Black Diamond NOW

Taking Time To Get Out - A Hike To Jellum

For some reason I seem to have succumbed to the malaise of the wet and dreary PNW weather and lost sight of what lights my fire - getting out and enjoying our wonderful natural areas.  Where else in King County or any Urban Growth Area within the state for that matter, can you drive in a circle of less than 10 miles and experience so much natural wonder that we have readily accessible to our community.  So I said the heck with it.  No more meetings today, no committees tonight or worrying about this or that problem we face here in Black Diamond. Time to get out and about and recharge my batteries.

My hike of choice this day - Jellum.  What's neat about hiking to Jellum is that it has some wild trail up on the ridge overlooking the Green River, there is an abandoned processing area for extracting mercury from Cinnabar mined along the rivers edge and then you have access to get down to the river itself - raging today.  Round trip - about 2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on how much time you take exploring the old Cinnabar mine processing area.  With all the wind and ice damage from earlier storms, hiking the trail made it a really special adventure.  Why do I enjoy this so much?  Following are a few pictures.

Beautiful natural forest.  You can just smell the freshness in the air.

Cinnabar processing area with concrete block in the back.

Hoping for something inscribed on this block, but no luck.

Landslide that occured last year pretty much eliminating any beach near the old Jellum mine.

Wow, what power when the Green turns brown.  Special thanks to Lisa Parsons for opening up so many wonderful places for Judy and I to explore.  If you want to search for more local hikes and natural areas, just click on Local Trails and you will have lots of choices.

 

Employment Trends - Some Interesting Data

Following is a profile of employment by size of firm and industry segment in our state, excluding the public sector.  What does the future hold for our community and what steps can we be taking to help shape it?  Building a local employment base is key to our future.

The following chart shows national data trends but I would expect that relative trends here pretty well mirror what we see below.

Reflections On Being A Member Of The City Council

Of Pythons and Alligators?  Just kidding of course.  We have a great community and great Council!

Black Diamond Community Center's Food Pantry Needs

With many Food Banks faced with decreased funding and high demand, it is important that we do what we can, however small, to support them.  Following is a list of the current highest priorty needs at the Black Diamond Community Center's Food Pantry:

• Spaghettios
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Tuna
• Cake Mixes & Frostings
• Jam/Jelly (sugar free and regular)
• Boxed Macaroni & Cheese
• Gravy Mixes
• Peanut Butter
• Instant Mashed Potatoes
• Chili

In addition, don't forget that there is always demand for gasoline vouchers that can easily be purchased at the Cenex station.  If you have the opportunity to attend the City's open community forum that is scheduled for this Thursday at the Community Center at 7 pm, please bring a donation if you can.  Thanks!

Puget Sound Fresh

Puget Sound Fresh is an interesting source of information for what's fresh, local and in season year round here in the Puget Sound region.  Find a farmer, farmers market, harvest schedule, recipes and events.  And believe it or not, some farmers markets remain open year round and with fresh local produce even this time of year.  Check it out.

Football Concussions - No Small Deal

Having my udergraduate education paid for by a football scholorship to WSU many years ago, a recent article in Science Daily really caught my attention.  Concussions for young athletes really do cause serious long term problems.  At least in my day, we did have Riddell suspension helmets that served to help mitigate the impact of helmet on helmet contact, which was the norm preached by coaches at the time.  As a linebacker, this was our mission - being a 'headhunter".  We were coached to hit with the head, not the shoulders.  I only ended up in the hospital for concussions after 2 games, but was always more than ready to go the following week.  Hospital bed to football field, and so it goes.  So, if I occasionlly lose it, please forgive me and understand- wires do not always connect as they should.  And don't forget to support new coach Mike Leach at WSU - we will definately be kicking the UW's butt soon (like next year) and the new PAC 12 as well.  Our current coaches attention to the health and nurturing of our youth and athletes these days beats anything that we experienced in the "old days".

Footnote: I also taught statistics as a graduate student as a way to pay for my masters degree back then.  Those poor students.  We definately benefited from the much more personal approach to education back then.  You won't see these comparable opportunities today.   We loved the environment of WSU at the time and have benefited greatly over the years from our time there. 

Local Economic Outlook - The Latest

On Tuesday, our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) task force was briefed regarding the latest economic outlook for King County.  I found it very revealing, particularly since the focus is local.  On the whole, they were able to point to some good news and some not so good news. 

The good news:

• There is some growth here in the county
• King County seems to be doing better than the nation as a whole
• Retail sales are up 4% to 6% overall (+11% in Black Diamond)
• Employment is up 1.5% to 2% year over year with over 18,000 jobs added in the county during this period
• Local firms seem to be doing well, particularly Boeing and Microsoft
• The affordability index for new home purchases is at the highest level in the last 20+ years.

