One more year of crappy winds and Iām gonna turn this race organizing over to someone who can conjure up something better.

It was light, shifty winds once again at the start of Lake Sawyerās annual Independence Day sailing race. Six boats showed up, but the sailing canoe backed out when it saw that it couldnāt even keep up with the committee boat. No sailboards this year, sorry to say, but two catamarans, two "day sailors" and one dinghy. The start was a haphazard mix with probably three minutes separating the starting boat from the final one over the line. Given the light wind conditions, this didnāt amount to much more than fifty yards, however. Rick Methot and his daughter Elaine were first across in their 14ā "Hobie One," followed by the other mono-hulls with the catamarans bringing up the back of the fleet. Rick led for most of the first leg until the wind picked up, then the higher performance boats took over with Kurt Kuleszaās 16ā "NACRA 5.2" catamaran rounding the first mark after 22 minutes, followed closely by Dick Veldhuis and his niece Deanna in Dickās 14.5ā "Dagger," with Bob and Adrian Rothchilds right on his stern in Bobās 182 catamaran. Lloyd Johnson's 10ā Ranger followed in 4th and the "Hobie One" rounded in 5th place.

If we thought the winds were weak and shifty on the first leg, we were met with even more dismal conditions on the way to the second mark. On the way, the "dagger" did a 360” just trying to find itās way and the "NACRA" ended up against Stan Johnsonās dock" Dagger somehow managed to sneak by the NACRA while Stan held the NACRA back and Bob Rothchilds' cat snuk around the mark. Being so small, the "ranger" didnāt have to round this mark and was heading for the south end of the lake, but the poor "Hobie One" did have to compete with the bigger boats and plodded along in last place.

As they are usually the fastest boats on the lake, the catamarans had to round the first and second marks once again while the mono-hulls stood off for the third mark by Bob Eatonās house at the south end. Itās reported that Rothchilds and Kulesza were neck and neck all the way to their 4th mark, while Veldhuis trailed Johnson by a good half mile and Methot was nearly that much further back. The "Ranger" was the clear leader at the final mark, followed by the "Dagger," then the "Hobie One," next Rothchildsā 182 and finally the "NACRA 5.2."

Several people have indicted their confusion as to how the sailing race is organized, so by way of explanation, here is how itās done: First, there is no preregistration, just show up and join the fun. All boats start at the same time. The smaller boats, those under 12ā, must only round two buoys then head for the finish line. Typically, when the wind is from the north, the starting line is by the large island in front of my house (southeast side of the lake) and we head for the first mark in the northeast portion of the lake, usually just off the Rothchilds' house. Next, we head west for the second buoy, usually positioned somewhere near the Johnson's house, then head for the final mark at the south end of the lake near the Eatonās. The small "dinghies" get to skip the "Johnsonās" buoy, but the catamarans have to round the buoys off Biegeās and Johnsonās twice before continuing. If the winds are ever stiff, this method should make for an exciting finish, but when they are light, the shorter the course, the better the finish. The first boat to finish overall gets a bottle of champagne and the first boat to finish in its class gets a handsome trophy. The rules are simple and the competition is fun, not heated. Hopefully, you will be able to join us next year.

1st: Lloyd Johnson in his 10ā "Ranger," ET - 1:23, Dinghy class
2nd: Dick Veldhuis with crew Deanna Veldhuis in his 14.5ā "Dagger,", ET - 1:23, Day Sailor class
3rd: Rick Methot with crew Elaine Methot in his 14ā "Hobie One," ET - 1:44, Day Sailor class;
4th: Bob Rothchilds with crew Adrian Rothchilds in his 18ā "Eighteen Square, ET 1:51, Super Cat class
5th: Kurt Kulesza with crew Todd in h is 17ā NACRA 5.2, ET 1:54, Cat Class

DICK VELDHUIS

Canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats met in front of the resort for the annual 4th of July paddle boat races. Frank Gardiner officiated as both kayaks and canoes hurried to complete a figure "8" around both islands in front of the resort.

John and Mary Koenes sent the paddleboats off in another direction, around just one of the islands. Spectators in boats lined the course and the finish line, cheering their favorite "paddlers."

KAYAKS
1st: Jim Collins
2nd: Warner & Hailey Furrer
3rd: Kathy Cutler & Wayne Kerley

CANOES
1st: Cheri Merrill & Bill Shaw
2nd: Lincoln Lee & Kristi Manson
3rd: Bob B. & John Mitts
4th: Eric Cline & Lewis Powers
5th: Melissa Barnhart & Doren Ray

PADDLEBOATS
1st: Shawna Butt & Erica Jacobo
2nd: Matt Brown & Tom Faris
3rd: Dave Hatton & Marie Nuss
4th: Vicki Junell & Elaine Lovre
5th: Kati Bakker & Lavon Pederson
6th: Doug Kadlec & Eric Wise
7th: Paddling: Jessee Gardiner & Eric Anderson; Passengers: Toby Gardiner & Nick Anderson

Put New Yearās Eve on your calendar! Plans are being made for a New Yearās Eve party at the Lake Sawyer Community Club.

