William Saas - Black Diamond City Councilman

2009-06-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

My name is William Saas, Black Diamond City Councilman for the years 2010 - 2014. My desire as your city councilman is to bring you a greater awareness on matters that directly impact you and your family’s quality of life.

Case in point - our city was recently in jeopardy of losing much of its pure spring water to a large corporation and most of our citizens were completely unaware! Do you realize that most of Black Diamond citizens have fresh spring water running through their faucets?

Also, as we are poised for residential and commercial growth, I seek to preserve the historic & small town culture we have all grown to enjoy and, why many of us chose to settle in Black Diamond. Growth is inevitable and it's happening, (See Future Growth - Past to Present below for a timeline of events) and I believe it will take a strong council in keeping the development of these areas as originally envisioned while maintaining the history and memories that originated with Black Diamond Coal. (See History of Black Diamond - the 3rd post below)

I envision a close knit community in Black Diamond, with plenty of trails, sidewalks & open space to include common areas & parks for the families. I am a big advocate for community as well as community involvement, your voice and input matters with me.

At the age of 36, married with 2 children, I will bring to the council a fresh perspective based upon traditional family values. I look forward to meeting you in the upcoming months, listening to your story and understanding your perspective!

Who am I, here is a brief history:

Born & Raised

I was born & raised in Long Island New York and served in the US Army from 1991 - 1995 which brought me to the beautiful state of Washington. When I was stationed in Ft Lewis, I met my bride to be. My wife Alyssa and I were married in April 1993. We have two beautiful children, Bryanna who turned 14 in May and Preston who is the age of 8. We have resided in Black Diamond on two different occasions; in 1998 - 1999, we lived on Lake Sawyer, the NW side of the lake, and then moved to Covington. After spending our time in the city of Covington we found a beautiful home on Lawson Hill in Black Diamond the year of 2003. We, like so many of you have come to love the history and culture of Black Diamond, the businesses and most importantly, the people that define this community.
I grew up in a family owned drywall business; my grandfather was a custom home builder and built many of the homes on Montauk Point on Long Island, NY.

Hobbies
My hobbies include a heavy dose of camping with my family in both the summer and winter. I enjoy fishing the lakes with my children, niece & nephew and doing some river fishing as well. I also enjoy reading books that help and challenge me to become a better person; I believe that we all have much more inside of us than we are aware of. In addition to these, occasionally I attempt to make music on my acoustic guitar and spend 3 - 4 days at Tahoma Fitness in Maple Valley.

Faith
My family and I are very much involved in our local church - Solid Rock Community Church and we put our complete faith and trust in God through our savior Jesus Christ in all that we do.

Business & Education
Having been raised in a family owned drywall company as well as my grandfather owning his own custom home building business I realize the concerns and needs of a small business. I have been to many business and leadership courses, have some college at both Green River, South Seattle and currently a student in Global University's online college course - Berean School of the Bible. I am a member of the Auburn morning Toastmasters club, a non-profit organization developing public speaking and leadership skills through practice and feedback in local clubs that was established in 1924. For the last 5 1/2 years I had worked hand in hand with the owner of a manufacturing plant down in Auburn in charge of sales & marketing as well as business operations, I have a passion for small business and more importantly the profitability and success of them.

History of Black Diamond

2009-06-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

If you have not already done so, I want to encourage each one of you who have not taken the time to visit the Black Diamond Museum, pick up a pamphlet or check out a book at the library and learn about the rich history of Black Diamond coal. See why coal miners from California traveled a 1000 miles north to Black Diamond in search of more coal, that precious commodity from times past.

Below is a brief description of landmarks I pulled out of the Black Diamond Tour Guide pamphlet you can receive at the museum -

See the corresponding pictures (as of June 2009) to the left as they are numbered below:

Black Diamond Cemetery (24431 SE 325th St) The town cemetery dates back to pre 1880 and is the final resting place for many founding families.

