When the deadline of 6/21/13 came and there was no application I began to worry a bit.  Then the day of 6/29/13 came and went and I began to worry more.  By the evening of 7/03/13 it was like déjà vu all over again.  And what kind of effort was I making to avoid a repeat of last year?  I called Eagle Fireworks no less than 150 times in the month of June up until the 4th trying to keep abreast of what was happening.  Most calls were met with no answers, busy signals or people answering that had no idea what was happening.  From approximately one week prior to the 4th I found out my contact and the owner of Eagle Fireworks, Steve Thornton, had departed for Wyoming on a trek to buy more fireworks and was unavailable due to the fact he has no cell phone.  In fact the whole operation is basically only reachable by his land line in Chehalis WA as they apparently have no cell reception where they are located and he doesn't believe in e-mail correspondence either.  Needless to say, while I knew going in to this relationship it would take a lot of my time trying to communicate with Eagle Fireworks, I had no idea it would turn so futile.  I was having to call his 90 year old parents in the hopes of getting some type of answers only to find myself worrying that I’d give them a heart attack if I pressed them to hard on getting their son to contact me.

So we get to the question of why did the show start so late and for that answer I can only provide you with the following observations and impressions I come away with after dealing with this Eagle Fireworks for the past 6 years and specifically in preparations for this show.

1. Steve Thornton is a terrible businessman and is trying to run his company like they did 40 years ago and is simply unable to keep up with all the current rules, regulations and current business practices that are needed these days for a business to thrive.  Example: no cell phones, no internet and basically poor communication skills. 
2. Poor to no communications skills and unfortunately Steve, the owner, seems to be at the center of the communications problem.  His crew never seemed to know what was going on or when supplies would be delivered.  Steve would commit to times things would happen and never once did they occur at those times promised and never once would he call me to inform me about changes or deviations.  It was always me chasing him down to get reassurances or answers.
3. His equipment is old and antiquated and while it served him well at one time it is now in a state of disrepair.  Example:  Trucks breaking down, trucks with substandard brakes, and a steel barge that is in disrepair.
4. Lack of leadership with his pyro technicians.  There never seemed to be anyone in charge of what was going on at the staging areas and any questions we would ask seemed to go on deaf ears.  It was like we didn't even exist.  At one point on the day of the 4th the guy that was in charge told me that he was ready to just give up due to the lack of support by his boss.
5. They don’t seem to learn from past mistakes.  When asked at 9:30 if they were ready to be towed and if they had all the ropes and anchors ready we got a half hearted nod.  I reminded them of the problems last year with the lengths of rope only being 15’ -20’ long and not reaching the lake bottom.  Once out on the water with the raft in place we were faced with the same problem and were scurrying to find ropes and put our people on the raft to secure the anchors while we tried to stabilize the raft in the wind and hold it in place.  
6. The shells always seem to be delivered at the last minute and this 4th was no exception.  All this does is lead to frustration and mistakes.

I could probably go on and on about the negative aspects of what happened and would love to add some positive comments but I am challenged to find any in regard to the preparation for this year’s show, although I will say the that the spontaneous call to action from several shore club members who converge on the staging site the night before to pitch in to help unload the barge and platform materials was a phenomenal effort to ensure that the platforms were ready in time and that the shells that did go off the night of the 4th were quite impressive and finally, the fact that we got something off late was better than nothing at all.  However the biggest impact this year was the late start coupled with it being a work day the next day for most and a large number of people who left early and had gone home without witnessing any part of the show and for that we can only apologize so many times.  We really had little to no control over what happened.

  

Once the show was started the displays were quite nice until a little over half way through an 8” shell inadvertently exploded just as it left the mortar throwing one technician into the water.  This interrupted the show until injury and damage assessments could be made.   Fortunately there were no injuries however the incident did adversely affect the remainder of the show.  The on board crew then proceeded to sporadically fire off the remaining shells they deemed to be safe.

       

From this experience we have learned that communication is paramount in putting on a show of this nature.  In retrospect we needed to find a way to communicate to all spectators that the show was still going to proceed despite it being late.

Rest assured that we will continue to learn from our past experiences and will make all necessary adjustments in our means and methods to give our community the best product possible.  We are always looking for new volunteers who are interested in helping us in this and other worthwhile community endeavors.  If you are critical of how things are being run and think you can build a better mousetrap we encourage you to get involved as a volunteer and would be pleased to have you on board. 