The not so good news:

• The housing market remains very weak despite much improved affordability
• Retail sales (and sales tax revenues) remain well below pre-recession levels
• There are many risks to our local economy still out there that are beyond our control including, commodity prices (energy), European Union, Congress disfunction, etc.  We are not an island.

One of the biggest surprises to me was that incomes in the county have returned to pre-recession levels, but not retail spending as shown below:

Wow - retail sales are not currently expected to return to pre-recession levels until 2024.  How about assessed values for real estate?

For homeowners, this would appear to be good news for our 2012 tax bills.  Assessed values always lag by a year so 2012 assessments will be based on 2011 values. 

Among the most shocking of the data presented was the New Construction Forecast for King County.   This data shows just how big the bubble was here when over $8 billion of construction activity occurred in 2009, now expected to be less than $1.8 billion in 2012 - that's a collapse.  The new norm - if we get back to $4 to $5 billion per year we might be fortunate.

Seeing this data, it's a little easier for me to understand the magnitude of the "adjustment" our state and local governments are having to undergo.  It also brings home the lesson loud and clear - don't spend it all during the good times.  Save, save, save!

Is There Hope For The Housing Market?

Our outlook for the future always seems to be the most pessimistic when we are at the bottom of a business cycle.  Given where housing markets now are with recent record low prices, a continued forclosure overhang and all time low housing starts in 2011, it's hard for us to see how things might get any better.  But, could it be that housing markets might actually begin to grow in the reasonably near future?  Following are a couple of charts posted by Mathew Yglesias at Slate magazine.  They show that population is growing significantly faster than housing starts, which historically would lead to significant pent up demand and hence growth.  The longer this pent up demand goes unfulfilled, the stronger a recovery there typically might be.

In essence, rather than occupy new homes or apartments, people are doubling up, moving in with relatives etc.  Is this the "new normal" or can we expect to see significant growth in housing markets in the years ahead?  I certainly have no crystal ball but an intriguing question.

Historic Franklin Walking Tours Scheduled for February 4 and March 4

The Black Diamond Historical Society is once again planning to take people on a walking tour of the old historical town of Franklin on Saturday February 4 and Sunday March 4.  For more information on specific schedules, just follow the link above.  If you haven't been there yet, it's a absolute must do.

Friends of the Black Diamond Library Book Sale - Friday and Saturday February 3rd and 4th

If You Like Curry, Have I Got The Place For You - And Pizza Too

I'm a big fan of currys - the hotter and spicier the better.  Now you can get great curry right here in Black Diamond.  We lost power again yesterday so we were looking for a new take-out experience in town.  On a tip from the Wheelers, I went of all places to Italian Fresh Pizza located at the intersection of Lawson and SR 169 (right across the street and kitty corner from the Cenex).   Italian Fresh Pizza opened in town about 18 months ago with a full menu of affordably priced pizza that I am told is quite good.  About six months ago, the family who owns the restaurant and who are originally from Pakistan, decided to begin offering some of their own family's special chicken curry.  Wow, was this great.  And the Naan bread that accompany's each order is a wonderful additional treat.  We got one order of medium hot chicken curry and one of hot and they were both delicious.  Definately gets my five star rating.  Preparation takes about 20 minutes so give them a call to order take-out at 360-886-5298 or 360-886-5111.  They also offer delivery and catering - and be sure to try their pizza too.   Let's support our local businesses.

Osgard & Allen - A Must See Friday January 27th at Baker Street Books

What a treat for our community.  Not only are they talented but they are LOCAL as well.  Hope to see you there. 

Regional Trails - Lots of New Opportunity Ahead

The above trails map is excerpted from a county wide map of trails prepared by King County and focuses on south county.  As you may note, we have three major trail systems in our tri-city area - Soos Creek, Cedar River and the Green to Cedar Rivers trail.  Our long term dream is to connect all three of these trails and extend the Green River trail south through Black Diamond and on to the river itself.  There is also a potential opportunity to extend east from Black Diamond on to Franklin.  What a trail system this would be for bikers, joggers, walkers and equestrians. 

It would also serve to further unite our tri-cities of Covington, Maple Valley and Black Diamond.  Cooperation among our cities is strong today and growing.  Among the issues currently being discussed (also including Enumclaw) is the potential for uniting and cooperating on a locally based animal control services system.  This would replace the services currently being provided by King County.  Nothing definative yet, but a good example of how our cities are actively working together for our common good.  Will provide an updated report near the end of February.

Let's work to keep trails as among our highest regional priorities.  The following map focuses more specifically on our tri-city area.

Tips For When The Power Goes Out

We live in an area with lots of trees and power outages are common here averaging perhaps two to four outages per year ranging from 8 hours to 72 hours each, but rarely more than this.  So what have we learned over the years?