Current plans include a potluck dinner, no host bar, and a DJ to provide music for dancing. A donation will be taken at the door to help cover the cost of coffee, tea, paper plates, decorations, etc.

Bring your friends and plan to meet up with your neighbors as we usher in the New Year together. Help make this party the beginning of a great NEW YEAR!

Please contact Mary Koenes (886-2087), Lynne Christie (886-7295), or Noreen Peters (886-2077) if you would like to help or if you plan to attend.

This will be great! Letās celebrate close to home with our neighbors!!!!!!!!!

Sometime in early August, a 17ā, green Coleman flatback canoe was borrowed or stolen from the canal. Anyone having any information about this, please call Dave Quinn at 886-7603.

The next scheduled Adopt-A-Road clean-up is set for Saturday, October 11, 1997. Those interested in helping to keep our neighborhood clean should meet at the Community Club at 9:00 a.m. on that date. It usually takes a little more than an hour (provided we get some help).

If you would like to do a section at a different time that weekend, please call Lynne Christie at 886-7295.

It is great to see new faces out there! Please give an hour to YOUR community!

There seem to be many questions about the effects that the annexation of Lake Sawyer will have on your fire department. We are a department which is a combination of the City of Black Diamond and King County Fire District #17. Currently the City contracts with the district for operation of the fire department and pays $0.75 per thousand of property value into the budget. The district residents currently pay $0.86. We have one of the lowest fire tax rates in the County. Financially our funds are administered through our office, deposited, held in trust and invested through King County.

We have 50 volunteers, a full time paid Chief/Firefighter, a part time paid Administrative Assistant/District Secretary/EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and a part time paid Assistant Chief of Relations/EMT. We have 31 in-district volunteers, 13 out-of-district volunteers who work volunteer shifts during the daytime and six Explorers. Of the 44 regular volunteers, 35 are EMTs.

We operate as one entity and for all practical purposes there will not be any adverse changes in the service levels to the community. The annexation may actually bring in additional funding to the department if the City agrees to allow excess revenues to go to the fire department. These will be used to replace antiquated apparatus. The major change which may effect the department is that the City will have a larger share of the tax base. Under our current agreement they may choose to take over the operation of the department. They may also choose to stay with our current contract as it is working very well this way.

Whatever the results of the annexation, our service to the community will not change. Our volunteer personnel are very dedicated to you and will continue to provide you with excellent emergency services. We all believe that this is one department and that it must remain that way in the future.

If you wish to address your concerns directly, you may call or visit our office from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our telephone numbers are 886-1229 or 631-2608.

R.A. MERCER JR.
Fire Chief

Our sources tell us that Santa will be in our area on Sunday, December 21, 1997. He will be traveling with Rudolph by raft and can stop at any dock by request. More information will follow in the November issue of the Lake Sawyer Newsletter.

Recently the citizens in our neighborhood have become aware of a speeding problem on the following roads: From 218th Pl. S.E. to 295th Pl., and on down to the boat launch. We are very concerned about the safety of our children, our neighbors, our pets and ourselves.

The Lake Sawyer community is asking that each of you remind your family members, neighbors, friends, and visitors of the 25 mile an hour speed limit (unless otherwise posted) on residential streets. Speed limits are established for the safety of all, both for those on foot was well as for those who are driving. Residential streets are not designed for high speed traffic and it is important that everyone drive with caution.

We hope that you will encourage others to drive at or below the posted speed limit when traveling our neighborhood streets. As children are playing outside and riding bikes, rollerblading, etc., we should all work together to make our neighborhood streets safe. We need to ensure that our neighborhood remains a safe and pleasant environment in which to live.

Letās all work together to keep our children and families safe.

Thank you.

CONCERNED LAKE SAWYER RESIDENT

Now that Lake Sawyer has its own Website, we thought it might be fun to get as many residents "internet savvy" as possible.

There will be a very basic internet "how to" class at the Community Center on Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 8:00 p.m.

Remember that this will be a very basic class which will touch on what you need to connect, and the key ingredients needed. YOU DO NOT NEED TO OWN A COMPUTER TO ATTEND THIS CLASS.

For more information and to make a reservation, call Kevin Myette at 886-1270.

Website advertisers are wanted for the Lake Sawyer Website. This is a great way to get business from local residents. We all like to give our business to those we know and this is a great way for all of us to find out what our neighbors can provide! If you are interested in buying space for your business on the Website, please contact Kevin Myette at 886-1270.