Lonnie Goulet, President and the serving members of the Angle Lake Shore Club Board

Activities At The Park

Another 4th of July Celebration on the lake has come and gone, however festivities at the public park will remain through the weekend.  The Children’s Carnival will continue operations from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm until Sunday evening and of course the new spray park will continue to operate throughout the warm summer months.

Park Disturbance

A large incident of police activity was present around the park this past Wednesday Evening.  SeaTac Police received a report of a large group causing problems at and around Angle Lake Park.  Two officers responded and quickly discovered the group fighting outside the east park entrance.  As the officers arrived, the group fled back into the park at which time all SeaTac Police Units were dispatched to the location.  An estimated 75 – 100 black and Samoan juvenile were engaged in several heated arguments and were unresponsive to officer requests to disperse. With the amount of officers on the scene being significantly outnumbered by the unruly youth, a mutual aid request was broadcast and responded to by officers from Burien, KCO, Metro and Sound Transit, Tukwila and Des Moines Police Departments.  All together a total of about 20 officers were on the scene and were able to move the group out of the park.  Some of the group left via bus whereas the remaining group walked to So. 200th and International Boulevard where a large fight broke out in the middle of the roadway.  Four were arrested and 2 were pepper sprayed before several others fled the scene.  A group of about 30 remained behind at So. 200th and IB for about an hour before finally moving on.

With increased activity expected at the park due to later hours of operation throughout the holiday weekend, law enforcement encourages the community to report any unusual or disturbing behaviors immediately by calling 911. 

Celebrating Independence Day at Angle Lake

The 4th of July is one of the most favorite times here on Angle Lake. It is a time to celebrate the birth of our nation; to remember our heroes who have served to protect our country and preserve our freedoms; a time to gather with family and friends over good food and refreshments; and a time to relax and recreate on, in and around the waters of Angle Lake.

This Independence Day will be especially busy around the lake with the addition of the Carnival and all day music at Angle Lake Park, this in addition to our other Lake Community traditional activities. To help keep track of the various events and their individual starting times, we’re providing a link to a graphic map and schedule of events for you to print and refer to throughout the day:  4th of July Map of Events. 

Also, if you had not had a chance to pay your fireworks donation in person, you can download and print a copy of the donation order form to include with your mailed payment to the Shore Club Administration Office. It is through your generous support and donations by other people just like you that continue to make our annual ALSC events possible. Thank you for your contribution in helping to make this a most favored place to live.

Honorable Recognition for Local ALSC Member

It is with great enthusiasm the Angle Lake Shore Club Blog announce area resident and ALSC club member, Gene Tonnemaker, had received honorary recognition at a recent neighborhood park dedication and naming ceremony.

The park located next to Galliano’s on Military Road So. was built by Rotary members and community partners as part of a community enhancement project. It is here that the SeaTac Rotary proudly dedicated the park to charter member, club founder and Director Emeritus, Gene Tonnemaker on Friday June 14th. The dedication ceremonies included an announcement of the new park name, Integration Peace Park with additional comments provided by Mayor Tony Anderson, Rotary Assistant Governor Isabella McPeak, ILS Manager Joseph Emmanuel and Past President Diane Gallegos. Immediately following the ceremonies everyone present gathered for an ice cream social and a game of volleyball.

SeaTac Rotary named the park, Integration Peace Park for two significant reasons. First, because the property is owned by Integration Living Services, a non-profit organization that has an adult living facility for the disabled next to the park property. And second, because it has become a peaceful and inviting place for people from various cultures to gather, eat food, visit, and connect.

The project and park was the vision and efforts of past SeaTac Rotary President, Diane Gallegos. Providing her leadership, along with Rotarian labor and community support from SeaTac Firefighters, AmeriCorps members, and ILS staff and residents, the park transformed from an unusable and overgrown space to an attractive place to sit, play games, and gather for parties. The park offers visitors walking paths, benches, blooming plants, and lush green grass.

The park honors Rotarian, Gene Tonnemaker, who started the SeaTac Rotary and was a guiding and supportive club member for many years. He also held many leadership positions in the Rotary organization, including that of District Governor.

Rotary is an international service organization that positively impacts communities both locally and on a global scale. Members develop professional connections, grow long-lasting friendships, and enhance their leadership skills both socially and ethically. Rotarians are the kind of people who step forward to take on important issues and change the world….bringing peace through service.  SeaTac Rotary is probably best known for the annual hosting of the International Festival at Angle Lake Park, their Back to School Back Pack Program and the various other school and community benefit programs offered in SeaTac.

Congratulations Gene Tonnemaker on the esteemed recognition you have received from your peers.