1. Make it fun - ok, I'm being a bit polyanna here but attitude is important.
2. Stay away from under any trees - limbs can easily break off as they have during our current weather where freezing rains have really weighted down tree limbs, which break and fall.  Thus, we have power outages and big personal risk if you get hit.  Unfortunately, an Issaquah man was killed yesterday by a falling tree branch.  While heading out to my car this morning, I heard a big crash and literally dove into my car.  Fortunately, a big fir limb fell about 50 feet away and I was ok, but for a while I thought that I might have to change my underwear.
3. Invest in a portable Honda 2000i generator - I'm pretty cheap (Judy would say very cheap) and unwilling to invest in a permanent home power supply backup system.  For under $1,000, we have a portable generator that we have had for quite a few years now and that can supply more than enough power for the brief outage periods we face and it's easy to set up.  In maybe 20 minutes, we are able to power our refrig, microwave, gas insert fan to heat a reduced living area, lighting, music system and internet access through our home wifi system.  Granted, we have extension cords all over but we certainly have all the vital necessities.  I like Honda motors because they are so dependable - I never exercise the generator as I should every several months or make sure that we have fresh gas.  As close to plug and play in the world of generators as you can get.

Anyway, hoping that you are being safe.  Enjoy!

Busted By The Feds

To our surprise we just received our 2012 National Agricultural Classification Survey in the mail from the USDA.  Someone out there must have turned us in having seen pictures of our bountiful garden harvest from this past year.  Judy and I are apparently now classified as farmers and subject to USDA regulation.  Could it be because we still have some potatoes yet to eat that tipped the scales?

Among the more interesting questions - did we receive any Federal or State Agricultural payments?  Not that I know of but what am I missing here?  I guess you can now call me farmer Goodwin.

2011 Fire Department Stats

Following is a tally of all the calls for Fire District 44 last year.

Fire: 63

Rupture/Explosion: 4

EMS/Rescue: 1,056

Hazardous conditions: 33

Service Call: 101

Good Intent: 58

False Call: 92

Severe Weather: 4

Other: 5

Total Calls: 1,416

Notice that EMS/Rescue totals nearly 3 every day.  Thats a lot for our area.  And 63 fires?  Why so many?

Bunkers At Mine B In Black Diamond - Circa 1915

Photo courtesy of University of Washington Libraries, Image no. 1978.65.85.38, circa 1915

Mine B in Black Diamond apparently operated between 1911 and 1914 on what was known as the Franklin series No. 13 coal seam, which was located stratigraphically below the McKay seam and west of the larger Mine 11.  Mine B had a maximum depth of 450 feet and also would appear to have a pretty short life for all of the investment in infrastructure required.  How could you make money in this business with such a short life-span?  I'm also waiting to find a photo from this period where we see clear blue sky.

And can you guess what natural resource investment at the time delivered the highest returns - coal, clay, cinnabar or ???????  The answer in a future post.

Lest There Be Doubt - The Importance Of Getting A Quality Education

Who are the biggest winners and the biggest losers through our recent recession?  Clearly, the greater the level of education the greater the employment opportunities and growth have become.  In times of more full employment, employers are more willing to invest in the training needed for new employees, but less so when times are tight for all.  So the message - get as much education and re-education as you can.  It's the gift that keeps on giving.

The downside, however, is the climbing cost of education today.  Students leaving college with student loan liabilities in the triple digits face a daunting new challenge - how to pay for it.  One more example of the haves and have nots in our country today.  And keep in mind, that declaring bankruptcy will not wipe-out student loan debt obligations.  Any wonder that you see the young 20's crowd leading the Occupy movement?

Open Public Forum Scheduled - Thursday January 12 at 6:30 pm

In what will be the first of regular monthly open public forums, the Black Diamond City Council has scheduled Thursday Jan. 12 at 6:30 pm at the Black Diamond Community Center as a time to meet with members of the community and engage in a dialogue about issues of interest.  One of the unifying themes of this Council is the desire for open and transparent government.  As members of the public prior to being elected to the Council, we all shared frustration about the inability at Council meetings to have an open dialogue due to 3 minute public comment time limits and the structured business protocols for these meetings making dialogue difficult.  We all want opportunities for more two way dialogue in which members of Council and the public can talk.  And since this Council is not politically nor egocentric driven, we are all open to creating more and better ways for community participation.  As a Council, we are planning to set aside the second Thursday of every month from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Black Diamond Community Center for these open forums.  Please plan to attend this Thursday.  We look forward to it.

Black Diamond Sales Tax Receipts Surge 11% in 2011

Still a small number but 11% growth is certainly a positive trend.