Remember too that there is a "classified" section on the Website. Let us know what you have to sell, or what you may be looking for.

If you havenāt yet hit the site, you should definitely check it out! The address is www.lakesawyer.org.

The Community Club is currently in the process of designing new Lake Sawyer sweatshirts which will be available for Christmas. Once the design is finished, we will put it on the website so you can check it out! We hope to have the design completed by October 15, 1997.

If you would like to preview the design but arenāt hooked up to the internet, give Lynne Christie or Polly Rohrbach a call. Lynneās number is 886-7295. Pollyās is 630-0803.

We had a very successful 4th of July and a lot of the success can be accredited to the volunteers who went door to door collecting donations. In all about $4,500 was collected. Of that total, $595 came from the Lake Sawyer Grocery donation box.

We would like to thank Val Brazier, Bob Edelman, Linda Patterson, Jerry & Esther Corn, Kathy Davis, Sue Hallgren, Brenda & Mike Marler, Doug Jepson, Dave Newberry, Lynn Christie, Robin Erickson, Jean Gardiner, Shannon Garvich, Kathy McCloskey, Cheri Merrill, and Dawn Johnston, for their hard work and persistence. Without these volunteers, we would not have as grand a 4th of July celebration.

POLLY ROHRBACH

We had another successful boat parade. Thank you to all fifteen families who worked so hard to entertain the rest of us.

The theme was "Circus on Parade," and what a circus we had!

First Prize went to the Merrill Family. Their theme was "The Lion King." They had great graphics and a young lady who tap danced on a platform all the way around the lake!

The judges had a tough time deciding second prize, so it ended up in a tie between the Geiger Family with "Circus McGurkis" and the Ericson Family with their Squirting Elephant.

Third price went to the Patterson Family with "Lake Sawyer Underwater Circus."

The Ross Family and their boat full of Munchkins got honorable mention.

The best music award went to the Knutsons. It was great hearing the bagpipes as they went around the lake.

An award for special effects was given to the jet skis of the Stocks Family that went in formation.

Every boat that entered was awarded with a basket of goodies.

Thanks again for your great efforts!

POLLY ROHRBACH

The turnout for the race was great, as were the t-shirts which were designed especially for this event! Once again the weather held and no one got rained on!

We would like to thank everyone who volunteered to help with the race directing traffic, manning (or womaning) water stops, and getting all the participants registered. The race would not be such a success without you!

The winners were:

Run: Kathy Morris
Walk: Patty Cline
Bike: Christopher Pickett

Congratulations to all who participated!

Special thanks to Jeff and Cherie Merrill who organized the event, and to the Seattle Science Center who donated many of the prizes.

Letās do it again next year!

Letās hear it for the East Side! They were the champions of the East v. West teen volleyball tournament. The east side was represented by "Kaleās Team" who won two out of three games. The west was represented by the "West Team" who did manage to win one of the three games by quite a good margin.

Hereās how it went:

1st game: 15 to 9 East
2nd game: 15 to 6 West
3rd game: 15 to 11 East

Some of my 4th of July reporters seem to be "missing in action." Hopefully we can locate them and get their stories in the November issue of the newsletter.

The deadline for the November newsletter is November 14, 1997. Please get your articles to Noreen Peters by that date. If you have questions, give her a call at 886-2077.

The idea began with the notion that the Lake Sawyer Community did not want to be split up by what would eventually be the cities of Maple Valley and Covington. That was three years ago. Two years ago a group of area residents approached the City of Black Diamond in an effort to gauge their interest in having our area be a part of their city. Over the last year we have gathered a great deal of data, held several meetings, and submitted a petition signed by owners of greater than 10% of the value of the area, as a step to show the City of Black Diamond that there was a valid interest in our community toward annexation. Over the summer, we completed a petition representing over 60% of the land value of the area. This was completed without signatures from any of the largest property owners in the area. Even though the petition was based on property value, the signatures we received amounted to over 60% of the number of residents as well.

On September 4, 1997, Black Diamond held a public hearing to gather input from anyone wanting to speak regarding the annexation. With the public hearing completed, the feasibility studies looking good, and a lot of people geared up to proceed, the matter is in the hands of the Black Diamond City Council. It is their task to determine if this annexation is in the best interest of the city, and what the financial, physical and future ramifications of this annexation would be. They can accept or reject the annexation, or set the actual date of annexation to occur at any point in the future. It appears at this time that the most financially beneficial time for the annexation to take effect would be March 1, 1998. That date would allow the city to take the most benefit of some revenues such as shared sales tax.

With our part pretty much done, all we can do at this point is wait for the City Council to complete their review, and vote on this huge step for the future of their city. We will be nearly doubling the population and area of their city. There is a great deal for them to consider over the coming weeks.

MIKE CLINE
ANNEXATION COMMITTEE