Union Stump (Roberts Drive / Branch Rd West of Cemetery) When Black Diamond miners began to organize a union, they were not allowed to gather on Company property, so they congregated at a spot outside of town near the cemetery

Gattavara’s Store (24306 Roberts Drive) The Gattavara Store was privately owned and built in 1922. The building has been know as the Morganville Tavern, The Dinner House (and now Mama Pasarelli’s)

Garrett’s Service Station and Residence (24203 Roberts Drive) In the 1920’s, Garrett’s sold gas at 12 cents / gallon and delivered groceries by truck.

Black Diamond Depot (32627 Railroad Ave) Built in 1886 by the Black Diamond Coal Company, the depot was an integral part of the town’s activity. After serving many purposes over the years, the depot became the home of the Black Diamond Historical Society Museum in 1982.

Black Diamond Jail (South side of museum) Starting in 1909, men who got too rowdy celebrating payday could find themselves here on Saturday morning.

Post Office, Bank / Koerner’s Drug Store and Confectionary (32700 Railroad Ave) Built in 1893, this building originally served as the post office and was later expanded to include a bank. After the town banker ran away with the money in the 1920’s, the building then became a drug store and confectionary as it is commonly called today.

Black Diamond Store (32709 Railroad Ave) The Black Diamond Store was a privately-owned business started in 1900 before the PCCC acquired the town. It has also housed a tavern, a saloon and today serves as a bookstore.

Black Diamond Bakery (32805 Railroad Ave) Established in 1902 by Bill Hadley, the bakery is the only historic building in Black Diamond still existing as its original use. Baked goods made here have been a favorite of locals and visitors for over 100 years.

Future Growth - Past to Present

2009-06-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

Whether you realize it or not, Black Diamond, over the next 15 years may grow 200% of its current 4000+ population, that's over 5600 more homes in the designated areas. What does this mean to you?

Let's take a tour down memory lane when Black Diamond became a city and incorporated in 1959 up until the moratorium on acceptance of applications for Master Planned Developments, Planned Unit Developments, and subdivisions until December 31, 2009 was terminated by the City Council in June of 2009 - See timeline below:

1959 – City of Black Diamond incorporated
1976 – Foundation of BDHS: Historic Preservation and Restoration
1980 – City of Black Diamond adopts first Comprehensive Plan
1990 – Washington State adopts Growth Management Act (GMA)
1994 – City of Black Diamond annexes 623 acres (Ord. 515) and 160 acres (Ord. 517)
1996 – City of Black Diamond adopts Comprehensive Plan Update per GMA
1996 – City of Black Diamond creates Urban Growth Area Agreement
2000 – City of Black Diamond adopts Comprehensive Plan Update
2003 – City of Black Diamond adopts Transfer of Development Rights program (Ord. 752)
2005 – City of Black Diamond adopts Master Plan Development (Ord. 05-779)
2005 – City of Black Diamond establishes Area Open Space Protection Agreement
2005 – City of Black Diamond enacts Divisions of Land Ordinance (Ord. 05-780)
2006 – YarrowBay hosts public meeting at Black Diamond Bakery on holdings in Black Diamond 2008 – YarrowBay hosts informational community Open House
2009 – February, City of Black Diamond adopts updated Sensitive Areas Ordinance (Ord. 08-875)
2009 – February, YarrowBay hosts informational community Open House on preliminary MPD Applications
2009 – March, City of Black Diamond adopts updated Master Planned Development code (Ord. 09-897)
2009 – March, YarrowBay hosts second informational community Open House on preliminary MPD Applications
2009 – May, YarrowBay submits The Villages and Lawson Hills MPD Applications
2009 - The moratorium on acceptance of applications for Master Planned Developments, Planned Unit Developments, and subdivisions until December 31, 2009 was terminated by the City Council in June of 2009

For further timeline information, click here: http://www.inblackdiamond.com/Planning_Timelines.php

As I said earlier - what does this mean to you? Let's go back to my desire as your city councilman - That is to keep YOU aware and more importantly to hear your voice on major issues such as the urban growth that will take place in the future. Growth is inevitable but it will take a strong council to maintain the rural and historic feel of Black Diamond during the design and construction. Let's keep the word "unity" in community.

William Saas - Black Diamond City Councilman

I would enjoy hearing from you! If you have any questions, input or ideas, feel free to contact me at the email address below!

williamsaas@comcast.net